N. Korea touts economic achievements ahead of key party meeting

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, third from right, visits the Sangwon Cement Complex in the central province of North Hwanghae March 1, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. Yonhap

North Korea's state media outlets on Tuesday highlighted economic achievements ahead of a key party plenary meeting later this month, in an apparent bid to rally workers behind the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Tuesday that industrial output has climbed 105 percent since the WPK's ninth congress in February, attributing the achievement to the drive and determination of workers and factory managers across the country.

The KCNA cited the Sangwon Cement Complex in North Hwanghae Province as a model for what the party expects from workers nationwide.

The complex, a facility with an annual production capacity of 2 million tons, reportedly hit 107 percent of its daily production target throughout March and met its quotas in the two months that followed.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the plant March 1, marking his first inspection of an economic site since the congress.

A local coal mine also drew praise, with the KCNA report claiming it exceeded its production target by more than 1,000 tons. Similar gains were cited in chemicals and machinery.

Emphasizing the importance of ideological education, it said, "There is nothing that cannot be overcome" when ideology is paired with technical advances. Workers were urged to keep "creating new standards and records" in pursuit of goals set at the congress.

The party's official daily Rodong Sinmun joined the chorus, reporting progress on roughly 20 construction projects tied to a campaign for balanced regional development.

The congress, the country's most important political gathering, convened from Feb. 19-25, marking the first since 2021. It set the policy direction for the next five years across the economy, defense and diplomacy and made major personnel decisions at the top of the party.

The WPK central committee is expected to convene a plenary meeting later this month to conduct the first-half review of state and party policies mapped out at the congress.