Summer floods in North Korea often cause severe damage to farmland due to poor water drainage and deforestation.
Observers said that Kim’s criticism of senior officials is likely aimed at trying to shift the blame for the country’s economic difficulties and food insecurity on them, or to pave the way for a cabinet reshuffle.
On Monday, Kim visited a western coastal area where a breakwater was recently washed away by the sea, inundating more than 270 hectares of rice fields.
After reviewing the situation, Kim accused the leaders of “extremely irresponsible neglect of their obligations,” according to the KCNA news agency.
The KCNA wrote that the head of state criticized his prime minister, Kim Tok-hoon, for showing a “bystander attitude”. reprimanded the Deputy Prime Minister for not faithfully carrying out his duties; The director of the Coastal Rehabilitation Department was accused of concealing fuel intended for use in civil construction projects.
“In recent years, the administrative and economic discipline of Kim Tok-hoon’s executive branch has become seriously deficient, and as a result, slackers are disposing of all the economic work of the state in an irresponsible way of working,” Kim Jong-hoon said. United Nations, citing the Korean Central News Agency.
Kim described the recent floods as a man-made disaster, referring to a failed construction project aimed at improving rainwater drainage in the area. According to him, the project went ahead despite the discovery of a large leak, and severe disciplinary action was ordered for those responsible for flood damage.
Some experts who follow North Korea have described Kim Jong Un’s actions as unusually strong, given the lack of reports of casualties.
In his view, Kim could use the floods as an opportunity to replace the highest pinnacles of power in Pyongyang, in an effort to boost the population’s confidence in his rule, while he struggles to revive an economy battered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It seems that Kim Jong-un is looking for extreme measures to quell public grievances, which have increased due to the deteriorating livelihood and economic situation of the population,” said Tae Yong Ho, a South Korean lawmaker who worked as a government secretary. North Korean embassy in London before the defection in 2016.
Foreign experts believe that the country’s current food shortages and economic problems have been exacerbated by measures taken to contain the epidemic, UN sanctions and North Korean mismanagement. But there are no signs of impending famine or major public unrest that could threaten Kim’s grip on his 26 million people.
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