North Korea has executed 30 officials over their response to the catastrophic summer floods in July, according to South Korean intelligence.

North Korea Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un said he would “strictly punish” officials responsible for the damage at a meeting of the country’s Workers’ Party’s Politburo. The flood, which devastated homes and killed over 4,000 people, also displaced more than 15,000 people in North Korea’s Chagang Province.

A South Korean government official told NK News, which provides stories and analysis about North Korea that Kang Bong Hun, the party cadre of Chagang Province, may be one of the officials executed. Kim Jong Un blamed the officials for failing to prepare for the flood which caused “a grave crisis.”

Hong Min, a senior fellow at the Korean Institute of National Reunification, said a mass execution of officials would be rare as Kim Jong Un has “generally refrained from such measures” since he solidified power. However, Kim Jong Un would still choose to punish his officials because the flooding caused significant damage to the Chagang Province and Sinujiu.

Kim Jong Un was seen taking part in flood relief efforts in North Korea’s North Pyongan province in August. According to the country’s state media, Kim oversaw the rescue operation of 5,000 people.

The Korean peninsula experiences its monsoon season from July to September, with heavy precipitation making the region prone to flooding. North Korea is especially vulnerable to flooding due to its poor infrastructure and reluctance to accept foreign assistance. North Korea is one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world. Due to Pyongyang’s unwillingness to transition out of its centrally planned economy, the estimated Gross National Income (GNI) per North Korean is $1,147, making the country also one of the poorest in the world.

North Korea regularly experiences good shortages as the country’s economic model emphasizes the development of heavy industry and military sectors rather than consumer goods. Sanctions, woeful economic management, lack of modern agricultural equipment, and natural disasters cause extreme food insecurity.

The country’s human rights record is also considered to be one of the worst in the world as freedom of speech, press, and religion are virtually non-existent. North Korea, since its foundation, has been controlled exclusively by the Kim family, who in the country’s 76 years of existence, have ruled with an iron fist. No sizeable political opposition exists within North Korea as it uses internment camps to jail all people who present a danger to the regime.

Although rare, public executions do exist in North Korea. The country recently reported to have executed 30 middle schoolers for watching a South Korean drama. The students were publicly shot, underscoring North Korea’s draconian law punishes the possession, consumption, or distribution of South Korean media with capital punishment.

As North Korea’s monsoon season leaves devastation and death in its wake, Kim Jong Un has exacerbated by killing his officials.