Kim Jong-un fires vice-premier and likens him to ‘a goat yoked to an ox cart’

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by Associated Press in SeoulJanuary 20, 2026 at 12:46 PM

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Kim Jong-un dismissed Vice-Premier Yang Sung-ho due to issues with the Ryongsong Machine Complex modernization project. The dismissal, reported by KCNA on Tuesday, comes ahead of a major Workers' Party congress, the first in five years. Kim blamed Yang for "man-made confusion" and economic losses, comparing him unfavorably to a goat pulling an ox cart. Experts suggest the project's problems stem from North Korea's broader economic issues, including resource allocation to weapons programs. This public scolding is seen as a tactic by Kim to pressure officials to improve performance before the upcoming political conference, intended to review past projects and establish new priorities.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

One Korea Center 40% Kwak Gil-sup 40% Korea Research Institute for National Strategy 40% Moon Seong-mook 40% South Korea 40% Ryongsong Machine Complex ×260% Korean Central News Agency ×260% Workers’ party congress ×270% Yang Sung-ho ×380% North Korea ×690% Kim Jong-un ×6100%

Keywords

north korea 100% kim jong-un 90% official dismissal 80% economic mismanagement 70% factory modernisation 70% political discipline 60% workers' party congress 60% economic loss 50% personnel appointment 50% blame shifting 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

North Korea

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

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north korea kim jong-un official dismissal economic mismanagement factory modernisation political discipline workers' party congress economic loss personnel appointment blame shifting

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