N. Korea urges all-out efforts to minimize damage from Typhoon Khanun
A weather agency official looks at the path of Typhoon Khanun at the weather office of the Seoul metropolitan area, Aug. 7. Yonhap
North Korea on Tuesday renewed its call for efforts to minimize potential damage from the approaching Typhoon Khanun, saying the country's economy could be dealt a blow if it does not thoroughly prepare for it.
The typhoon is expected to head toward North Korea during the wee hours of Friday after landing on South Korea's southeastern coast the previous day and moving inland, according to Seoul's weather agency.
North Korea called on party officials to make all-out efforts to protect the people's lives and provide safety from a "frenzy of nature," thereby implementing the country's five-year economic policy plan that was adopted in 2021, the Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, said in a commentary.
The paper also stressed efforts to minimize damage from the typhoon to the country's preparations for the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the republic's establishment, which falls on Sept. 9.
North Korea is vulnerable to natural disasters due to its lack of infrastructure, with heavy rains, in particular, leaving thousands of people displaced in the impoverished country in the past.
Along with a typhoon alert, North Korea issued warnings Monday against strong winds, heavy rains and large waves across areas of the country this week.
The country's foreign ministry sent a letter last week to embassies and international organizations in the country, calling on them to brace for a possible typhoon in early August. (Yonhap)