North Korea’s Kim inspects cement plant after new goals at key party congress
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaking during the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang on Feb 23.
PHOTO: REUTERS
SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a cement factory on March 1 and called for continued production to meet new goals set during a recent key party congress, state media KCNA said on March 2.
North Korea held a week-long Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers' Party in late February, during which Mr Kim emphasised the importance of continuing construction projects such as Hwasong district in Pyongyang “for strengthening national power”.
Mr Kim lauded the cement factory workers for increased production that had made construction projects possible, KCNA said.
The number of his publicly reported appearances went up from about 70 in 2021 to 153 in 2025, according to the think-tank Asan Institute for Policy Studies, partly as Mr Kim emphasised economic growth by inspecting the completion of new building projects such as hotels, residential blocks and factories. REUTERS
