At least six lakh people in North Korea have been affected by heavy flooding that damaged or destroyed thirty thousand homes. The Red Cross called for urgent humanitarian aid ahead of the winter. The disaster hit, in many ways, at probably the worst time, said Chris Staines, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) delegation in North Korea.<br/><br/>The IFRC has been working with North Korea's Red Cross Society to deliver aid to northeastern communities that suffered the worst of the flooding caused by heavy rains in late August. News of the disaster has come as North Korea appears even more isolated from its neighbours and the wider world after its fifth nuclear test last month.