--- description: The country’s hydrometeorological service received a public telling off by the North Korean leader for their allegedly incorrect forecasts title: North Korea: Kim Jong Un Criticizes Weather Forecasters image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt06e6bac6ceba1972/6986973bcd804ddf05ccb6f8/kim-jong-un_jun12.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Is a Really Bad Time to be a North Korean Weather Forecaster by [Stephanie Burnett](/author/stephanie-burnett/) ## Stephanie Burnett Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 12, 2014 7:49 AM CUT  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives field guidance to the hydrometeorological service in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang on June 10, 2014 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives field guidance to the hydrometeorological service in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang on June 10, 2014KCNA/Reuters by [Stephanie Burnett](/author/stephanie-burnett/) ## Stephanie Burnett Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 12, 2014 7:49 AM CUT North Korea’s weather forecasters had a rough day at the office. The country’s hydrometeorological service received a public telling off by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, [according](http://www.rodong.rep.kp/en/index.php?strPageID=SF01%5F02%5F01&newsID=2014-06-10-0015&chAction=L "undefined") to state newspaper _Rodong Sinmun_. Kim criticized the weather service’s methods, saying it produced “incorrect” forecasts, needed to “fundamentally” improve equipment and lacked “modern and scientific” approaches to its work. During his tour of the facilities, he said the agency was “very important” but needed to “rapidly and kindly provide information about weather’s influence.” While so-called “field guidance” tours are common for North Korean leaders, government officials are rarely scolded in public. The BBC [reports](http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-27792721 "undefined") that Kim’s last reproach came in May 2012, following a visit to a theme park in Pyongyang. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2862740/this-is-a-really-bad-time-to-be-a-north-korean-weather-forecaster/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2862740/this-is-a-really-bad-time-to-be-a-north-korean-weather-forecaster/"},"headline":"This Is a Really Bad Time to be a North Korean Weather Forecaster","datePublished":"2014-06-12T07:49:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:22:12.049Z","description":"The Brilliant Leader wants accurate weather forecasts, and he wants them now. No pressure, comrades","url":"https://time.com/2862740/this-is-a-really-bad-time-to-be-a-north-korean-weather-forecaster/","keywords":["weather","North Korea","Kim Jong Un","Asia"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt06e6bac6ceba1972/6986973bcd804ddf05ccb6f8/kim-jong-un_jun12.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Stephanie Burnett","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/stephanie-burnett/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt06e6bac6ceba1972/6986973bcd804ddf05ccb6f8/kim-jong-un_jun12.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives field guidance to the Hydro-meteorological Service in this undated photo released by North Korea's KCNA in Pyongyang","caption":"North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives field guidance to the Hydro-meteorological Service in this undated photo released by North Korea's KCNA in Pyongyang","creditText":"KCNA/Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2862740/this-is-a-really-bad-time-to-be-a-north-korean-weather-forecaster/","name":"This Is a Really Bad Time to be a North Korean Weather Forecaster"}}]}] ```