Kim Jong-un condemns military corruption at rare high-level meeting

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has denounced corruption within the country's military during a rare joint meeting of senior leaders from the ruling party, government and armed forces, state media reported on Saturday.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the meeting was held in Pyongyang on Friday to warn against what it described as "anti-revolutionary, anti-socialist and anti-people" activities and to reinforce discipline within the country's leadership.

A key focus of the meeting was the case of Pak Hui-chol, the former vice-director for organisational affairs at the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, who was recently punished by the Supreme Court on corruption charges.

State media alleged that Pak abused his authority during his four years in office by accepting substantial bribes from individuals seeking promotions and embezzling the money for personal gain.

The KCNA described the allegations as "extra-large crimes" because of their seriousness and the damage they had caused.

Addressing the gathering, Kim said the case underscored the importance of the ruling party's campaign against abuse of power, bureaucratic practices and corruption.

He urged officials to uphold integrity, remain worthy of the party's trust and put the interests of the people first, according to the KCNA.

Kim also reaffirmed the leadership's commitment to intensifying organisational, ideological and legal measures aimed at eliminating corruption and strengthening discipline among senior officials.

The joint meeting of the ruling party, government and military is considered an uncommon event in North Korea and comes amid the leadership's continued emphasis on enforcing discipline within the country's political and military establishment.

With IANS inputs