SEOUL, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- The ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has convened a key year-end meeting in Pyongyang, as the country's top leader reassessed the state affairs this year and set policies for the next, state media said on Sunday.

The Enlarged Meeting of the Eleventh Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), held from Dec. 23 to 27, approved several proposed agenda items, including a review of the implementation of the party and state policies this year and the direction of efforts for 2025, an assessment of the new regional development policy, discussion on implementation of the state budget for 2024 and the draft state budget for 2025 as well as personnel reshuffle, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

WPK General Secretary Kim Jong Un highlighted DPRK's achievements in 2024, including large-scale disaster relief and reconstruction efforts in response to floods, firm economic growth with tangible results, initial successes in local development policies, and notable progress in building self-defensive military capabilities, the KCNA report said.

The DPRK top leader also outlined the general direction of work for 2025, including the focus on the national economic growth, the need to successfully attain economic growth goals and bring about a substantial change in people's living.

Specifically, Kim highlighted the importance of attaining grain production goal and improving the quality of condiments and consumer goods.

On foreign policy, Kim stressed a strategy for "the toughest anti-U.S. counteraction" to safeguard long-term national interests and security, and "positively promote the development of relations with friendly countries," according to the KCNA report.

On national defense, the DPRK leader stressed that the country must counter the military provocations of the United States and its allies, promote the development of defense science and technology as well as the defense industry, and enhance its self-defensive war deterrence capabilities.

In addition, the party meeting announced multiple personnel reshuffles involving a slew of major appointments.

Pak Thae Song was appointed as the country's new premier and by-elected as presidium member of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee, according to a press release of the plenary session carried by the KCNA.

Meanwhile, Choe Son Hui, the country's foreign minister, was by-elected at the meeting as member of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee. Enditem

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