N. Korea to hold plenary meeting of ruling party in early June

This photo, carried by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency, shows the North holding an enlarged plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea to discuss the country's agricultural issues, March 2. Yonhap

North Korea has decided to convene a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in early June to discuss economic projects implemented in the first half and other policy issues, state media reported Monday.

The political bureau of the WPK decided to hold the eighth plenary meeting of the party's eighth central committee, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). It did not disclose the date of the upcoming meeting.

The plenary meeting will be held to review "the implementation of the national economic plans in the first half of 2023 and discuss the policy issues of weighty significance," the KCNA said in an English-language dispatch.

It appears to be unprecedented for the North to hold a party plenary meeting twice in the first half, given that the secretive regime has convened such a gathering once or twice per year.

In February, the North held a party plenary meeting to solely discuss the country's agricultural issues amid food shortages.

The North has been undergoing economic hardships amid global sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs and protracted COVID-19 restrictions. (Yonhap)