The above photo, acquired by Martyn Williams of North Korea Tech (I seem to be linking him a lot, lately!) appears to show North Koreans struggling with dangerously high flood levels as a result of a battering on rain storms. Associated Press had hosted the image for others to buy rights to for news publications, but later yanked the image with the following reason:
EDITORS AND LIBRARIANS PLEASE ELIMINATE FROM YOUR PHOTO SYSTEMS AND ARCHIVES AP PHOTO TOK801 TRANSMITTED JULY 16, 2011. THE CONTENT OF THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN DIGITALLY ALTERED AND DOES NOT ACCURATELY REFLECT THE SCENE. NO OTHER VERSION OF THE PHOTO IS AVAILABLE.
A full sized version of the image was at one point available (for a price), but is no longer available now. From the smaller version above, the image does appear off – peoples legs cast vague shadows though the tree trunks to the left are clear and dark. These people are trudging through thigh-high water but their pants appear completely dry above the waterline.
North Korea’s state-run news outlet KCNA provided the image, as part of its new licensing deals with Associated Press and Reuters. As many had predicated already, this new relationship seems to accomplish little else other than spread Pyongyang’s propaganda to a much larger audience. In this case, the potential for making weather conditions seem more severe than reality might help encourage support for emergency food and rescue aid.
Source: North Korea Tech / Yonhap