North Korean leader Kim Jong Un applauded the military Tuesday for its efforts to rebuild areas devastated by typhoons and summer floods. Kim visited Kangbuk-ri village, a rural town damaged by a typhoon that has been rebuilt into a “socialist fairyland.”

“The People’s Army is made up of creators of all miracles on this land,” Kim said Tuesday in a statement carried by state-run media. “The genuine might of the People’s Army lies not in the number of troops and the might of ammunitions but in their ardent love for their country.”

North Korea has been hit by multiple typhoons in recent weeks, resulting in flooding. The tropical storms threaten the country’s agricultural sector and could lead to food shortages.

North Korea has experienced numerous severe weather and climate-related events in the past. In 2019, the country witnessed its worst drought in decades and received humanitarian aid from South Korea.

In the 1990's, North Korea experienced a serious famine due to a series of floods and droughts. The New York Times reported that more than 2 million people died, as North Korea’s public distribution system struggled to respond to the crisis.

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