Kim Jong-un asked 12,000 members of the ruling party in Pyongyang to help revive two rural provinces severely affected by Typhoon Maysak.

In a two-page letter to members of the Labor Party in Pyongyang, Kim said about 12,000 party members in the capital will be sent to North Hamgyong and South Hamgyong to help overcome the consequences of the pre-term disaster.

"We cannot let many people in South Hamgyong and North Hamgyong take the vacation home without a home," Kim wrote in a letter posted today by the Rodong Sinmun party newspaper.

The North Korean leader visited the floodplain to observe the damage yesterday and hold a policy meeting on relief and recovery efforts.

Typhoon Maysak hit North Korea earlier this week, leaving more than 1,000 homes destroyed, public buildings and agricultural land flooded across North Hamgyong and South Hamgyong provinces.

Natural disasters can have a serious impact on North Korea due to aging infrastructure, and many bare hills, which increase the risk of flooding.