North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un may have ordered the execution of at least 30 government officials following the devastating floods that killed thousands over the summer, according to a new report from South Korea.

South Korea's TV Chosun reported on Tuesday that North Korean authorities sentenced between 20 and 30 people to capital punishment last month for their failure to prevent the deadly flooding. An official was quoted as telling the outlet, "Twenty to 30 cadres in the flood-stricken area were executed at the same time late last month."

While details are difficult to confirm given North Korea's extreme secrecy, the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) has reported that Kim ordered authorities to "strictly punish" officials after catastrophic floods hit Chagang Province, near the border with China, in July.

North Korean state media reported that heavy rains in late July left more than 4,000 homes as well as numerous other public buildings, structures, roads, and railways flooded in the northwestern city of Sinuiju and the neighboring town of Uiju.

Kim blamed public officials who had neglected disaster prevention for causing "the casualty that cannot be allowed." North Korea has rebuffed offers of aid from China, Russia, and even South Korea, with whom tensions remain at an all-time high.

Kim made a two-day tour of Uiju in early August to meet flood victims and discuss recovery efforts. While touring there, Kim was quoted by KCNA as accusing the South of exaggerating the extent of the damage from the floods, decrying it as a "smear campaign" and a "grave provocation" against his government.