Pyong Yang, Aug 3 (RHC) – North Korean authorities are urging the population to be guarded against a threatening heatwave with the power of a "natural disaster."

The Korean peninsula is experiencing record temperatures and South Korea has reported 28 deaths from the heat. In a communique, the North Korean government called this year's high temperature “an unprecedented natural disaster although not an insurmountable difficulty."

The government called on its citizens to also help protect crops from drought, with state media warning that key crops such as rice and corn are under threat. Authorities and the population ought to work as one and prevent damage by the high temperature and drought," an editorial in the official newspaper Rodong said, calling on the public to fully cooperate in the effort.