Ahead of the plenary meeting, Kim Jong Un emphasizes 'economic goal review'... convenes officials' consultation meeting (comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, convened a cadre consultation meeting ahead of the 3rd Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Party to discuss measures for stabilizing the lives of the people. Experts evaluate this as showing a sense of urgency to achieve the five-year economic plan.

Korean Central News Agency reported on the 8th, "Comrade Kim Jong-un convened a consultation meeting with responsible cadres of the Party Central Committee and provincial Party committees at the headquarters building of the Party Central Committee on the 7th."

The agency stated that at the consultation meeting, General Secretary Kim "understood and reviewed the urgent issues related to the national economic affairs and ensuring the people's livelihood, and issued important tasks for their implementation," and "expressed ideas to bring about a substantial turnaround in national economic affairs and stabilization of the people's livelihood through the plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee."

However, the specific details of the tasks and ideas were not reported.

General Secretary Kim also emphasized that "Party committees and cadres, as well as cadres of provincial Party committees, should be aware of their mission and duty and devote themselves to fulfilling the responsibility of being accountable for the fate of the homeland and the people," and reportedly presented measures to raise economic development and the material and cultural living standards of the people, according to the agency.

Attending the consultation meeting were Jo Yong-won, Secretary of the Party Organization, Premier Kim Tok-hun, along with Party secretaries and department heads, and responsible secretaries of provincial Party committees. Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Party, did not attend.

This cadre consultation meeting was not held during the era of Kim Jong-il, the father of Kim Jong-un, and appears to have been convened to review the achievement of the economic plan goals for the first half of the year and discuss plans for the second half ahead of the 3rd Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee. Earlier, General Secretary Kim presided over a Politburo meeting of the Workers' Party on the 5th and decided to convene the 3rd Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee in early this month.

Professor Im Eul-chul of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies at Gyeongnam National University said, "This is an urgent attempt to review the economic performance of the first half of this year and to ensure the achievement of the five-year plan goals without fail in the second half," adding, "Along with the leader, major Party cadres are showing a precedent-setting consultation meeting ahead of the Party Central Committee plenary meeting, demonstrating their initiative in overcoming the structurally difficult current situation, thereby stabilizing the residents and showing their determination for results."

Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies emphasized that "the 3rd Plenary Meeting is held for the purpose of reviewing the implementation of tasks presented at the Party Congress and preparing plans for the second half," and predicted, "If the plenary meeting deals only with domestic and economic issues, diplomatic and security matters will be handled by separate bodies such as the Party Central Military Commission or decided independently by General Secretary Kim."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.