Kim Jong Un Criticizes This Year's 'Economic Plan'... Party Economic Director Replaced After One Month

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, strongly criticized this year's economic plan during the fourth day of the 2nd plenary meeting held on the 11th, emphasizing the need for an 'innovative perspective and smart strategy' reflecting the ideology of the Party Congress, while also replacing the Party's economic chief after one month.

Korean Central News Agency reported on the 12th that "the 2nd plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party was held from February 8 to 11," adding that "(General Secretary Kim) sharply criticized the work in various sectors."

At the meeting, Chairman Kim expressed his determination to push forward economic construction despite the emergency COVID-19 prevention situation and criticized the sluggishness in economic sectors such as agriculture and industry.

According to Korean Central News Agency, General Secretary Kim stated, "To successfully carry out this year's work, which determines the success of implementing the decisions of the 8th Party Congress, the plan, which is the operation and design, must be innovatively and practically established. However, the people's economy plan for this year prepared by the Cabinet has not changed much from before," he analyzed.

Regarding the agricultural sector, General Secretary Kim pointed out, "Without considering the unfavorable farming conditions and the current national difficulty in adequately supplying farming materials, the production targets for grains were subjectively set high from the first year of the five-year plan, making it impossible to avoid bureaucratism and exaggeration." He also criticized the power industry, construction, and light industry sectors, stating, "There was a tendency to draft the basic production plan indicators low enough to avoid criticism at the end of the year."

He further acknowledged power shortages, saying, "Major factories and enterprises in the metal, chemical, and machinery industries, as well as local industrial factories nationwide and the agricultural sector, are desperately demanding even a little more electricity. There are difficulties such as production stoppages in coal mines and mineral mines due to lack of electricity." He also criticized the construction sector, stating, "The housing construction plan for Pyongyang was set lower than the target decided at the Party Congress."

In this regard, the Party's economic chief was replaced from Kim Du-il, appointed last month, to Party Secretary Oh Su-yong. Additionally, Foreign Minister Ri Son-gwon was newly elected as a member of the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee.

General Secretary Kim also emphasized that Party organizations must act as a compass to successfully carry out this year's economic tasks. He urged, "Provincial and central Party organizations should actively support administrative and economic officials, who are fully responsible for the execution results once the Party's policies are presented," and "Overcome negative phenomena, including defeatism and self-preservationism, which only complain about conditions and fail to boldly advance work."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.