Kim Jong Un dismisses Vice Premier Yang Sung-ho: "Like Hitching a Cart to a Goat"
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has publicly fired Vice Premier Yang Sung-ho, citing incompetence and defeatism. This rare public rebuke comes ahead of the Ninth Party Congress.
"It's like hitching a cart to a goat."Kim Jong Un didn't hold back as he publicly fired a top economic official on the spot, signaling a brutal crackdown on "incompetent" bureaucracy. According to KCNA on January 20, 2026, the North Korean leader dismissed Vice Premier Yang Sung-ho during an inauguration ceremony at the Ryongsong Machine Complex.
Immediate Dismissal of Vice Premier Yang Sung-ho
The public rebuke is a rare sight even for the secretive state. Yang Sung-ho, who previously served as the machinery industry minister, was deemed "unfit to be entrusted with heavy duties." Kim's colorful analogy about the goat and the ox suggests he views the recent cadre appointments as a fundamental mistake. No successor has been named yet, leaving a void in the leadership of the country's machinery sector.
Cracking Down on Defeatism Ahead of Party Congress
During his visit to the industrial complex on Monday, Kim blasted officials for delays in modernization projects. He's clearly lost patience with those he says have been accustomed to "defeatism, irresponsibility, and passiveness" for far too long. This public shaming seems timed to tighten discipline before the Ninth Party Congress, where major policy goals will be set.
This isn't the only shake-up in Pyongyang. Last week, Yonhap reported that top military security chiefs were replaced due to assassination concerns. Experts from the University of North Korean Studies suggest Kim is using public accountability as a shock tactic to warn party officials, much like the high-profile execution of Jang Song Thaek back in 2013.
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