SEOUL: North Korean workers risked their lives to protect pictures of their leader when the communist country was hit by devastating floods last month, state media said Tuesday. The official Korean Central News Agency, monitored by South Korea's Yonhap news agency, reported tales of the bravery of North Koreans dedicated to saving Kim Jong-Il's images from harm. A forestry research institute official died after saving portraits of Kim Jong-Il and his late father Kim Il-Sung on July 16 when a landslide hit his home in the eastern county of Yangdok, it said. On another occasion, a miner fled to the rooftop of his house but was swept away by floods after handing over Kim Jong-Il's portrait to his colleages, KCNA said. "Such impressive stories are common in many flood-hit areas. Our people are faithful to the Dear Leader as they are willing to risk their lives for him," KCNA said in a commentary.