Kim Jong-un Presides Over Expanded Politburo Meeting... No Message on South Korea or the U.S. (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, presided over an expanded Political Bureau meeting on the 2nd, discussing the strengthening of national quarantine measures, preparation for natural disasters, and increasing agricultural production. Although South Korea and the United States have urged North Korea to come to the dialogue table, there was no separate message directed at the U.S. or South Korea.

The Workers' Party's official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on the 3rd, "The 3rd expanded meeting of the 8th Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea was held on the 2nd at the headquarters building of the Party Central Committee," conveying this information.

The meeting was presided over by General Secretary Kim, with members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, Political Bureau members and alternate members of the Party Central Committee participating. Officials from the Party Central Committee departments, secretaries responsible for provincial, city, and county party committees, people's committee chairpersons, social security, prosecution agencies, united enterprises, key factory officials, cabinet and relevant provincial, central agencies, military organs, and emergency quarantine sector officials attended as observers.

General Secretary Kim urged strengthening national quarantine measures in response to the worsening global health crisis. Kim stated, "The current dangerous situation where the global pandemic is not being contained and continues to spread requires further strengthening and implementation of national quarantine measures," adding, "In the current situation, strengthening quarantine is the most critical task that must not be neglected even for a moment."

Kim provided a detailed analysis of the nationwide land management status and outlined measures to improve land management work. He said, "The land and environmental protection work has been consistently emphasized by our Party since immediately after liberation and has recently become an even more important policy task," adding, "In our country, which has many mountains, rivers, and a long coastline, land management is economic construction and an essential condition for the safety of the people's lives and national development."

This directive appears to take into account the difficulties North Korea faced in food production due to last year's floods and the ongoing challenges this year from droughts and floods. Kim emphasized, "The core idea of this expanded meeting of the Party Central Committee Political Bureau is that all cities and counties must vigorously promote land management work with their own strength to make their regions safe and resilient against any natural disasters."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Additionally, the expanded meeting discussed increasing the production of consumer goods and achieving this year's agricultural targets. Kim stated, "Improving the quality of consumer goods is as important as increasing production," instructing qualitative improvements in products and emphasizing focusing on maximizing agricultural harvests before the autumn harvest, conveying specific directives.

There was no separate message directed at South Korea or the U.S. during the meeting. Concluding the meeting, Kim urged, "All officials at the central and local levels must deeply recognize the heavy sense of mission they bear before the Party, the revolution, and the people," emphasizing the execution of the Party's decisions and directives.