SEOUL: South Korea said Friday it had received no response after trying to contact the North to offer humanitarian aid following reports of deaths and heavy damage caused by recent flooding.

Seoul’s unification ministry said in a statement Thursday that it was willing to “urgently provide” humanitarian assistance to “North Korean disaster victims” impacted by the downpours.

The ministry attempted to contact the North to make an offer of aid via the Koreas’ liaison office communication channel, but Pyongyang has not responded, Seoul said Friday.

“We will not make assumptions about the situation and look forward to a prompt response (from the North) to our proposal,” Kim In-ae, the deputy spokesperson for the ministry, told reporters.

North Korea said earlier this week that a “record downpour” hit its northern border areas near China, resulting in “a grave crisis in which more than 5,000 inhabitants were isolated in the zone vulnerable to flooding”.

On Wednesday, Pyongyang said many “public buildings, facilities, roads and railways, including more than 4,100 dwelling houses and nearly 3,000 hectares of farmlands” were flooded in its northern regions of Sinuiju and Uiju.

Four dead in record torrential rains in South Korea

That same day, North Korean state media said leader Kim Jong Un “proposed to strictly punish” officials who neglected their disaster prevention duties, which had caused unspecified deaths or injuries “that can not be allowed”.

A report by South Korea’s TV Chosun said hundreds of people could have been killed.

Kim has been shown in multiple videos this week traversing flood waters in a rubber boat, overseeing rescue operations involving military helicopters.

Natural disasters tend to have a greater impact on the isolated and impoverished North due to its weak infrastructure, while deforestation has left it vulnerable to flooding.

‘Deep condolences’

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in years, with the North bolstering military ties with Russia while sending thousands of trash-carrying balloons to the South.

In response, Seoul’s military blasts K-pop and anti-regime messages from border loudspeakers and recently resumed live-fire drills on border islands and near the demilitarised zone that divides the Korean peninsula.

Rains lash southern China as rising rivers threaten more flooding

Despite the heightened tensions on the peninsula, South Korea’s unification ministry on Thursday expressed “deep sympathy” for the flood victims in the North.

Seoul’s foreign ministry also issued a separate statement Friday, extending its “deep condolences” to the North Koreans who have been “affected by the recent heavy rainfall”.

South Korea has “consistently maintained the position that it will continue humanitarian assistance to North Korea”, regardless of the “political and military situation,” the foreign ministry added.

Pyongyang unilaterally cut off all official military and political communication links with Seoul in 2020 and blew up a disused inter-Korean liaison office on its side of the border.

The inter-Korean liaison office channel was restored in 2021, but the North has not been responding to the hotline calls since April 2023.

Despite the North’s lack of response, Seoul has been attempting to communicate with the North through the channel twice daily, every day, according to the unification ministry.

KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait said Iran hit a power and water plant Sunday causing a fire, the latest attack on energy infrastructure in the small Gulf state, as Bahrain also accused Tehran of targeting civilian sites.

It was the third attack in as many days on a power and water facility in Kuwait, according to authorities, which also reported that an oil facility had been hit on Saturday.

Kuwait has asked residents to limit their power usage as repeated Iranian attacks add further strain to its power network.

Iran had earlier said it carried attacks on US assets in Kuwait, as tensions flared between the two foes over the Strait of Hormuz for more than week.

“As a result of the heinous Iranian aggression on Kuwait, a power and water distillation plant, for the second time in two days, has been subjected to an attack that caused a fire in some facilities of the station,” the Kuwaiti ministry of electricity, water and renewable energy said in a statement on X.

“A large number of power generator units were affected, prompting an emergency protocol to be launched,” it added.

Firefighters are working to extinguish the blaze, it added.

Earlier, Kuwait and Bahrain’s militaries said they were responding to Iranian aerial attacks, and air raid sirens sounded in the two Gulf countries as Tehran pressed its retaliatory strikes across the region.

An AFP journalist reported warning sirens sounding in Kuwait City.

In Bahrain, a reporter said blasts could be heard in the country’s north after another AFP reporter said a warning siren rang out across the capital Manama.

Bahrain, which hosts the US Fifth Fleet, also accused Iran of targeting civilians in its attacks.

In the early hours of Sunday, Iran’s army said it had targeted two US bases in Kuwait with drones in response to American attacks on Iranian territory.

Iran said earlier it carried out “large-scale attacks with kamikaze drones against the US military’s ammunition depot at Camp Udairi and the Patriot radar system and air surveillance radar at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait”, according to a statement on state media.

The small states of Kuwait and Bahrain, which host US military installations, have borne the brunt of attacks by Iran on its Gulf neighbours since hostilities resumed this month despite a ceasefire and memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.

Central Command (CENTCOM) said two service members were killed on Friday as they “defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks”.

It said another service member was still missing in action.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Anita Anand will undertake an official visit to Pakistan on Monday, following an invitation from Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar.

This marks her first official visit to the country since assuming office, the Foreign Office said on Sunday.

During her visit, Foreign Minister Anand is scheduled to hold extensive bilateral talks with Deputy PM Dar, covering the entire spectrum of Pakistan–Canada relations. The high-level discussions will primarily focus on strengthening mutual cooperation in trade, investment, education, and people-to-people exchanges. The two ministers will also exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest.

In addition to the delegation-level talks, the Canadian foreign minister is expected to call on Pakistan’s top leadership.

The Foreign Office stated that Pakistan and Canada maintain cordial bilateral relations that are anchored in close people-to-people ties, which are further enriched by a vibrant Pakistani diaspora in Canada.

“This diplomatic visit underscores a shared commitment from both Ottawa and Islamabad to expand mutual cooperation across multiple sectors,” it said.

On April 27, Dar and Anand engaged in a comprehensive discussion on the regional tensions in the Middle East and the efforts to promote peace and stability.

In their exchange, Dar had emphasises Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to dialogue and diplomacy, underscoring the importance of peaceful negotiations in the region.

Further, both ministers had also taken stock of the progress in Pakistan-Canada bilateral relations. They had reviewed areas of cooperation, with particular focus on trade, agriculture, and other key sectors.

Dar and Minister Anand had agreed on the need to accelerate high-level exchanges to further solidify ties between the two nations.

The leaders had reaffirmed their commitment to fostering strong and enduring ties, paving the way for enhanced cooperation in diverse areas critical for both countries’ economic and political growth.