SEOUL, Aug 3, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un accused South Korean media outlets of spreading rumours about flood damage and casualties in his country, state media said Saturday, days after Seoul reached out to offer humanitarian aid. Kim "bitterly censured the inveterate habits and despicable nature of the ROK scum," referring to South Korea, KCNA said Saturday. The flooding reports constituted a South Korean "smear campaign to bring disgrace upon us and tarnish" the North's image, he added. It claimed North Korea's Air Force rescued over 5,000 people, with around 4,200 of them saved by helicopter "within a few hours". North Korea declared the South its principal enemy earlier this year, and Pyongyang has not responded to inter-Korean liaison hotline calls since April 2023.
