Overview
- KCNA said Kim dismissed Vice Premier Yang Sung-ho "on the spot" at the Jan. 19 inauguration of the Ryongsong Machine Complex’s first-phase modernization.
- Kim accused Yang and other economic officials of irresponsible guidance that caused delays, economic losses and "unnecessary man-made confusions."
- Kim said a party-deployed expert team found around 60 implementation problems and he criticized Cabinet officials for buck-passing and self-protectionism.
- State media has not named a successor, and analysts see the rare public firing as a warning to economic managers ahead of the Ninth Workers’ Party Congress expected in the coming weeks.
- The Ryongsong complex is a major machinery producer, with one expert estimating it accounts for about 16% of North Korea’s total machinery output.