DPRK leader urges 'great progress' in economic development

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Kim Jong Un, leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), called for efforts on economic development in a letter to a national conference in Pyongyang, DPRK's state media reported Saturday.

Kim urged publicity officials of the Workers' Party of Korea to step up efforts to mobilize the people to develop the economy and thus ensure "a great progress will be made in socialist economic construction," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

It was Kim's first public message after his return from a no-deal summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi in late February.

DPRK leader Kim Jong Un (R1) listens as U.S. President Donald Trump (L1) speaks during the extended bilateral meeting during their summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, February 28, 2019. /Reuters Photo

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Kim's letter came amid speculations by U.S. news outlet NPR that satellite images of a facility near Pyongyang suggest the DPRK may be preparing to launch a missile or a satellite. Pyongyang has not responded to the report.

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After years of focus on its weapons program, the DPRK announced last April that it would prioritize economic development.

Citing the Unification Ministry of the Republic of Korea (ROK), Yonhap News Agency reported that Kim attended 98 public events throughout 2018, of which 41 were economic activities, accounting for 41.8 percent, the highest proportion of all activities. In 2017, Kim took part in 26 economic activities, accounting for just 27.7 percent of the total.

Amid an improvement in ties between Pyongyang and Seoul, the two sides are keen in resuming inter-Korean economic cooperation that had stalled in recent years due to sanctions against the DRPK.

However, the failure to reach a deal at the Trump-Kim summit came as a disappointment for the DPRK and the ROK in their pursuit of economic cooperation, with the comprehensive sanctions over Pyongyang's weapons program still in place.

(Cover: DPRK leader Kim Jong Un inspects the construction site of a tourist area Yangdeok, DPRK, in this undated photo released on October 31, 2018 by KCNA.)

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