On February 25, the Cabinet held an enlarged plenary meeting in the video conference system to thoroughly carry out the important tasks set forth at the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea and the 2nd Plenary Meeting of the 8th WPK Central Committee.

Kim Tok Hun, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee and premier of the Cabinet, presided over the meeting.

The meeting was attended by members of the Cabinet, including Vice-premiers Pak Jong Gun and Jon Hyon Chol.

Present there as observers were officials of organs under direct control of the Cabinet and ministries, chairpersons of provincial, city and county people's committees and officials of organs for agricultural guidance and major factories and enterprises.

The enlarged plenary meeting discussed the agenda "On thoroughly implementing the decisions of the 8th Congress of the WPK and the 2nd Plenary Meeting of the 8th WPK Central Committee".

Pak Jong Gun, vice-premier of the Cabinet who doubles as the chairman of the State Planning Commission, made a report.

The report analyzed and reviewed the reasons why the Cabinet and the state economic guidance organs revealed passive and self-protective tendency in drawing up this year's national economic plan for implementing the decisions of the Party Congress.

It brought up the measures for purposefully conducting the economic operations on the basis of the essentials of this year's economic work and carrying out without fail the national economic plan.

It stressed the need for ministries, national agencies, provincial, city and county people's committees and enterprises to establish the system of the state's unified guidance over economic work as required by the Cabinet-responsibility system and the Cabinet-centred system, and the need to establish the system and order to work after defining their duty, authority and scope of work.

It underlined the need to work out realistic goals for sci-tech development in all fields which must be attained in the period of the five-year plan and carry them out in a strenuous manner on the principle of strategic concentration, and put production on a normal track and positively promote the upgrading and domestic production of raw and other materials and recycling by dint of science and technology.

It urged officials to intensify the study on the methodological issues arising in improving the economic management as required by the objective economic law, and timely correct deviations revealed in practice.

It underscored the need to wage an intensified struggle for putting an end to unit specialization and self-centredness that breach the state law and infringe upon the interests of people.

It set forth tasks for taking stronger measures to make steady efforts to complete the method of planning in accordance with the changing reality, the level of development in productivity and the development of science and technology, and to ensure economic conditions and legal environment for enterprises so as to independently and proactively conduct production and business activities, give the fullest play to their creativity and promptly react to the changing environment.

It stressed the need for the economic guidance officials to orient the economic work to encouraging fresh innovations, bold creations and ceaseless advance, bearing in mind that the way of carrying out this year's fighting goals lies in bringing about a fundamental improvement in their fighting spirit and work attitude.

Kim Kwang Nam, manager of the Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex, Ma Jong Son, minister of Chemical Industry, Ri Song Hak, vice-premier of the Cabinet, Choe Ryong Gil, vice-chairman of the State Planning Commission, Ju Chol Gyu, vice-premier of the Cabinet and minister of Agriculture, and others delivered speeches.

They referred to detailed ways to carry out the goals to be attained by their fields and units in the period of implementing the five-year plan set forth at the 8th Party Congress and to fulfill their tasks advanced at the 2nd Plenary Meeting of the 8th WPK Central Committee.

They expressed their determination to bring about epochal achievements in attaining this year's goals by displaying extraordinary working ability, enthusiasm and devotion, always remembering the deep trust and expectation by the Party and the people.

The meeting discussed such issues as concentrating manpower, equipment, materials and fund on factories and enterprises in the fields of metal and chemical industries, solving technical problems arising in producing iron and steel with domestic fuel and improving the business management and administration as required by the socialist system of responsible business operation.

It confirmed the yearly plans for pushing ahead with the work to promote the technical forces in close ties with the scientific research sector and realize the domestic production of raw and other materials.

It also discussed the proposals for finding out factors hindering the production and business activities and taking measures against them, and studying and introducing realistic ways for putting production on a normal track at all enterprises.

It underscored the need to increase production of consumer goods by recycling idle materials, by-products and waste materials and making positive use of substitute raw materials and tighten the connection of production and consumption among all fields of the national economy and enterprises.

It also discussed practical issues arising in fulfilling the agricultural production plan without fail such as decisively improving the methods of business management with the main emphasis on building up the productive foundations of cooperative farms and restoring the irrigation facilities and farmland.

It stressed the need for the Cabinet to perform its duty as the the country’s economic command centre, and for all economic guidance officials to set the improvement of socialist economic management and promotion of sci-tech development as the fundamental ways of implementing the new five-year plan and discharge their responsibilities and duties in the struggle for economic construction and improvement of the people's living standards.

Based on in-depth discussions, it adopted with unanimous approval the decisions of the Cabinet "On thoroughly implementing the five-year plan for national economic development set forth at the 8th WPK Congress" and "On thoroughly implementing the important tasks advanced at the 2nd Plenary Meeting of the 8th WPK Central Committee".