On Monday, Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of North Korea’s Workers’ Party, attended the completion ceremony for the first phase of renovations at the Ryongsong Machine Complex. During the event, he criticized the irresponsibility and incompetence of economic leaders and dismissed a deputy prime minister.
The party’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on Tuesday that the completion ceremony for the first phase of the modernization project at the Ryongsong Machine Complex took place on Monday, with Kim in attendance.
In his speech, Kim stated that the first phase of the technical renovation project at the Ryongsong Machine Complex was a key policy initiative approved during the 9th plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Party, with the budget allocated accordingly. He added that this project involved years of in-depth research and preparation, with a leadership team comprising authoritative officials and experts from the cabinet and relevant sectors.
Kim pointed out that the project went awry from the start, explaining that the modernization process suffered unnecessary setbacks due to irresponsible and incompetent leadership, resulting in significant difficulties and economic losses.
He criticized the complex for deviating from the Party’s intentions, noting that the technical project plan was poorly drafted without specific research and proper national review. This resulted in absurd proposals for modernizing the overall production process. Kim highlighted that ignoring the legal requirements during construction led to the irrational placement of production equipment, completely derailing the modernization efforts.
Kim emphasized that the modernization of politically crucial projects was proceeding haphazardly and deceptively. He ordered a comprehensive review by a group of experts from the military-industrial sector, which revealed over 60 issues needing attention.
He remarked that he views this as a manifestation of the chronic issues in cabinet work, clearly reflecting the reality of unfaithful and incompetent economic leadership. Kim stated that the former prime minister and the current deputy prime minister in charge of the machine industry had been careless in their duties.
Specifically, he criticized cabinet officials for failing to improve despite previous criticism and for inappropriately demanding additional reviews from the military sector, calling it a pathetic act of evading responsibility.
Kim declared that the current deputy prime minister in charge of the machine industry was unsuitable for the position, leading to the dismissal of Deputy Prime Minister Yang Seung-ho. He also highlighted significant issues with the appointment process for related officials.
He noted that the current system of appointing administrative officials based solely on career history, rather than proper qualification reviews, has led to numerous problems. However, he stated that he would not discuss personnel issues further at this time.
Kim recommended that the prime minister appoint a different person to the deputy prime minister position when forming the new government.
During the ceremony, Premier Pak Thae-song mentioned that Kim had praised the workers at the complex for producing large compressors independently, calling their efforts the new spirit of the era, the Chollima spirit of the new age. He noted that Kim had personally guided numerous designs and plans related to the renovation and modernization of the complex, actively leading the completion of the production process modernization to a higher standard.
This speech by Kim is interpreted as an attempt to tighten discipline among officials by identifying leadership incompetence as the primary reason for delays in the modernization efforts at the Ryongsong Machine Complex.
The Ryongsong Machine Complex, North Korea’s largest industrial equipment production facility, is located in Hamhung. Kim visited the site in November 2023, when North Korean media reported that large compressor production was nearing completion.