Report on Work of DPRK Cabinet for Juche 108 (2019) and Its Tasks for Juche 109 (2020)

Pyongyang, April 13 (KCNA) — According to the report on the work of the Cabinet delivered at the Third Session of the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly(SPA) of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), last year the Cabinet organized a drive of putting the overall national economy on a new higher stage with a main emphasis put on accomplishing the sustained economic development, ensuring the local production of equipment, raw and other materials and revitalizing production by boosting the capability of independent development of the country, true to the important tasks set forth by Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un in his report at the Fourth Plenary Meeting of the Seventh Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and in his historic policy speech at the First Session of the 14th SPA.

The report said that last year all sectors and units of the national economy carried out the gross yearly industrial production value at 108 percent, and ministries, national institutions, the city and county people’s committees and industrial establishments over-fulfilled their national economic plan.

The electrical power industrial sector carried out the hydraulic power generation plan at 103 percent and made sure that production was increased by properly carrying on the repair and readjustment of generating equipment. The thermal power plants provided a guarantee for stabilizing the electric power production without relying on heavy oil.

The coal industrial field respectively showed 23 percent and 22 percent increases in the coal production and the supply of coal for thermal power generation over last year, and the large-scale coal mines rich in deposits and with favorable mining conditions provided a foundation to increase coal production.

In the field of the metallurgical industry the Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex has shown 22 percent, 2 percent and 37 percent increases in the production of pig iron, steel and rolled steel over last year. The chemical industry achieved large growth in the production of chemical fertilizer, carbide and caustic soda.

The railway transport showed 5 percent increase in carrying out the plan for yearly freight transport and the machine industry over-fulfilled the annual production plan of important items.

The second-stage project for remodeling Samjiyon City has been completed and miraculous successes were achieved in the field of construction as evidenced by the monumental edifices in the age of the Workers’ Party including the Jungphyong Vegetable Greenhouse Farm and the Tree Nursery, the Yangdok Hot Spring Resort and the Phalhyang Dam of the Orangchon Power Station.

On the agricultural front the peak-year level was exceeded in the grain production even under unfavorable weather conditions.

A fishing campaign for supplying more fish to the people was launched in the fishery sector, and the fishing was put on a higher scientific level with the help of the updated aid system for detecting fishing ground.

The field of the land and environment protection turned the important projects including the Wonsan Kalma coastal tourist area and the Yangdok Hot Spring Resort into thick woodland and greenery and face-lifted all roads including Pyongyang-Hyangsan and Pyongyang-Wonsan Motorways.

In the field of scientific research, sci-tech successes which are of key importance in the economic work and the people’s living were gained to highlight the attraction of the grand march by dint of self-reliance.

The educational sector set up over 40 disciplines of advanced technology with the 14th National Conference of Teachers as an occasion, introduced above 100 teaching methods on the basis of the latest educational science and technology and made contribution to the solving of scientific and technological problems arising in the different sectors of the national economy.

The public health intensified in a nationwide scale the medical observation and quarantine for preventing COVID-19. As a result, not a single case has so far been reported in our country. This field also renovated the units associated with the leadership feats of the Party and further reinforced the material and technological foundation of the field.

The report emphasized that all the achievements made last year clearly proved once again that as long as there is the wise guidance provided by the Party, we can live on our own and open up the road of our own development and prosperity no matter how desperately the enemies may try.

The report also said that serious mistakes were found in the work of the Cabinet last year.

They taught a serious lesson that if the officials in charge of providing economic guidance fail to fulfill their duty, it would be impossible to successfully attain the goals of economic construction set forth by the Party, the report said.

It clarified that we face heavy yet responsible tasks to unconditionally and thoroughly carry out the economic construction tasks set forth at the 5th Plenary Meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the WPK under the uplifted slogan “Let’s Break through Head-on All Barriers to Our Advance!”

It went on:

The Cabinet will put a main emphasis on organizing the economic work on the principle of subordinating everything to the health and safety of the people, conducting courageous head-on breakthrough in the spirit of achieving prosperity by dint of self-reliance, and fully meeting the needs for the national economy and for the people’s living by readjusting the economic foundation of the country and by fully tapping the production potential, in order to thoroughly carry out the tasks set forth in the joint resolution of the WPK Central Committee, State Affairs Commission and the Cabinet.

The Cabinet will rationally readjust the economic work system and order and boost its role as the organizer of the state economy.

It will put efforts into holding full control of the resources and fund sources of the state, and securing financial ability and execution power capable of managing and operating the country’s economy in a unified manner.

It will establish a strict discipline for the state development and use of the underground natural resources that are of strategic significance in the state economic development, and also take strong measures to protect and multiply aquatic resources.

It will bring about innovation in the work system, order and method on the principle of ensuring smooth transaction in the overall trade, and thoroughly guarantee the economic benefits of the country through the application of strict discipline and order in the import and export.

It will break through head-on manifold difficulties in the key industrial sectors underpinning the self-sustaining economy so as to bring about a practical surge in production.

In the metal industrial field, state workforce and investment will be concentrated on the scientific and technological rounding off of the Juche iron production processes and on expanding the production capacity in an energy-efficient way, and a reliable foundation will be laid for fully meeting the demand for iron and steel with local production.

In the chemical industrial sector, updating and remodeling of chemical factories will be stepped up, fertilizer and other chemical goods be produced and supplied as planned. The construction of Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer Factory will be pushed forward and finished and production be put on a normal footing so that it can fully display its might as a modern factory built under the great concern and wise guidance of the Party.

The electric power industrial sector will keep the power generation going at a high level and push forward with the construction of hydro-power stations.

The coal industrial sector will fully meet the demand for coal from several fields of the national economy including electricity, metal and chemical industries.

The railway transport field will make the best use of the existing transport capacity and direct efforts into modernizing the railways, forefront of the national economy.

The light industrial field will expand the variety of daily necessities and boost their quality. It, regarding the local production of raw and other materials as the lifeline, will rely on the locally available raw and other materials as much as possible for the production of consumer goods, put efforts into the development of local industry and contribute to the improvement of people’s standard of living.

The machine-building industrial sector will upgrade the quality of the machines to the world level through substantial press for the modernization of industrial establishments and reinforcement of technical force. The building materials industrial sector will push forward the work to increase the proportion of locally produced building materials.

This year the agricultural front will keep holding fast to the five elements of the agricultural development set forth by the Party as its lifeline, modernize and vitalize stock-breeding bases including the one in Sepho area and launch the all-people movement for raising grass-eating domestic animals in order to increase meat and egg production.

The Cabinet will ensure the unified guidance and strategic concentration on the development of science and technology, update the production processes of industrial establishments to be energy-efficient, labor-efficient and technology-intensive and put an emphasis on settling scientific and technological problems arising in establishing ultra-modern technical industry and thus make sure that science and technology propel the economic development.

Efforts will be put into the public health field so as to ensure the substantial work for consolidating its material and technological foundation. State emergency anti-epidemic campaign will continue to be intensified to prevent the spread of COVID-19, with a priority given to the life and safety of the people.

The Cabinet, corresponding to its position and duty as the economic command, will ensure the definite provision of unified operation and command for implementing the economic policies of the Party, and guarantee the meticulous economic organization and persevering practices and thus fulfill its responsibility and duty in glorifying this year marking the 75th founding anniversary of the Party as a year of victory to be specially recorded in the history of the country, the report stressed. -0-