A record level of downpour in North Korea had marooned over five-thousand people living on islands near the Amnok River.

According to the North's state media on Monday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw an operation involving helicopters to rescue the inundated residents from the site of flooding near the North's border with China.

Kim, who said it was "a miracle and a model case of air rescue" that more than four-thousand-200 residents were rescued, also chastised state agencies and local government officials for failing to prevent such rain damage, despite repeated orders for preventive steps.

Kim declared the affected regions near Amnok River in the provinces of North Pyongan, Jagang, and Yanggang as "special disaster emergency areas," while calling for mobilization of all available personnel and capabilities toward recovery.

Meanwhile, record levels of precipitation have been reported within the regime, including some 463 millimeters in the border city of Gaeseong on July 17 alone, leading to casualties and major property damage.