SEOUL-- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a politburo meeting to discuss a series of key issues, such as nationwide anti-coronavirus measures and farm production, state media reported Friday.
Kim also discussed measures to thoroughly boost production of consumer goods and implement a land management policy, during the enlarged politburo session of the Workers' Party held Thursday, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
"Saying that the present dangerous situation of the worldwide pandemic which keeps spiraling out of control demands tighter nationwide epidemic prevention, he emphasized that all the party organizations and officials should reexamine the national epidemic prevention system and the work in this field, and conduct an intense political offensive to strain and awaken the epidemic prevention front once again," the KCNA said.
He stressed that tightening epidemic prevention is a task of "paramount importance" and warned officials against letting down their guard for "even a moment under the present situation."
The North has claimed to be coronavirus-free but has taken relatively swift and tough measures against the pandemic, such as imposing strict border controls since early last year.
Kim also set forth tasks to successfully conclude this year's farming and to "make a breakthrough in settling the food problem of the people."
Stressing the need to fully mobilize the labor force to ensure the state provision of farming equipment, he instructed officials to push ahead with increasing the grain yield "as much as possible before harvesting" to achieve the planned grain production goal.
Kim also called for improved land management to make them "unperturbed and safe from any natural disasters."
"He underlined the need to take thorough-going measures to overcome abnormal climate the danger of which has become higher in recent years, and to work out active and ambitious plan to conclude river improvement, afforestation for erosion control, dyke maintenance and tide embankment projects in the main and enter into their regular management in the five-year plan at least," the KCNA said.
The KCNA said the enlarged meeting dealt with "an organizational issue" but did not provide details.
Top officials attended the meeting, including Jo Yong-won, secretary for organizational affairs of the party's Central Committee, and Choe Ryong-hae, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly. Kim Jae-ryong, director of the Organization and Guidance Department, was also seated in the front row next to the presidium members.
Foreign Minister Ri Son-gwon and Kim Yong-chol, head of the North's United Front Department, were absent from the podium seats despite being politburo members. Also absent was Ri Pyong-chol, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, who was dismissed as a member of the politburo's standing committee.
That raised views that Kim Jae-ryong could have replaced Ri Pyong-chol as a politburo standing committee member. But Cha Deok-cheol, deputy spokesperson at South Korea's unification ministry, said more verification is necessary.
Cha also said there have been no unusual signs with regard to the status of Foreign Minister Ri and United Front Department head Kim Yong-chol, saying it is not unprecedented for politburo members not to attend enlarged politburo meetings.
The ministry said it will continue to keep an eye on the North's situation, including the Supreme People's Assembly session slated later this month.
The meeting comes as the North struggles to cope with its chronic food shortage, aggravated by recent flood damage in agricultural fields, amid the prolonged coronavirus pandemic.
Source: Yonhap News Agency