Kim Jong-un reprimands senior officials for Samjiyon development project: report

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reprimanded senior officials overseeing a major development project in the northern city of Samjiyon during his recent visit, blaming their "irresponsibility" for causing financial losses, Pyongyang's state media reported Sunday. Kim traveled to the city of Samjiyon, near Mount Paekdu, on Thursday and Friday, along with senior Workers' Party officials, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (2nd from R) gives "field guidance" to officials in the northern city of Samjiyon, at the foot of Mount Paekdu, during his recent visit, in this photo released by the North's Korean Central News Agency on July 14, 2024. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap) Samjiyon is known to be the birthplace of Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un's late father and former North Korean leader. The younger Kim has been seeking to turn Samjiyon into a tourist destination featuring new roads, a railway and hotels. According to the KCNA, Kim praised construction workers for their efforts but came down hard on administrative officials overseeing the development project. "He strongly pointed out the irresponsibility of senior officials revealed in the course of construction and a series of serious deviations caused by it and gave instructions to execute necessary measures," the KCNA's English-language report said. "Going round the newly-built hotels for domestic tourists, he severely pointed out that their construction was carried out at an outdated and backward level contrary to the requirement of the developing times. Noting that those new buildings have to be remodeled and, consequently, this problem badly affects the general long-term plan for the city development, bringing economic losses, he criticized the construction inspection organ for its irresponsible neglect of duty of passing innumerable and serious shortcomings through the completion inspection and handing over to the operation unit." Kim also said officials in charge of constructi on inspection "do not pay attention the demands, instructions and warnings" from the Workers' Party and added those officials should be suspended and handed over to law enforcement authorities for investigation, per the KCNA report. The KCNA added that Kim expressed hope that the Samjiyon area will become "an oasis of our people and the world people and make tourism a major driving force of regional development." Source: Yonhap News Agency