North Koreans told to ‘focus’ on protecting Kim Jong-un portraits as storm Khanun looms

State media calls on North Koreans to save Kim dynasty portraits, statues and murals

A portrait of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un is displayed at a national meeting to commemorate Kim’s 10-year anniversary as head of the country’s ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang (via REUTERS)

North Koreans have been asked to prioritise safeguarding the portraits of the Kim dynasty as the country prepares to face heavy downpours and high winds from tropical storm Khanun.

The storm weakened into a tropical depression before crossing into North Korea, where the military and ruling party officials were mobilised to minimise its impact on the country's fragile economy.

Before moving to the North, the storm lashed Japan and caused heavy downpours in South Korea.

Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Korean Workers’ party, said people’s “foremost focus” should be on “ensuring the safety” of propaganda portraits of its current leader, Kim Jong-un, along with his father, Kim Jong-il, and his grandfather, Kim Il-sung.

The state-run newspaper also asked the Koreans to save statues, mosaics, murals and other monuments to the Kim dynasty.

Pyongyang is extremely sensitive about maintaining the image of the ruling Kim dynasty.

Portraits of Mr Kim and his forefathers are found in many homes and all offices in the country. Citizens face possible prosecution if failed to safeguard the portraits during a disaster, such as fire.

According to the newspaper, officials across the country were ordered to implement a round-the-clock disaster emergency response system and devise evacuation plans. Rodong Sinmun published on Friday photos of officials in raincoats inspecting ports and rivers and farmers preparing fields.

"We must make utmost efforts to protect farmlands and crops from the impact of typhoons," it said.

People struggle to hold on to their umbrellas in the rain and wind in Busan, South Korea (AP)

Meanwhile, Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Thursday that "all the sectors and units" in the country were "conducting a dynamic campaign to cope with [the] disastrous abnormal climate".

“Strong wind, downpour, tidal wave and sea warnings were issued,” it added.

Meanwhile, thousands of people were evacuated from the coastal regions of South Korea on Thursday as the storm pummeled the country’s southern regions.

In some parts of the South, cumulative rainfall has topped 400mm with maximum wind speeds of 126 km per hour, flooding villages, schools and roads.

Almost 16,000 people were evacuated, but about 60 per cent of them had returned home as of 6 am on Friday, and about 350 flights and 450 train routes were cancelled, according to the interior ministry.

One person was missing in the southeastern city of Daegu after falling into a river in a wheelchair, and another person was reported dead in the same city. However, official statements said neither case was directly linked to the storm.