N.K. leader presides over plenary meeting of Workers' Party

SEOUL, June 16 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party to discuss "crucial state work," food shortages, anti-pandemic efforts and other economic issues, state media said Wednesday.

The third plenary meeting opened on Tuesday for "taking measures to solve the pending issues urgent for improving the economic work and the people's living and for the discussion of and decision on issues for powerfully and correctly pushing forward crucial state work under the prevailing situation," according to the Korean Central News Agency.

"Saying that in particular, the people's food situation is now getting tense as the agricultural sector failed to fulfill its grain production plan due to the damage by typhoon last year, he stressed that the plenary meeting should take a positive measure for settling the problem," the KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

"He set forth the tasks for the state to maintain perfect anti-epidemic state under the present condition and for the economic guidance organs to meticulously organize the economic work to cope with the unfavorable condition of the emergency anti-epidemic work," the KCNA added.

The plenary meeting, the third of its kind this year, has been drawing keen attention as the North could unveil its policy directions on the United States and South Korea, given that Washington completed its North Korea policy review and President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed at a summit to pursue diplomacy to resolve the North's nuclear issue.

The KCNA said that the meeting will continue, without mentioning until when the session will last.

kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)