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Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un has sacked officials building a hospital after they pressed the public for contributions, media reported on Monday, the second rebuke linked to the high-profile project in the country.
Kim has ordered that the Pyongyang General Hospital be built by the 75th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party in October, calling it a "top priority" in improving public health in the face of the novel coronavirus.
The groundbreaking for the construction took place on March 19. But during his latest visit to the site, Kim fired a group of project managers, called the construction coordination commission, for failing to allocate a proper budget and supplying equipment and materials from ordinary citizens.
"He severely rebuked them for burdening the people by encouraging all kinds of 'assistance,'" the KCNA state news agency reported, calling the incident a "serious digression" from party policy.
Kim, wearing a grave expression, appeared at the site and was photographed with officials wearing masks.
It was his second rebuke for the managers this month. He earlier criticized them for causing delays with "inattention" and violating unspecified anti-epidemic rules.
Kim praised builders on the project for making rapid progress despite "difficult situations" but told the party to "investigate the performance of the construction coordination commission as a whole and replace all the officials responsible," KCNA reported.
The DPRK has not reported any cases of the coronavirus but has taken intensive prevention measures, including a ban on gatherings, an order to wear masks and mandatory quarantines for border workers.
(CGTN)
