Kim Jong-un fires vice-premier and likens him to ‘a goat yoked to an ox cart’ | Kim Jong-un

Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, dismissed a vice-premier, Yang Sung-ho, over issues with a factory modernization project. The dismissal is part of a larger effort to tighten discipline and push officials to deliver better results before the upcoming Workers’ party congress, which will be held in January or February. Experts believe that the economic troubles stemming from North Korea's focus on weapons development programs are more likely to be the cause of the factory project's setbacks rather than individual negligence. The party congress is expected to solidify Kim Jong-un's policy of cooperation with Russia, China and other allies while also potentially announcing his goal of simultaneously advancing both nuclear and conventional weapons programs.