N. Korea accelerates efforts to improve irrigation system ahead of farming season

SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is accelerating efforts to improve its irrigation system and recover from last year's flood damage ahead of the spring farming season, state media said Wednesday.

Last summer, North Korea was hit hard by heavy rains and back-to-back typhoons in several regions, including the rice-producing areas in its southern parts.

As part of recovery efforts, the North is repairing its reservoirs and building waterways in typhoon-hit regions, including in Gangwon and South Hamgyong provinces, according to the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling party.

"At the eighth party congress, the need for water conservancy was emphasized as a crucial strategic task to increase agricultural production," the paper said.

The paper stressed that the recovery efforts were crucial to "overcoming natural disasters" and securing a sufficient harvest.

The North appears to be making all-out efforts to repair reservoirs and other facilities damaged by the recent typhoons in preparation for a new farming season.

The heavy downpours dealt a heavy blow to agricultural output in the North, which is known to be vulnerable to flooding due to poor irrigation and deforestation.

At the eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party last month, the North put forward its five-year development goals focusing on self-reliance and called on stepped-up efforts in various sectors, including agriculture and light industries.

julesyi@yna.co.kr
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