Kim condemns ‘incompetent’ party members for delays in government projects in advance of key ruling party meeting. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has fired a senior official tasked with economic policy and condemned “incompetent” party members, according to state media, in a rare public rebuke of officials in the secretive state. The North Korean leader fired Yang “on the spot”, KCNA said, adding that Kim considered the vice premier as “unfit to be entrusted with heavy duties”. The public admonition of officials, which Yonhap described as “rare”, appeared aimed at tightening discipline among officials in advance of the Party Congress. The North Korean leader is “using public accountability as a shock tactic to warn party officials”, Yang told the AFP news agency.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 20, 2026 07:35 UTC