SEOUL, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un abruptly dismissed a vice premier during a factory inspection, state media reported Tuesday, in a rare public rebuke that comes as the country prepares for a key ruling party congress.
According to the official Korean Central News Agency, Kim fired Vice Premier Yang Sung Ho "on the spot" while presiding over the inauguration of the first stage of a modernization project at the Ryongsong Machine Complex on Monday.
Kim accused Yang and other economic officials of being "irresponsible, rude and incompetent," saying delays and "man-made confusions" in the project had caused economic losses and setbacks.
The Ryongsong Machine Complex, located in South Hamgyong Province, is a key heavy-industry plant that produces machine tools and equipment for factories nationwide. It has been highlighted as part of Kim's broader push to strengthen North Korea's machine-building sector, which he has repeatedly identified as central to economic self-reliance.
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