SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un thanked the public for their trust and support “in difficult times” and wished them happiness and good health on their first business cards. New Year’s Eve sent to his village.
Kim usually delivers a televised speech on January 1, but it is expected to be omitted this year, as she will address the country’s first ruling party congress in five years, in early January.
“I will work hard to advance the new era in which the ideals and desires of our people will come true,” Kim said in her letter, according to the Korea Central News Agency.
“I thank the people for invariably trusting and supporting our party even in difficult times,” he said. “I sincerely wish all families across the country greater happiness and loved ones, good health.”
North Korea is one of the most cloistered countries in the world and it is virtually impossible to confirm independently whether all of its 25 million people received Kim’s cards. According to reports, the cards were the first a leader sent to North Koreans since 1995.
Kim, who succeeded her father as North Korean leader in late 2011, faces the toughest challenges of her nine-year government due to the pandemic, several natural disasters last summer and persistent targeted sanctions. by the United States amid a diplomatic stalemate over its nuclear program.
Kim will likely use the Labor Party congress as a venue to gather stronger unity and set new development goals for the coming years.
The closing of the North Korean pandemic with China, its largest trading partner, is hurting the economy. The volume of bilateral trade in the first 11 months of 2020 fell by about 79% over the same period in 2019, said analyst Song Jaeguk of the IBK Economic Research Institute in Seoul.
The congress, the first since 2006, is officially the party’s top decision-making body, although real day-to-day decisions are made by Kim and her close associates. The body of rubber stamp delegates is expected to support Kim’s new initiatives without much debate.
State media did not say when exactly the meeting will take place. In 2006, the congress was held for four days.
With the inauguration of the new year, a large crowd filled Pyongyang’s main square to watch fireworks, a concert and a flag-raising ceremony. State television showed people wearing heavy masks and coats, making waves and standing very close together.
North Korea has firmly stated that it has no coronavirus, a claim that foreigners doubt. But experts also say any outbreaks were unlikely to be widespread, so North Korea considered it safe to hold major events such as the party congress in Pyongyang.
Also Friday, North Korea said it has successfully completed “an 80-day battle,” a productivity campaign it often launches to pressure citizens to work overtime and report larger production quantities before major political events. During the congress, experts say North Korea will likely stress the construction of a stronger self-sufficient economy to face the difficulties in an attempt to squeeze people to work harder.
KCNA said “the advancement of all people on the basis of self-sufficiency” achieved “a proud victory of the historic 80-day battle.” He said North Koreans have met or exceeded recently established quotas in factories, mines, farms, flood recovery works, coronavirus steps and several other areas.