SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of 鈥� North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has acknowledged his country was facing the 鈥渨orst-ever situation鈥� as he addressed thousands of grassroots members of his ruling party during a major political conference in Pyongyang.
Experts say Kim is facing perhaps his toughest moment as he approaches a decade in rule, with North Korea鈥檚 coronavirus lockdown unleashing further shock on an economy devastated by decades of mismanagement and crippling U.S.-led sanctions over his nuclear weapons program.
The North鈥檚 official Korean Central News Agency said Kim made the comments during an opening speech at a meeting of the Workers鈥� Party鈥檚 cell secretaries on Tuesday.
鈥淚mproving the people鈥檚 living standards ... even in the worst-ever situation in which we have to overcome unprecedentedly numerous challenges depends on the role played by the cells, the grassroots organizations of the party,鈥� Kim said.
He urged members to carry out the decisions made at a party congress in January, when he vowed to bolster his nuclear deterrent in face of U.S. pressure and announced a new five-year national development plan. The congress came months after Kim during another political conference showed unusual
During Tuesday鈥檚 speech, Kim also criticized the party鈥檚 grassroots units for unspecified 鈥渟hortcomings鈥� that should be immediately corrected to ensure the 鈥渉ealthy and sustainable鈥� development of the party.
Party cells, which consist of five to 30 members, are the smallest units of party authority that oversee the works and lives at factories and other places. The network is an important tool for Workers鈥� Party to perpetuate its power. The previous conference of cell secretaries was held in 2017.
The economic setbacks have left Kim with nothing to show for his ambitious diplomacy with former President Donald Trump, which collapsed over disagreements in lifting sanctions for the North鈥檚 denuclearization steps.
The North has so far rejected the Biden administration鈥檚 overture for talks, saying that Washington must discard its 鈥渉ostile鈥� policies first, and dialed up pressure by resuming tests of ballistic missiles last month after a yearlong pause.
Kim Tong-Hyung, The Associated Press
