North Korea’s Kim Jong Un fires vice premier, publicly rebukes officials

Al JazeeraCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete by Al JazeeraJanuary 20, 2026 at 05:17 AM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un fired Vice Premier Yang Sung-ho and publicly rebuked other officials on January 20, 2026, for delays in a modernization project at the Ryongsong Machine Complex. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim dismissed Yang, deeming him "unfit" for his duties, during the inauguration ceremony for the project's first stage. Kim blamed "incompetent" economic officials for the difficulties encountered during the project. The removal and criticism come as North Korea prepares for its Ninth Party Congress, where major policy goals will be set. Yang, formerly the machinery industry minister, was also an alternate member of the party's leadership council.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Yonhap 40% South Hamgyong Province 40% South Korea 50% Ninth Party Congress 60% Workers' Party 60% Yang Sung-ho ×470% Ryongsong Machine Complex ×370% Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) ×480% North Korea ×690% Kim Jong Un ×690%

Keywords

kim jong un 100% north korea 100% official rebuke 90% economic policy 80% party congress 70% government projects 70% vice premier 60% yang sung-ho 60% modernisation project 50% incompetence 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

Topic Connections

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

Network visualization showing 4 related topics

View Full Graph

kim jong un north korea official rebuke economic policy party congress government projects vice premier yang sung-ho modernisation project incompetence

Explore Full Topic Graph