North Korea party meeting set to discuss ‘urgent’ food issue

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has scheduled a major political conference to discuss the “urgent task” of improving its agricultural sector. The meeting is a possible sign of worsening food insecurity as the country’s economic isolation deepens amid a defiant nuclear weapons push. State media said Monday the ruling Workers’ Party’s Politburo met on Sunday and agreed to hold a larger plenary meeting of the party’s Central Committee in late February to review national strategies on agricultural development and set new goals. Another plenary meeting was held in December and it’s uncommon for North Korea to hold such high-level meetings so close together. North Korea’s economy was badly hit by pandemic-related border closures and its crops were damaged by bad weather in 2020.