North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un admitted the country’s economic development plan had fallen short in “almost all areas,” at a congress of the ruling Workers’ Party congress, the state media reported on Wednesday.
The gathering is the first of its kind in five years and comes two weeks before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. It is the eighth meet in the country’s history. North Korea’s relations with the US have been at a deadlock since Kim Jong Un President Donald Trump’s meeting in February 2019 was abruptly cut short over differences on sanctions relief and how much North Korea would be willing to give up in terms of nuclear weapons.
Kim Jong Un, at the meeting attended by 7000 delegates and attendees was quoted as saying that the economic goal set in the 2016 meeting "were not met in almost all areas to a great extent." None of the attendees at the meeting were observing social distancing or wearing masks. “We intend to comprehensively analyse in-depth... our experiences, lessons and the errors committed,” Kim said. Kim Jong Un, also praised party workers for “ensuring stability,” while keeping the pandemic away.
North Korea has been insisting that they haven’t had any case of the coronavirus. Closing of borders to prevent the coronavirus pandemic from entering the country has caused trade with its neighbour China to plummet by 80 per cent. The economy was already in a fragile state due to sanctions the US imposed in response to its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
In August, Kim Jong asked the elite in the nation to give up their pet dogs for meat, as the country has been facing an acute food shortage. Defector-turned-researcher Ahn Chan-il of the World Institute for North Korea Studies in Seoul said the current gathering reflected the “urgent need for internal solidarity.” “The party congress has to serve as a spark to restore faith among a frustrated public,” Chan-il told AFP.
On August 22, when Kim Jong Un promoted his sister Kim Yo Jong to a senior position, there were murmurs regarding frail health of Kim Jong Un. Kim Yo Jong, a key advisor to Kim Jong Un, was among the officials elected to the presidium of the congress.
“Kim Jong Un is seeking regime stability and normalisation of the party,” said Shin Beom-chul of the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy.