N. Korea to hold key party meeting as leader Kim set to mark 10 years in power

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has presided over a politburo session of the ruling party and decided to convene a key party meeting later this month, Pyongyang's state media reported Thursday.

During the meeting held the previous day, Kim called 2021 a year of "victory" for "the stable management of the state economy and big successes made in the agricultural and construction sectors," and decided to discuss plans for the new year at the plenary session, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"The 4th Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea is to be convened in the last third of December to review the implementation of major Party and the state policies for 2021 and to discuss and decide on work plans for new year," the KCNA said.

North Korea could use the upcoming session as a venue to highlight Kim's accomplishments as the North is set to mark the 10th anniversary of his rise to power later this month and unveil key policy directions for 2022.

In December 2019, Kim delivered a speech at a four-day plenary session of the party and skipped his annual New Year's Day address for the first time since taking office.

"General Secretary Kim Jong-un referred to the fact that the major policy targets decided at the 8th Party Congress have been pushed forward forcefully and militantly all the year round ... though difficulties still lie in developing the country's economy," the KCNA said.

At the party congress in January, Kim called for achieving economic development under a new five-year plan after admitting to a failure in his previous development plan amid crippling sanctions and a protracted border closure due to COVID-19.

The last plenary session of the ruling party was held in June during which the participants discussed food shortages, anti-pandemic efforts and other economic issues. (Yonhap)