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| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, second from right, inspects a flooded area in South Pyongan Province, Aug. 21, in this photo carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap |
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un berated the country's premier over his "irresponsible" attitude in not preventing damage to farmland from the recent typhoon, as Kim inspected a flooded area, the North's state media reported Tuesday.
Kim also criticized the cabinet of Premier Kim Tok-hun for "spoiling" economic plans, saying that administrative and economic rules have "got out of order more seriously," according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Kim made the remarks during an on-site inspection of a reclaimed area in South Pyongan Province the previous day, where restoration efforts are under way after tideland was flooded as seawater burst an embankment with a poor drainage system, the KCNA reported.
Kim's sharp-worded comments fueled speculation that he may replace the premier, who was appointed to the post in 2020.
He was not among the officials who accompanied Kim on the latest on-site inspection, according to the KCNA.
Farmlands in some regions of the North were flooded due to heavy rains brought by Typhoon Khanun that recently swept through the Korean Peninsula.
Kim said the premier's "feeble work attitude" and "wrong viewpoint" are to blame for the irresponsibility of officials at a time when authorities emphasized thorough measures to prevent crop damage from the typhoon.
Kim also stressed the incident is not a natural disaster but a "human disaster by irresponsibility," expressing regret over his thought and conduct "not befitting a premier leading the economic headquarters of the country and responsible for the people's livelihood," the KCNA said.
Hinting at a possible replacement of the premier, Kim said the ruling Workers' Party of Korea needs to "plainly examine the irresponsible work attitude and ideological viewpoint of the premier."
He also ordered officials to "ferret out" responsible organs and people and "strictly censure and sternly punish them."
The acerbic remarks by the North's leader come as the country is grappling with economic difficulties and a chronic food shortage, worsened under prolonged global sanctions and a rigid border lockdown that was aimed at fending off COVID-19.
An official at South Korea's unification ministry said Kim appeared to be putting the blame for the North's faltering economy on its Cabinet.
"There is an aspect that (Kim) appeared to shift the responsibility to the Cabinet over the tough economic situation that was caused by wrong policy decision-making, such as sanctions on its nuclear development and border closure," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
Calling Kim's latest remarks one of "very strong" criticism, the official said North Korea is likely to carry out punitive measures in any form against the premier, as well as institutions that were held accountable for the flood damage. (Yonhap)
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