What did Kim Jong-un say at the North Korean Politburo meeting?

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks at an enlarged meeting of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang on April 9. Photo: Internet

Kim's remarks on April 9 at an enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Workers' Party of Korea showed that the country is unlikely to announce any major policy changes at this week's parliamentary session, even though the previous Kim-Trump summit ended without an agreement.

“The Supreme Leader urged the leading officials to fully demonstrate a high sense of responsibility and creativity, and the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance and self-strengthening with an attitude befitting the masters of revolution and construction under the present tense situation, thus pursuing the new strategic line of the party,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a statement.

The new strategic line, a decision by the ruling Workers' Party in April last year to focus more heavily on economic development, represents a shift from Mr Kim's famous "byongjin" policy of seeking simultaneous economic and nuclear development.

The party meeting comes two days before North Korea is scheduled to hold the first session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly on April 11.

A plenary session of the ruling party's Central Committee will also be held on April 10 "to discuss and decide on a new direction and way of struggle in line with the needs of the present revolutionary situation," KCNA said.

These are closely watched meetings as North Korea could reveal its next steps after the summit between Mr. Kim and Mr. Trump in Hanoi ended without a deal. They also coincide with the summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and President Trump in Washington, scheduled for April 11 (local time), and North Korea is expected to be at the top of the agenda between the two leaders.

Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, said: “Kim’s remarks at the Politburo meeting seem to have made it clear once again that he wants to tighten domestic discipline to achieve a new strategic direction. At the same time, Kim will closely monitor the outcome of the summit between South Korea and the US.”

At the White House summit, Mr. Moon is expected to seek to narrow differences between the U.S. and North Korea on denuclearization and sanctions relief. In recent weeks, South Korean officials have increasingly talked about a “good enough deal” and the need for an “early harvest,” expressing hope that the U.S. will soften its stance on a big deal and reach an agreement with the North.

In Washington, however, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted that all sanctions would remain in place. Pompeo said “yes” when asked during a Senate hearing whether “maximum economic pressure” would continue to be the Trump administration’s stance on North Korea.

Last month, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui warned that the country could end denuclearization talks with the United States, saying it would not give in to Washington's gangster-like demands. She added that the North Korean leadership would soon announce whether it would continue nuclear talks.