The Pyongyang municipal and provincial committees of the Workers' Party of Korea held enlarged plenary meetings to implement the decisions of the Eleventh Plenary Meeting of the Eighth WPK Central Committee.

The meetings were guided by members of the Presidium of the Political Bureau and members and alternate members of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee.

Present there were members and alternate members of the provincial committees of the WPK and, as observers, officials of Party and power organs and administrative and economic bodies in the relevant regions.

Kim Jong Un, president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, received a message of greeting from Mishal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, emir of the State of Kuwait, on December 22 2024.

In the message, the Emir extended the sincerest congratulations and best wishes to the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un on the occasion of the New Year 2025.

He hoped that the New Year would be a year when peace and stability settle for the whole of mankind and when the well-being and prosperity of all the peoples in the world are achieved.

The Korean people made lots of momentous achievements last year.

In January 2024, when the march of the new year began for ascertaining the practical guarantee for the fulfilment of the five-year plan set forth at the Eighth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the respected General Secretary Kim Jong Un made a policy speech entitled, “On the Immediate Tasks for the Prosperity and Development of Our Republic and the Promotion of the Wellbeing of Our People”, at the 10th Session of the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK, in which he advanced in a comprehensive way the important tasks in bringing about great changes for the comprehensive development of socialist construction and the improvement of the people’s living standards in a multi-stage, three-dimensional and offensive way and the issues of principle to be adhered to in carrying them out.

In the speech he stressed that the supreme task, to which the DPRK government should attach utmost importance and pay great efforts at present, was to stabilize and improve the people's living as early as possible and declared to the entire audience the Regional Development 20×10 Policy, a new policy for the development of regional industry which constitutes a great revolution for fulfilling the long-cherished desire of the regional people, and important measures for its implementation.

The metal industrial sector has mapped out scientific plans to dynamically implement them so as to decisively boost iron and steel production.

Officials of the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry are discussing the measures to perfect the Juche-based iron-making system, push ahead with the readjustment and reinforcement projects and give precedence to the supply of raw materials and fuel.

They are holding in-depth discussions of the proposals for stepping up the projects for this year and modernizing equipment so as to accelerate the work for making the metal industry Juche-oriented.

True to the decisions of the Eleventh Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, the public health sector takes innovative measures to improve the quality of medical service and strengthen the material and technical foundations.

Officials of the Ministry of Public Health and relevant units have deeply studied and discussed constructive proposals for improving the preventive and curative medical care, putting the medical service on a more scientific and modern basis and consolidating the foundations of public health.

More concrete plans are being worked out to introduce the first-aid command system Kugup 1.0 into the medical service at terminal curative and preventive institutions in all provinces, cities and counties and provide perfect telemedicine conditions for them and thus improve the level of medical service.

The Hungnam Fertilizer Complex is boosting production in order to supply more fertilizers to the socialist countryside.

Workers of its synthesis workshop have conducted the inspection of the synthetic tower and compressors in an effective way and created machine reserves, thereby making a breakthrough in fertilizer production.

Workers and technicians of the gas-producing workshop are increasing production by improving the operation of gas generators, and the gas cleaning and other workshops are observing technical rules and standard regulations to contribute to the fulfilment of plans.

Last year witnessed the fulfilment of key and priority tasks for the development of science and technology and a stride forward in solving sci-tech problems arising in boosting production in key industries, light industry, agriculture and other economic sectors and improving the people’s standards of living.

The Eleventh Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea put forward the enhancement of the role of the scientific circles as an important task for this year when the first stage of comprehensive development of socialism will be concluded.

I keenly feel our heavy responsibility for the country’s sci-tech administrative work as I ruminate on the great expectations and trust of the Party that hopes the scientific sector would redouble efforts to bring about more perfect results and transformation in achieving dynamic advance of the overall economy.

There are two zelkova trees by an uphill pass leading from Hwasok-ri to Muhak-ri in Sinwon County, South Hwanghae Province.

They are called “twin zelkova trees” as they are of the same age and grow side by side at the same place.

The taller tree is 23 metres tall, 5.1 metres round at the root collar, 4.7 metres round at the chest height and 18 metres wide at the crown, while the other one is 21 metres tall, 4.8 metres round at the root collar, 3.5 metres round at the chest height and 15 metres wide at the crown.

Pak Thae Song, premier of the Cabinet of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, received a congratulatory message from Sonexay Siphandone, prime minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, on January 8.

In the message, the Laotian Prime Minister extended warm congratulations to Pak Thae Song on his appointment as premier of the DPRK Cabinet at the Eleventh Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Expressing belief that the bilateral relations of friendship and cooperation would steadily grow stronger on the basis of the long tradition of the friendly and cooperative relationship between the two countries, the message hoped that the bilateral ties would continue to develop in conformity with the interests of the peoples of the two countries and the regional and global peace, stability, cooperation and development.