By Jun Ji-hye
Approximately 80 people died in North Korea in October when a North Korean National Defense Commission building under construction collapsed, Japan’s Tokyo Shimbun reported Tuesday.
The newspaper quoted an unidentified South Korean government official as saying that the building under construction at a city center in Pyongyang collapsed killing about 80 soldiers of the North Korean People’s Army and laborers.
Unification Ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol said, “There is no issue that the government can confirm this,” without elaborating.
According to the newspaper, the reclusive state discreetly removed the rubble of the collapsed building so it would not be captured by foreign satellites.
North Korean media has not reported the accident.
In May, the collapse of a 23-story apartment in Pyongyang, which caused considerable casualties, became known to the outside world through satellite pictures and tourists who witnessed the accident.
A week after the accident, the North’s state media confirmed it, blaming the collapse on poor construction. The report also showed officials making apologies to the victims’ families, but did not say how many people were killed or injured.
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