‘Kim Jong-un-style shock therapy’ replaced the party’s economic manager in 30 days

North Korea’s Labor Party organization secretary Cho Yong-won (Yellow Won) speaks at the 8th plenary session of the Party Central Committee on the 10th, while economic minister Kim Doo-il (white circle) stands alone. It is estimated that Kim, who has been hardened after less than a month in office, is being criticized by Secretary Cho. [조선중앙통신=연합뉴스]

Kim Jong-un, who faced economic difficulties due to international sanctions against North Korea, replaced a major Labor Party executive he had appointed a month ago. North Korean state media reported on the 11th that they had appointed Oh Soo-yong as the party’s head of economy. Kim Doo-il, who was seated as the head of the economy on the 10th of last month, was stiff after 30 days. North Korean media also released a picture on the 10th of the scene where the party organizer Cho Yong-won, Chairman Kim’s right arm, raised up and looked up at the economic director Kim Doo-il. Looking at the picture alone, it looks as if Secretary Cho Yong-won makes manager Kim Doo-il stand up and then blames for responsibility.

Experts interpreted it as’Kim Jong-un-style shock therapy’. Not only’one month hard’, but’one month’s plenary meeting’ is extremely unusual. Chairman Kim held a plenary meeting of the Labor Party last month and held another plenary meeting on the 8th and 11th of this month, a month later.

At a meeting, Chairman Kim said, “This year’s people’s economic plan hasn’t changed much from that before.” “The cabinet did not play a leading role, and as the numbers drafted by the provinces (departments) were mechanically synthesized, some plans have no real possibility. He criticized that there was a bad idea of ​​lowering the plan, which should be done in some areas.”

At the plenary meeting that ended on the 11th, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un criticized this year’s People’s Economic Plan set by the cabinet.

Specifically, Chairman Kim pointed out that the agricultural sector, which set a high goal, was’bluff’, and conversely, the people in charge of the electricity sector who set a low goal were’voshinism’. North Korea had local, factory, and business executives attend the plenary meeting online. It is the discipline that if you fall short of’performance’ or set your goals unscrupulously, you will be criticized from the highest dignity.

Lim Soo-ho, a senior research fellow at the National Security Strategy Research Institute, said, “It is highly likely that it is a kind of’exemplary censure’ that Chairman Kim, who tried to renew the atmosphere through a large-scale greeting last month, replaced the head of the economy without even having time to grasp the work and show his results. Said.

It was the first plenary meeting held immediately after the inauguration of the US administration of Joe Biden, but North Korea did not disclose details about South Korea and foreign relations until the 14th. He only announced that he had promoted Foreign Minister Lee Seon-kwon from a candidate member of the Party Political Bureau to a member, and appointed Kim Seong-nam, head of the Party’s international party, known as China Tong, as a candidate member of the Political Bureau, to improve his career in the foreign field.

At this plenary meeting, there was no greeting from Vice President Kim Yeo-jeong. However, the intelligence authorities believe that he is not only overseeing relations with South Korea and the outside world, but also overseeing the entire party policy.

Reporter Jeong Yong-soo [email protected]