An undated picture released by the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the North Korean ruling Workers Party, on May 19, 2015 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in the center, speaking during a visit to a terrapin farm, at an uknown location, North Korea. According to the newspaper Kim reproached the farm’s officials for its poor management.Watch out, North Korean terrapin farmers.
The latest target of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s ire appears to be the management of a terrapin farm, which he said has some “serious shortcomings” after he stopped by, according to the state media report released early Tuesday.
(For those unfamiliar with the animal, a terrapin is a type of freshwater turtle eaten in Asia and considered an health tonic by some in the region.)
The visit to the Taedonggang Terrapin Farm likely took place on Monday but the dispatch didn’t include a date. North Korea often omits dates on reports about Mr. Kim’s activities. Reports of so-called field guidance trips by Mr. Kim are usually upbeat accounts of his satisfaction with how construction projects are proceeding or completed facilities are being run.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
But the report on the trip to the terrapin farm is uncharacteristically critical of various aspects of the farm management. The first problem appears to be that the farm doesn’t have a room specifically set aside to laud the feats of Mr. Kim’s family, particularly his father, Kim Jong Il, who visited the farm when it was completed in 2011.
“The employees who failed to bear deep in their minds his leadership exploits could hardly perform their role as masters in production,” the junior Mr. Kim is quoted as saying in the report.
Mr. Kim appeared happier during a visit to the Sinchang fish farm earlier this year.
Mr. Kim is also critical of an apparent failure to breed lobsters at the plant after the ruling party sent baby crustaceans to the farm. He gets into details about this flaw, noting that the farm has yet to set up a system to properly measure water quality automatically.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
The leader “strongly criticized the shortcoming of its officials as a manifestation of incompetence, outmoded way of thinking and irresponsible work style,” according to the report.
Ominously, he warns that the farm “may bring such grave consequences as impairing the prestige of the party.”
It’s not unprecedented for Mr. Kim to make complaints on his field guidance trips, although the criticism of the terrapin farmers is some of the strongest reported in official media.
In May 2012, he reportedly became irritated at the poor appearance of a funfair and scolded officials for the presence of weeds growing in the pavement and paint peeling on the amusement park rides. He also expressed dissatisfaction with a new airport terminal last year.
What the harsh reproach means for the terrapin farm managers is unclear, but it will no doubt prompt speculation that those held responsible for the failings might be the subject of a purge similar to the alleged recent execution of North Korea’s defense minister.
Whoever is now running the farm, it’s a safe bet they are following up on Mr. Kim’s guidance on “tasks and ways for drastically improving the work on the farm,” as stated at the end of the report.
hello world 