The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, center, attends a meeting of the politburo of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, on Dec 1, 2021 in this photo provided by the DPRK government. (KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY/KOREA NEWS SERVICE VIA AP)
SEOUL – Kim Jong-un, leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, has said the country must be prepared for a "very giant struggle" next year to continue to make progress in areas including defense, agriculture and construction, state media reported on Thursday.
Kim made the remarks on Wednesday at a meeting of the central committee of the ruling Worker's Party's politburo, which decided to hold a plenary meeting of the committee next month.
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Next year will be an important one as we should wage a very giant struggle as much as we did this year.
Kim Jong-un, DPRK leader
He said while the country still faces economic difficulties, the party has had success in pushing to meet policy targets and implementing the five-year economic plan he unveiled early this year, the official KCNA news agency reported.
"It is very encouraging that the positive changes were made in the overall state affairs including politics, economy, culture, and national defense as evidenced by the stable management of the state economy and big successes made in the agricultural and construction sectors," Kim was quoted to be saying.
"Next year will be an important one as we should wage a very giant struggle as much as we did this year," he said.
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This undated picture released from the official Korean Central News Agency on Nov 16, 2021 shows DPRK leader Kim Jong-un visiting Samjiyon city. (STR / AFP / KCNA VIA KNS)
Kim has sought to boost the economy and power supply with his plan, but UN agencies have said food and electricity shortages remain, exacerbated by sanctions imposed over the DPRK’s alleged nuclear and missile programs, the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters.
The DPRK has not confirmed any coronavirus cases, but has closed borders and imposed domestic travel restrictions and other measures to control or prevent an outbreak.