{"id":134935,"date":"2026-08-28T03:14:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T03:14:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/134935\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T03:14:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T03:14:16","slug":"sinuiju-hit-by-new-flooding-as-drainage-fails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/134935\/","title":{"rendered":"Sinuiju hit by new flooding as drainage fails"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Kim<\/a>Rodong Sinmun, the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea’s official newspaper, published photos on July 31, 2024, showing leader Kim Jong Un touring flood-damaged areas of Sinuiju city and Uiju county in North Pyongan province. \/ Image: Rodong Sinmun, News1<\/p>\n

Sinuiju, the North Pyongan province city that suffered catastrophic flood damage in the summer of 2024<\/a>, is underwater again, this time because a short burst of intense rain overwhelmed the city\u2019s weak drainage system rather than the Yalu River overflowing its banks. With low-lying neighborhoods submerged and power and water cut off, the flooding has become the latest sign of how fragile North Korea\u2019s urban infrastructure remains against extreme weather.<\/p>\n

According to a Daily NK source in North Pyongan province who spoke Thursday, heavy rain pounded the Sinuiju area on Aug. 23 and 24. The downpour briefly let up on Aug. 25 before picking up again overnight into Aug. 26.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the flooding in 2024, the river overflowed and that caused the damage. This time, the damage happened because the rainwater couldn\u2019t drain away,\u201d the source said. \u201cThe standing water can\u2019t recede, and since it keeps raining, there\u2019s even less chance for it to drain, so many areas remain flooded.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rain stopped briefly on Aug. 25, and we thought the water might start receding, but it began raining again overnight into the early hours of Aug. 26,\u201d the source added. \u201cWith the rain continuing like this, people don\u2019t know when the water will finally recede, and they\u2019re feeling anxious.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pattern of this flooding is markedly different from the 2024 disaster, according to the source. In 2024, the Yalu River overflowed and heavily damaged Wihwa Island and areas along the riverbank. This time, weak drainage conditions <\/a>caused flooding across low-lying areas throughout the city.<\/p>\n

In Sumun neighborhood, both electricity and water service remained cut off as of Aug. 26, and a significant number of single-story homes were submerged, forcing people to evacuate to higher ground. Temporary shelters have also been set up in some neighborhoods, including Ryonsang and Ryonha, to house flood victims as part of the response, according to the source.<\/p>\n

Little state aid expected this time<\/p>\n

Amid the damage, flood victims are reportedly resigned to the idea that nationwide recovery assistance will not follow this time, meaning they will have to rebuild their homes<\/a> and belongings on their own once the water recedes.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the previous flooding, the Yalu River overflowed and the damage was highly visible from the outside, and the Marshal (Kim Jong Un) personally visited the area<\/a>, so nationwide recovery assistance followed. This time, though, the visible damage isn\u2019t as extensive,\u201d the source said. \u201cSo there\u2019s a strong sense among people that they shouldn\u2019t expect much state support and will need to rebuild on their own.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn terms of the actual damage people have suffered, this time isn\u2019t much different from before,\u201d the source added. \u201cWith electricity and water cut off and homes and belongings submerged for days, people are struggling not only with immediate concerns like food and shelter, but even more with the uncertainty of how they\u2019ll rebuild their lives once the water finally recedes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The latest flooding is seen as a case that exposes both the topographical characteristics of the Sinuiju area and its vulnerable drainage infrastructure. With North Korean authorities not disclosing detailed information about the damage this time, attention is turning to how extensive and thorough any future recovery efforts will be.<\/p>\n

Rodong Sinmun reported Aug. 26 that rain and showers fell across most of the country between Aug. 23 and 24 due to a low-pressure trough and the seasonal rain front, with heavy rain also reported in several areas of North Pyongan province, some areas of South Pyongan province, and localized areas of Jagang province.<\/p>\n

According to the newspaper, on Aug. 24 alone, Kusong received 408 millimeters of rain, Sinuiju 379 millimeters, Chonma 365 millimeters, Wihwa Island 329 millimeters, Uiju and Taechon 319 millimeters, Phihyon 267 millimeters, Nyongbyon 224 millimeters and Taegwan 216 millimeters, all considered extremely heavy rainfall. Hyangsan, Kaechon, Pakchon, Kujang<\/a>, Unsan and Ryongchon received 150 to 200 millimeters, or heavy rainfall.<\/p>\n

Earlier, on Aug. 24, North Korea\u2019s Korean Central Broadcasting Station reported that Sinuiju recorded 333.9 millimeters of rainfall between midnight and 2 p.m. that day, prompting authorities to issue a heavy rain emergency warning.<\/p>\n

Read in Korean<\/a><\/p>\n

Reporting from inside North Korea<\/p>\n

\n Daily NK operates networks of sources inside North Korea who document events in real-time and transmit information through secure channels. Unlike reporting based on state media, satellite imagery, or defector accounts from years past, our journalism comes directly from people currently living under the regime. We verify reports through multiple independent sources and cross-reference details before publication.\n <\/p>\n

\n Our sources remain anonymous because contact with foreign media is treated as a capital offense in North Korea \u2014 discovery means imprisonment or execution. This network-based approach allows Daily NK to report on developments other outlets cannot access: market trends, policy implementation, public sentiment, and daily realities that never appear in official narratives.\n <\/p>\n

\n Maintaining these secure communication channels and protecting source identities requires specialized protocols and constant vigilance. Daily NK serves as a bridge between North Koreans and the outside world, documenting what\u2019s happening inside one of the world\u2019s most closed societies.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rodong Sinmun, the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea’s official newspaper, published photos on July 31, 2024, showing leader…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134936,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[24538,4638,141,31,34,9392,9213,9259],"class_list":["post-134935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-north-korea","tag-flooding","tag-infrastructure","tag-kim-jong-un","tag-korea","tag-north-korea","tag-north-pyongan-province","tag-sinuiju","tag-yalu-river"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134935\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}