SEOUL, December 28, Reuters -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un opened a key ruling party meeting this week, a forum he used to make major New Year policy announcements.
The 4th Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea WPK was held on Monday, according to the state news agency KCNA.
The gathering of party and government officials comes as North Korea struggles with economic crises caused by an anti-pandemic lockdown, international sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme, and natural disasters.
It comes as North Korea marks the 10th anniversary of Kim taking the supreme command of the military after his father's death, Kim Jong Il, in 2011.
The report said that the plenary meeting is to review the implementation of main Party and state policies for the year 2021.
The meeting would also consider and decide on strategic and tactical policies and practical steps to guide the struggle of our Party and people to the next stage of the development of socialist construction, KCNA said. In 2018 he made major policy announcements, including in 2018 when he announced his interest to send a delegation to the Winter Olympics in South Korea, and in 2019 when he discussed his desire to continue talks with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Kim has used speeches around the New Year holiday to make friendly overtures to the U.S. and South Korea, but also reveal nuclear weapon developments and other military plans, according to a report by NK News, a Seoul-based website that monitors North Korea. North Korea has said it is open to resuming talks with the United States and the South, but only if Washington and Seoul take measures to end the hostile policies such as sanctions and military drills.