The Enlarged Meeting of the Eleventh Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea was held in late December last year, in which the general orientation of the work for 2025 was put forward. According to it, this year the five-year plan set forth at the Eighth Party Congress should be brought into successful completion and the preparations for the next-stage development made in a substantial way.

The whole country has turned out to fulfil the tasks advanced at the Eighth Party Congress this year, the last year of the five-year plan.

Dynamic efforts are made to put spurs to the growth of the overall national economy.

The Sangwon Cement Complex, which aims to boost cement production this year as many as ten times the amount of the increased output last year, has been performing feats by launching a collective innovation movement from the outset of the year.

The flames of the miraculous increased production kindled by the workers at the complex are spreading across the country, giving fresh impetus to the mass innovation movement. With new standards and records created one after another, the national economic plans for January and February were successfully fulfilled in the overall economic sectors including metallurgical, chemical, power, machine-building and coal and other mining industries, thus making a breakthrough for victoriously winding up the final year of the five-year plan.

It was emphasized at the Enlarged Meeting of the Eleventh Plenary Meeting of the Eighth WPK Central Committee that in 2025, building 50 000 flats in Pyongyang should be wound up through the fourth-stage housing construction in the Hwasong area, the construction of houses in the Komdok area completed, and housing construction in the rural communities pushed ahead without letup. It was also noted at the meeting that efforts should be channelled into the construction of industrial and public facilities to accelerate the great cause of regional rejuvenation and, on the basis of the experience gained in the construction of the Sinpho City Offshore Farm, another offshore farm should be successfully built in the other area on a trial basis.

In February alone, a series of groundbreaking ceremonies were held consecutively for the fourth-stage project to build 10 000 flats in the Hwasong area, a hospital and a leisure complex in Kangdong County, regional-industry factories and a hospital in Ryonggang County in Nampho, the largest-ever greenhouse farm and vegetable science research centre, an offshore farm in Ragwon County, regional-industry factories in Sinyang and Koksan counties, a hospital in Kusong City and regional-industry factories and a leisure complex in Jongphyong County among others.

The sectors of light industry and agriculture are more vigorously pushing ahead with major policy-oriented tasks which have been adopted and carried on for the people’s living.

The scientific circles are out to bring about tangible results to ensure the victory of the struggle of the last year for implementing the decisions of the Eighth Party Congress and lead it to a new stage of development.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un attended the groundbreaking ceremonies including that of the fourth-stage project for 10 000 flats in the Hwasong area, in which he delivered rallying speeches and dug the first spadeful of earth, encouraging the people to perform greater feats and innovations.

Last year the Korean people witnessed the advent of a new heyday of socialist construction and the important changes of comprehensive development and rejuvenation both in the capital and the provinces. Now they are making big strides full of confidence in the brilliant implementation of the five-year plan and the future victory to be achieved steadily.

Sim Sang Hyon