Kim Jong Un's vaunts North Korea at year-end meet: ‘We left a great trace…'

Kim Jong Un defined 2023 “as a year of great turn and great change both in name and reality."

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised his country's achievements and victories in 2023 as he opened a key political meeting to set new policy goals for 2024. In his opening-day speech at the meeting, Kim Jong Un defined 2023 “as a year of great turn and great change both in name and reality, in which (North Korea) left a great trace in the glorious course of development in the efforts to improve the national power and enhance the prestige of the country,” according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attending the 9th Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).(AFP)

Following this, KCNA reported that North Korea achieved a rapid advancement in its defense capabilities this year- first military spy satellite in November and other sophisticated weapons. As per KCNA, North Korea reported a rare good harvest this year owing to new irrigation systems.

South Korea earlier reported that this year, North Korea's grain production was estimated at 4.8 million tons, a 6.9% increase from last year’s 4.5 million tons.

What expert said on Kim Jong Un's year-end meeting?

Hong Min, an analyst at Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification, said that North Korea avoided publicly detailing this year's economic projects at the meeting. Attention outside North Korea will focus on what Kim Jong Un will say about relations with the United States, China and Russia.

This meeting is also crucial as South Korea’s National Intelligence Service claimed that North Korea’s economy shrank each year from 2020 to 2022. Its gross domestic product last year was 12% less than in 2016.

North Korea's defence achievements this year

Last week, North Korea test-fired its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile, the solid-fueled Hwasong-18- third of its kind this year. On November 21, North Korea put its first military spy satellite into orbit.

South Korean defense minister Shin Wonsik said that North Korea appeared to be speeding up its weapons testing activities to highlight its achievements in defense sectors.