North Korea’s Kim scolds top officials over coronavirus complacency

Kim Jong-un rebuked party cadres for their ‘inattention’ in a rare public appearance – one of only seven since April

His absence from public life has raised speculation about the physical condition of the 36-year-old and his control of the state’s nuclear weapons

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks during a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea on July 2. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:47am, 3 Jul 2020Updated: 10:47am, 3 Jul 2020

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made his first public appearance in about a month to chastise his top cadres over their management of the coronavirus, amid speculation he may be isolating himself because of the pandemic.

During a Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party meeting, Kim warned officials they may be growing complacent after a six month campaign to keep the disease out of the country, the official Korean Central News Agency reported on Friday.

“The Supreme Leader made sharp criticism of inattention, onlooking and chronic attitude getting prevalent among officials,” KCNA said. “He repeatedly warned that hasty relief of anti-epidemic measures will result in unimaginable and irretrievable crisis.”

Photos of the Thursday meeting that showed Kim in front of party flags and speaking to a room full of officials were also released in state media. This was the first Kim appearance to include photo evidence since June 8, according to NK News, a news service specialising on North Korea. It added that Kim has made seven appearances in April through June of this year, down from his average of 46 for those months since taking power at the end of 2011.

The ruined inter-Korean liaison office stands in the North Korean border town of Kaesong after being blown up on June 16. Photo: EPA

Kim did not mention recent tensions with South Korea after his regime last month unleashed one of its greatest provocations in years against its neighbour by blowing up a US$15 million joint liaison office north of the border. Seoul paid for its construction and was seen as a milestone in reconciliation by South Korean President Moon Jae-in.