Kim Jong Un lambasts premier Kim Tok Hun as North Korea struggles with Typhoon Khanun

As North Korea struggles with heavy flooding and a treacherous weather storm unleashed by tropical storm Khanun, Supreme Kim Jong Un lambasted the North Korean Premier Kim Tok Hun for his "irresponsible attitude". According to the South Korean News Agency Yonhap, Kim lashed out at the North Korean premier and his team on Tuesday for not taking proper measures to prevent damage to the country’s farmland from typhoon Khanun. The intense typhoon caused heavy devastation in China, the Philippines and South Korea before causing heavy flooding in North Korea. Kim condemned the premier while he was conducting an inspection in the flooded areas. 

According to Yonhap, Kim criticised Kim Tok-hun for “spoiling” economic plans because of callous attitude. The mood of the supreme leader raised speculations that he might replace his premier who was appointed to the post in 2020. On Tuesday, Kim was inspecting the flooded areas in South Pyongan Province. The area was flooded after seawater burst an embankment of a poor drainage system. 

Kim calls heavy flooding in region a ‘human disaster’ 

The North Korean Supreme leader said that the heavy flooding in the region was not a natural disaster, but a "human disaster by irresponsibility," Yonhap reported. He insisted that the premier’s "feeble work attitude" and "wrong viewpoint" are to blame for the deplorable conditions. He went on to order the ruling Workers' Party of Korea to inspect the “irresponsible work attitude and ideological viewpoint of the premier”. The wrath of typhoon Khanun has destroyed hundreds of acres of land in North Korea, a country which is already struggling with food scarcity. The COVID-19 economy and the persistent sanctions have left the country’s economy in complete shambles. 

Meanwhile, a South Korean official claimed that Kim is trying to put the blame for the economic failure on his cabinet. "There is an aspect that (Kim) appeared to shift the responsibility to the Cabinet over the tough economic situation that was caused by wrong policy decision-making, such as sanctions on its nuclear development and border closure," the official who requested to remain anonymous told Yonhap. The official insisted that Kim’s “strong remarks” can be followed with punitive measures in North Korea.