From June 28 to July 1, 2024, the DPRK held “extended session of the 10th Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, contributing to the successful implementation of the priorities and all tasks of the Party and state policy for 2024.” The plenary meeting summarized the results of work for the first half of the year and discussed “a number of next important issues in the continued rise of the phase of comprehensive rejuvenation of socialism in line with the Korean model.”

The format of the event did not differ from similar events in the past. The expanded meeting meant that “officials of relevant departments of the WPK Central Committee, leading officials of ministries, national agencies and provincial-level leadership bodies, chief secretaries of city and county committees of the WPK and representatives of the working class were present as observers.”

The main items on the agenda related to the economy and Party discipline

In a report titled On the interim review of the implementation of the major Party and state policies for 2024, Kim Jong-unnoted that the “universal aspiration to accelerate the advance towards the comprehensive development of socialist construction is further increasing and growing.”

Compared to the equivalent period last year, there has been a distinct growth in the economy. Noting successes in the construction and agriculture sectors, Kim singled out the need to double the growth rate of the economy in the second half of the year by adopting “effective economic and business measures.” These measures, Kim said, include optimizing the management and planning systems under the leadership of the Cabinet, which he seeks to turn into the sole management body responsible........

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