Severe punishments, death penalty imposed in North’s disaster response law, report finds

North Korea has significantly increased the severity of punishments for government officials responsible for disaster response failures — including the death penalty — according to a recent report.

A crisis response law enacted in August 2022 dramatically strengthened the accountability and penalties for those overseeing disaster management, the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU) said on July 29 in a report titled “Changes in North Korea’s Crisis Response System and the Establishment of the Ministry for Disaster Prevention” (translated).

“The crisis response law includes provisions to impose the maximum sentence of capital punishment,” said Na Yong-woo, director of KINU’s North Korea Research Division, in the report.

Although the law was enacted nearly three years ago, its full text was only made public domestically last year.

North Korea has overhauled its disaster response laws and organizations in recent years following repeated disasters and casualties, according to Na.

In particular, during the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020, authorities established an emergency quarantine law by separating the related clauses from the existing disaster prevention law and built a new public health emergency response system based on it.

The regime followed up by introducing the crisis response law in 2022, laying out a comprehensive management system for national emergencies. Earlier this month, the establishment of a new ministry dedicated to disaster prevention — the Ministry for Disaster Prevention — was also confirmed.

“North Korean authorities appear to have expanded relevant institutions to enable swift policy formulation and execution in the disaster sector,” Na said.

“The effectiveness and speed of disaster response are core to the Kim Jong-un regime’s ability to maintain public support,” he added.

BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]