North Korea has launched a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, state media reported Wednesday, as Pyongyang prepares for a key party congress that could offer glimpses into North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's plans for military and economy.
The enlarged 13th plenary meeting of the party's Eighth Central Committee was convened the previous day, presided over by Kim and attended by key central committee members, government ministry officials and observers, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
The meeting approved five agenda items for discussion, including the review of the implementation of this year's party and state policies and other major issues related to the preparations for the party's ninth congress, according to the KCNA.
The year-end plenary party meeting usually runs for several days to review the year's policy implementation and set the direction for future policies.
This year's meeting carries added significance as it was held in the run-up to the party's ninth congress, which South Korean intelligence authorities expect to take place in February, where the country is likely to unveil another five-year national economic development plan and possibly its foreign policy direction.
The last congress, the eighth, was held in 2021.
The agenda items for the ongoing party meeting may also include organizational, personnel or other internal issues.
Photos released by the KCNA on Wednesday also showed Ri Il-hwan, a party secretary for propaganda who had disappeared from state media for about a year, attending the party meeting at the podium.
Ri's absence from state media had sparked speculation that he may have been suspended for unknown reasons, with his return to the public eye indicating that he may have been reinstated.
Photos showed the North's leader Kim at the center of the first row on the podium, flanked by Premier Pak Thae-song, parliamentary standing committee chairman Choe Ryong-hae and party secretary for organization Jo Yong-won. (Yonhap)
