North Korea’s Kim convenes major party meeting to discuss strategy

dpa Seoul North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has convened a high-level meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party to discuss strategic planning for the coming mon...

dpa Seoul North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has convened a high-level meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party to discuss strategic planning for the coming months, state media reported on Tuesday.The gathering comes as Kim’s secretive regime faces major economic challenges due to international sanctions, climate-induced natural disasters and disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.Kim, who is celebrating his 10th year as supreme leader, was present at the meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea when the talks began in the capital on Monday, state news agency KCNA said.“The implementation of the most important party and state policies for 2021 is to be examined,” with the aim of leading North Korea to the “next stage of victory,” according to the report.Details of what was to be discussed were not released and it is not clear how many days the meeting will last. The Central Committee is a leading body of the party, of which Kim is the head.Kim has often uses these top party meetings to issue new security directives and explain his position on relations with the US and South Korea.At a party congress in January of this year, he called the United States its “biggest enemy” and announced the expansion of the regime’s nuclear arsenal.This time, Washington will once again be watching for any remarks related to Pyongyang nuclear programme. Negotiations between the two sides have made no headway since a failed meeting between former US president Donald Trump and Kim in Hanoi in February 2019.Pyongyang has so far reacted negatively to proposals for talks by the Biden administration.