N.Korea convenes key party meeting with Kim Jong-un in attendance

Seoul, Dec 27 (IANS) A key meeting of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party convened with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance to discuss next year's policy direction, Pyongyang's state media said on Tuesday.

On Monday, Kim presided over the sixth enlarged plenary meeting of the party's eighth Central Committee to review last year's policies and discuss tasks for 2023 amid "unpredictable difficulties constantly threatening the existence and development" of the North, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Five major agenda items were unanimously approved at the meeting, including the review of major state policies for this year, as well as the work plan and draft state budget for next year, reports Yonhap News Agency citing the KCNA as saying.

Kim urged major goals to be attained in key industrial sectors next year, including the metal, chemical, electric power, coal and machine industries.

He stressed that the national power of the North has "remarkably increased in all fields of politics, military, economy and culture" and "successes and progress have been made in carrying out the gigantic tasks" set forth at the previous plenary meetings.

The meeting will continue, the KCNA said, without providing further details.

Previous plenary meetings were held for four to five days.

Kim could deliver a major speech at the meeting to unveil his country's domestic and foreign policy directions in lieu of his New Year's Day address, usually presented on January 1.

He has skipped the address since 2020 and has instead delivered a speech at a plenary session of the party at the end of the year.