North Korea is urging higher coal production and accelerated development of underdeveloped regions following the Workers’ Party’s 9th Central Committee 2nd Enlarged Plenary Meeting, reinforcing its policy of “comprehensive national development.”
The ruling Workers’ Party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on its front page Sunday that the So Un Chol Coal Mining Brigade at the Chonsong Youth Coal Mine exceeded its production targets by an average of more than 171% per month during the first half of the year, producing an additional 9,969 tons of coal.
The newspaper said the brigade achieved 261% of its monthly target in June alone, calling it the highest monthly output ever recorded by a single mining brigade.
It added that the plenary meeting adopted a decision to prioritize the coal industry and modernize mining communities nationwide, claiming that “the flames of the production drive ignited by the So Un Chol Coal Mining Brigade have now spread into a nationwide patriotic movement across the coal sector.”
On Page 2, ahead of the 32nd anniversary of founder Kim Il Sung’s death on Tuesday, the newspaper highlighted his diplomatic activities and personal leadership, or “benevolence.”
It said Kim met more than 70,000 foreign visitors from 136 countries during his lifetime and cultivated friendships with figures including former Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, former Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh, and former Indonesian President Sukarno.
The paper urged continued loyalty to Kim, declaring that “the Great Leader lives forever in the hearts of our people and progressive humanity around the world.”
Page 3 described narrowing regional disparities as a key task in implementing the party’s policy of comprehensive development and called on officials to take greater responsibility.
“The party’s will is that all regions of the country develop simultaneously and that there should never be regional disparities in people’s living standards,” the newspaper said, adding that priority should be given to improving the most disadvantaged areas.
Page 4 featured veteran meteorologists and oceanographic observers who have worked for 30 to 50 years at institutions including the Central Weather Forecast Bureau, the West Sea Oceanographic Research Institute, and the Jagang Provincial Meteorological and Hydrological Bureau.
The article emphasized professional responsibility and patriotism, stating that “one’s workplace should be defended not merely out of duty, but as a patriotic front line upheld by conscience.”
On Page 5, the newspaper called for stronger disaster management systems ahead of the summer rainy season.
It urged authorities to establish command structures capable of immediately relaying central government directives to frontline units during emergencies, while strengthening monitoring, warning, and emergency mobilization systems.
The paper also called for expanding digital technologies, including drones and artificial intelligence, to improve very short-term and short-term rainfall forecasting, as well as county-level early warning systems for heavy rain and flooding.
Page 6 promoted anti-U.S. sentiment by claiming North Korea overcame U.S. military and technological superiority during the Korean War through its “political and ideological strength.”
The newspaper said the United States deployed more than 2 million troops and over 73 million tons of military supplies during the war, but asserted that “the U.S. imperialists’ belief in military superiority and technological dominance was shattered before the heroic people and armed forces, whose boundless loyalty to the party, the leader, and the homeland proved decisive.”