North Korea holds Workers’ Party plenary meet focusing on economy, diplomacy, defense

Seoul, Jun 17 (EFE).- North Korea has begun a plenary meeting of the Workers’ Party to discuss issues related to the economy, diplomacy and defense, state-owned KCNA agency reported Saturday.

The 8th enlarged plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the party kicked off on Friday at its headquarters in Pyongyang in the presence of its leader Kim Jong-un.

“The plenary meeting will review the work of all sectors including the economic sectors in the first half of 2023 for implementing the resolutions of the 6th and 7th plenary meetings of the 8th Party Central Committee and take relevant measures,” KCNA said.

“It will also discuss and decide the policy issues of weighty significance in developing the Korean revolution including the issue of strengthening the Party and building the state and the issue of the state diplomatic and defense strategy to cope with the changed international situation,” it added.

The state agency said the items for discussion were unanimously approved by the hundreds of party members present at the meeting.

As usual, the North Korean media did not specify more details about the agenda or the planned duration of the plenary meeting.

The meeting comes at a time when North Korea appears to have reduced the intensity of its weapons tests, having only conducted a missile test in the last two months after launching a space rocket with a satellite on board that crashed in the Yellow Sea after failing in flight on May 31.

Pyongyang has rejected invitations for talks from Seoul and Washington, who last year resumed their large-scale joint military exercises in the Korean peninsula, while the regime conducted a record number of missile tests.

North Korea’s borders remain closed since the pandemic – which is believed to have greatly impacted its impoverished economy, although there are signs that Pyongyang may soon decide to lift the restrictions. EFE

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