North Korea conducted a training session for city and county party secretaries, emphasizing the importance of achieving local development goals.
The party’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on Tuesday that the third training session for city and county party secretaries was held from April 4 to 6. This event took place during a crucial period when a nationwide effort began to uphold the ambitious agenda set forth by the 9th Party Congress and usher in a new phase of revolutionary development.
The newspaper explained that the Party Central Committee organized this training session, recognizing the critical role of city and county party committees in implementing the national strategy for local development. This strategy aims to ensure that local progress represents the nation’s overall advancement and that regional improvements reflect the development of North Korea’s unique brand of socialism.
Attendees included city and county party secretaries from across the country, secretaries from the Party Central Committee, officials from relevant provincial party committee departments, and personnel involved in local party activities. The party secretaries presented reports on their work over the past five years, focusing on the implementation of policies aimed at strengthening cities and counties since the first training session.
The reports highlighted the efforts of many city and county party committee secretaries, including those from Mangyongdae District, Hyesan City, Kimhwa County, Jangyon County, and Hamju County. These officials were commended for their dedication to the Party Central Committee’s vision, strengthening political and ideological foundations, bolstering class solidarity, promoting distinctive local economic growth, and enhancing the material and cultural lives of residents.
The session also addressed shortcomings in the work of some city and county party committees, analyzing the causes and lessons learned from these issues.
The report emphasized the need for all city and county party secretaries to embody a strong party spirit, revolutionary zeal, and commitment to the people. It urged them to intensify efforts to implement the party’s policies for strengthening local governance and to fulfill their duty of firmly rooting socialist ideals in the hearts of the people.
The newspaper described this third training session as a significant milestone in bolstering the drive to transform all cities and counties into strongholds of unity. It aligns with the vision set forth by the 9th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, aiming to develop regions that embody the unique characteristics of the North Korean system.
While Kim Jong Un, the General Secretary of the Workers’ Party, attended the first training session, he was notably absent from this session and the second congress.
City and county party secretaries are grassroots leaders responsible for implementing party initiatives at the local level. North Korea held the first training session in March 2021 and the second in January 2024. This third session, occurring approximately two years later, appears to underscore the critical roles and responsibilities of these local party officials who work closely with residents.