(2nd LD) N.K. leader orders 'important revolutionary measures' for rural development

(ATTN: UPDATES with experts' analysis, more info in paras 6-8; CHANGES headline, lead)
By Choi Soo-hyang

SEOUL, Dec. 29 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has presided over the second-day session of a key party plenary to discuss rural development measures, Pyongyang's state media reported Wednesday amid its fraught efforts to tackle food shortages and other economic woes.

During the meeting held Tuesday, Kim "set forth medium- and long-term development strategies and major tasks for attaining the grand goal of rural development in line with the realistic conditions and the requirement of the times," according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

North Korea opened the 4th Plenary Meeting of the ruling Workers' Party's 8th Central Committee on Monday amid expectations Pyongyang could unveil its new policy directions on the economy and foreign affairs for the new year.

Tuesday's meeting dealt with "rural questions" to which Kim took "important revolutionary measures," the KCNA said without elaborating on what they were.

"The new program on socialist rural construction won full support and approval by the participants in the meeting," the report said.

The North's emphasis on rural development comes as it is grappling with chronic food shortages, with the country estimated to be falling short by around 1 million tons of food every year. The coronavirus-driven border lockdown is thought to have taken a toll on its already substandard food situation.

Experts say the decision to deal with agricultural issues first at the plenary suggest they are among the most pressing tasks facing the reclusive regime.

"North Korea apparently chose rural development as the first discussion item as structural reform and prosperity of farming villages are key to increasing crop yields," Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, said.

In November, Kim visited the northwestern city of Samjiyon, where a major development project is under way, and called it a "picturesque model unit in rural buildup" and a starting point "in making the people in local areas witness a leaping progress to a highly civilized material and cultural life."

The KCNA report said, "The meeting is continuing the discussion of the agenda items," indicating there will be a third-day session.

It is unclear for how long the party gathering will last as the North has not made public the exact schedule. Previous plenary meetings were held between one and four days.

scaaet@yna.co.kr
(END)