A North Korean media outlet says the country's leader Kim Jong Un has suspended a minister and ordered a law enforcement investigation against him over a tourist facility project.
The Sunday edition of the ruling Workers' Party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reports that Kim inspected the site in the northern city of Samjiyon on Thursday and Friday.
The paper quotes Kim as stating that senior officials carried out hotel construction in what he called an outdated manner, leading to economic losses.
It says Kim noted that the minister of state construction control, Ri Sun Chol, has not been to the city since last December.
The paper says Kim called the minister a good-for-nothing person who lacks elementary morality and qualification as a state civil servant.
The city sits at the foot of Mount Paektu, which the North calls the holy land of revolution. The development of the area has been Kim's pet project, apparently aimed at helping to revitalize the economy and gain foreign currency.
Analysts say the minister's suspension is intended to spur officials to work harder to rebuild the economy.