North Korea apologizes for the collapse of a 23-storey apartment building in Phyongchon last Tuesday.

The State-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) provided very little information on the accident, which occurred in Phyongchon District in Pyongyang, saying it had caused many lives to be lost and that the construction was performed poorly. It also said that the officials who were supervising the construction had been irresponsible in their jobs.

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A search and rescue mission was immediately organized but had been halted as of Saturday. No numbers on the casualties nor the injured were included in the report.

North Korean officials expressed regret and apologized for the incident.

Choe Pu Il referred to the accident as "unimaginable" and apologized for his admitted failure in overseeing the apartment's construction which he believes led to the building's collapse.

North Korea's Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un, was reported to have been very disturbed by the accident and had immediately talked with Kim Su Gil, the chief secretary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.

Kim Su Gil said the leader had ordered all leading officials of the party, the army and the state to come together and give whatever assistance they could offer, and to "put aside" other matters and affairs to spearhead the rescue operation.

He added that the government is doing what they can to assist the families of the bereaved and the injured, including providing them with new housing, according to Channel News Asia.

Many are surprised by North Korea's rare show of vulnerability by revealing this incident to the world. People speculate that this might have been because the incident was in fact very "serious".

Meanwhile, a South Korean official had confirmed that the collapsed building was a proposed 23-storey apartment. The building was believed to have housed a little over 90 families. He added that in North Korea, it was the norm for people to move into the building even while it was still unfinished and undergoing construction. The South Korean official refused to reveal his source.

TagsSupreme Leader of North Korea, South, Korea, Workers' Party of Korea, Kim Su Gil, Choe Pu Il, Ministry of People's Security, KCNA, Korean Central News Agency, World News