N. Korea to hold party plenary meeting this week for New Year plans

Published : Feb 7, 2021 - 09:35 Updated : Feb 7, 2021 - 09:35

North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly holds a meeting at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang on April 12, 2020, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not attend the meeting, which dealt with budgetary issues and the election of new members of the powerful State Affairs Commission led by Kim. (KCNA-Yonhap)

North Korea is scheduled to hold a plenary meeting of its party this week to finalize plans for "strategic tasks" for this year, state media said Sunday.

The second plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea will be held "within the first 10 days of February to examine and decide the 2021 working plans of all fields to thoroughly carry out the strategic tasks" set forth during the eighth party congress, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Last month, the communist country held the party congress and put forth a wide range of policy goals, such as a new five-year economic development plan for self-reliance, and the development of a new weapons system and its nuclear arsenal.

The first plenary session took place less than a week after the congress, during which it unanimously decided on the implementation of the economic plan, organization reshuffle and approved the state budget for this year, according to the KCNA.

The North usually holds a parliamentary meeting in March or April to deal with budget issues and cabinet reshuffles, but this year's one appears to have been moved up to follow up on what was decided during the party congress. (Yonhap)