US EditionKim Jong Un fires vice premier “on the spot” ahead of party congress
- On Jan. 19, 2026, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un publicly dismissed Vice Premier Yang Sung Ho at the Ryongsong Machine Complex inauguration, a rare on-site sacking reported by state media.
- Kim blamed the project failures on `unnecessary man-made confusion` and said authorities wasted large amounts of funds and labor, prompting a group of experts to review around 60 problems.
- Yang, who previously led the machinery ministry, is a vice premier and Politburo alternate member overseeing the Ryongsong Machine Complex, promoted under the Workers' Party of Korea's 2021 machine-building plan.
- The sacking signals efforts to tighten discipline ahead of the Workers' Party congress as Kim Jong Un aims to curb defeatism among economic officials and set new modernization goals.
- Viewed against the 3.7, North Korea's economy faces challenges despite recent growth, as Kim Jong Un pushes reforms ahead of the upcoming Workers' Party congress.
52 Articles
52 Articles
The Killeen Daily Herald
The Standard-JournalNorth Korea's Kim fires vice premier over factory failures ahead of major party congress
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has dismissed a vice premier over issues in a factory modernization project. The move seems aimed at tightening discipline among officials ahead of a major political conference. The ruling Workers’ Party congress, set to…
A moment of rage in public for the Supreme Leader of North Korea that translates into a dismissal in the trunk of a vice-premier of his own government. During an inauguration ceremony, Kim Jong-un dismissed the former minister of the Mechanical Industry, Yang Sung-ho. The senior official was accused of irresponsibility compared to the modernization project of Ryongsong, a machinery complex located in Hamhung, on the east coast of the country. Af…
Top DPRK leader dismisses cabinet vice-premier
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