N. Korea′s Kim calls for ′epochal progress′ in rural areas ahead of key party congress

N. Korea's Kim calls for 'epochal progress' in rural areas ahead of key party congress: General / 박보람 / 2026-02-03 08:25:27

NK leader-dairy farm

▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (sitting) attends the inauguration ceremony for the Samgwang Stockbreeding Farm in Unjon, North Phyongan Province, on Feb. 2, 2026, in this image from the Korean Central News Agency. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects cheese stocked on shelves during the inauguration ceremony for the Samgwang Stockbreeding Farm in Unjon, North Phyongan Province, on Feb. 2, 2026, in this image from the Korean Central News Agency. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

NK leader-dairy farm

N. Korea's Kim calls for 'epochal progress' in rural areas ahead of key party congress

SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for an "epochal progress" in the development of rural areas, the North's state media reported Tuesday, as Pyongyang appeared to gear up for a key ruling party congress.

Kim made the remarks as he attended the inauguration ceremony for a new dairy farm in the North's western region, with the party congress, once in five years, likely to take place this month, although no date has been announced yet.

While inspecting the dairy farm, Kim said, "More epochal progress will be made in the implementation of the party's program for the rural revolution in the new era and policy of regional development," according to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Kim stressed the country's rural revolution policy aimed at developing the specialty of the stockbreeding industry as he attended the inauguration ceremony of the Samgwang Stockbreeding Farm in Unjon, North Phyongan Province, the previous day, the KCNA reported.

The KCNA said the ruling party instructed the construction of a modern dairy farm years ago as part of its goal to help improve people's living standards, describing the Samgwang farm as having reached a high level of sophistication.

"Samgwang-ri clearly indicates the prospect of the socialist rural development," the KCNA quoted Kim as saying. Kim also specified tasks for "turning the livestock farming of the country into a modern one of world level," it said.

"The farm should steadily usher in a new phase of the development of stockbreeding and make uninterrupted innovations and progress, regarding it as a priority task to bolster up the scientific and technological capabilities in the production, management and operation," the KCNA also quoted Kim as saying.

At the farm, the leader sampled dairy products and praised it for producing around 10 kinds of dairy items, including butter, cheese, milk powder and yogurt. He said he feels "great pride to think that such good milk products would be supplied to the children and people."

Photos released by the KCNA showed production included raclette, cheddar and mozzarella, suggesting Kim's particular interest in cheese varieties, having studied in Switzerland.

The latest outing, which follows Kim's back-to-back visits to regional development sites, appears to be part of efforts to emphasize the country's economic development achievements ahead of a key party congress.

The North is expected to convene the first congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in five years later this month to formulate the country's economic, diplomatic and defense policies for the next five years.

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