Kim slams officials for unfinished power plant

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has blasted local officials over a delayed construction project, state media reported Tuesday, his second such rebuke over the economy in recent weeks.

It’s unusual for state media to carry dispatches showing Kim’s criticism of officials. Some experts say Kim, eager to claim economic gains, may intend to blame underlings for problems before possibly launching new economic policies.

The latest fury, as Kim negotiates with the United States over abandoning his nuclear weapons programs, came during a visit to the power plant’s construction site in the northeast. After officials briefed him about the project and its delays, he was “speechless” and “extremely enraged,” the Korean Central News Agency reported.

The plant originally was ordered in the early 1980s by Kim’s late grandfather, North Korean founder Kim Il Sung.

“Kim pointed out that the cabinet has specified the project as a target project that should be accelerated,” the KCNA report said. “He criticized the officials of the province and county for having not sent a letter to him about the situation.”

Earlier this month, during visits to two textile factories, Kim also lambasted officials for poor building maintenance, failing to modernize production lines, a lack of expertise and other problems.