Seoul, Jan 29 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has openly reprimanded party officials for being treated to drinks and other irregularities, calling them a "mega crime," in what is seen as an effort to tighten internal discipline, according to state media.
Kim made the remarks while guiding the 30th enlarged meeting of the Secretariat of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, held on Monday, in connection with "serious cases ... of violating party discipline and exercising negative privileges," Yonhap news agency reported quoting the Korean Central News Agency (KNCA).
The meeting exposed the "wrong deeds" of officials in Onchon Country, Nampho Municipality, and Usi County of Jagang Province, the KCNA said.
The report referred to the party's findings, accusing 40 officials in Onchon of poor preparations for a plenary meeting of the county party committee and being treated to drinking bouts at public service facilities in "an act of flagrant violation of party discipline."
Agricultural inspectors in Usi were also accused of "an unpardonable crime of inflicting sufferings on regional inhabitants and misappropriating their property at random by abusing the inviolable legal power."
Delivering a speech during the meeting, Kim called the irregularities "a mega crime which can never be pardoned" and "a grave crime of violating party discipline and moral and cultural order."
"It is useful for and beneficial to the revolution to boldly recognise such a grave deviation in the party and to deal with it as an especially serious case in time," he also said, stressing "the transformation of cadres" as central to the new course of party building.
The Central Committee's Secretariat decided to dissolve the party committee of Onchon County and the agricultural inspection organ of the Usi Country, which will be replaced by a new organisation to be formed.
The disciplinary action appears aimed at strengthening internal discipline as Kim pushes domestic efforts for regional development under his "Regional Development 20x10 Policy" and seeks tangible economic achievements in the year marking the 80th anniversary of the party's establishment.
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