North Korea set for key party meeting amid deadlock in nuclear negotiations

A session of the meetings held by North Korean Army's educators, Dec. 4 and 5, is presided over by the country's leader Kim Jong-un at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency, Dec. 7. Yonhap

North Korea is expected to convene a key party meeting within the coming week amid expectations it could unveil the country's policy directions for next year in the face of a prolonged stalemate in its denuclearization negotiations with the United States.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency said earlier this month that the ruling Workers' Party will hold a plenary meeting of its central committee "in the last third of December" to "discuss and decide on work plans for the New Year."

Experts say the upcoming party event could replace North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's annual New Year's Day address, which is closely watched by the outside world for clues on the country's stance on the nuclear talks and inter-Korean relations.

Kim skipped such speeches in the past two years, opting instead to unveil key messages via major party sessions around the turn of the year.

At the end of 2019, Kim presided over a four-day party plenary session and accused Washington of "hostile acts" against Pyongyang. This year, he convened a rare party congress in January and called the U.S. the North's "principal enemy."

The upcoming session is drawing attention, as it may offer a clue to the unpredictable regime's next step regarding the nuclear talks with the U.S., which have been stalled since the collapse of a 2019 summit in Hanoi.

At the North's last party plenary session held in June, Kim ordered officials to stay ready for both dialogue and confrontation.

The U.S. has urged North Korea to return to negotiations, but Pyongyang is demanding Washington first retract what it calls "double standards" and a "hostile policy" against its regime.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden's administration imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea's Defense Minister Ri Yong-gil and other entities for their alleged ties to human rights abuses in a move feared to dampen South Korean President Moon Jae-in's hope for the resumption of dialogue.

The North's economy is also expected to be high on the agenda at the upcoming meeting as the country is struggling from crippling sanctions and a protracted border closure due to COVID-19.

At the January party congress, Kim called for achieving economic development under a new five-year plan after admitting the failure of his previous strategy.

The party session also comes as the North is set to mark the 10th anniversary of Kim's rise to power.

Kim officially took the helm of the North on Dec. 30, 2011, with the "supreme commandership of the Korean People's Army," 13 days after his father and the country's former leader, Kim Jong-il, died.

North Korea has been creating a commemorative mood ahead of the anniversary, highlighting Kim's achievements in a series of state media reports.

"The North has been frequently holding politburo meetings and plenary sessions to decide key policy issues after Kim rose to power in an indication the party has become a core decision-making platform," an official at Seoul's unification ministry said. "We will closely monitor the event as the North's stance on South Korea and the U.S. could be discussed." (Yonhap)

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