Advertisement
North Korea’s Kim Jong-un admits mistakes as he opens rare party congress
- The gathering is the first of its kind in five years, and only the eighth in the country’s history
- State media said Kim discussed Pyongyang’s ill-fated five-year strategy for national economic development, which was quietly scrapped in 2020
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un admitted that “almost all sectors” had fallen short of their economic targets as he opened a rare congress of the ruling Workers’ Party, state media reported on Wednesday.
Advertisement
The gathering is the first of its kind in five years, only the eighth in the nuclear-armed country’s history, and comes weeks before US President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
Relations with Washington have been deadlocked since talks between Kim and President Donald Trump stalled over sanctions relief and what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in return.
At the same time the North is more isolated than ever after closing its borders last January to protect itself against the coronavirus that first emerged in neighbour and key ally China.
01:36
Kim Jong-un to call ruling party meeting as North Korea faces worst economic crisis since 1990s
Kim Jong-un to call ruling party meeting as North Korea faces worst economic crisis since 1990s
The congress opened on Tuesday in the capital Pyongyang, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. Pictures in the Rodong Sinmum ruling party newspaper showed 7,000 delegates and attendees packed into the cavernous hall, none of them wearing masks.
Advertisement
Advertisement