Kim Jong-un criticizes North Korean Prime Minister

North Korea's KCNA news agency reported on August 22 that leader Kim Jong-un inspected an area on the country's west coast after an embankment with an ineffective drainage system was destroyed by seawater, leading to the flooding of more than 560 hectares of land, including 270 hectares of rice.

Mr Kim criticised officials for being "very irresponsible" for neglecting their duties and said Prime Minister Kim Tok-hun had inspected the devastated site once or twice "with the attitude of an unrelated person".

"Kim Jong-un said that in recent years, administrative and economic discipline in Kim Tok-hun's cabinet has been seriously neglected, resulting in lazy people ruining the country's economy with their irresponsible work attitude," KCNA said.

The North Korean leader also said that the irresponsibility and lack of discipline of the country's officials "is mainly due to the Prime Minister's poor work attitude and wrong views".

The North Korean leader's harsh remarks have fueled speculation that he may be replacing Premier Kim Tok-hun, who was appointed in 2020. According to KCNA, Kim Tok-hun did not accompany Kim Jong-un on the inspection tour.

Kim Jong-un also visited flooded farms in Anbyon County, Kangwon Province, in the east of the country, saying the area suffered more damage than others "entirely due to the extremely routine and irresponsible work attitude" of local officials.

North Korea has made protecting its crops a top priority as it faces a worsening food crisis due to border closures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and the impact of sanctions over Pyongyang's nuclear program.

Ngoc Anh (According to Reuters/Yonhap )