Weather forecasting needs improvement, North Korean leader says

PYONGYANG, North Korea, June 11 (UPI) -- North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un was critical of his country's weather forecasting methods during a visit to a meteorological center.

He blamed "many incorrect forecasts" on the Hydro-Meteorological Service's lack of "modern or scientific" methods, the state newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported. The public disapproval was aired on state television.

He added the weather service must "fundamentally improve their work" to "protect the lives and properties of the people from disasters caused by abnormal climatic phenomenon," the newspaper said.

Kim's comments came during a "field guidance visit" -- a meet-and-greet spectacle typically arranged at a North Korean workplace -- but the visits generally involve smiles, praise and indications of Kim's approval, instead of criticism of workers or methods.

The reproach of the meteorological service may have implications involving North Korea's meager agriculture industry. The country's planting and harvesting of crops are often influenced by typhoons, and a drought in February was considered by KCNA, the state news agency, as the driest in more than 50 years.