N. Korean leader calls weak regional economy 'serious political issue'

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends the 19th enlarged meeting of the political bureau of the eighth Central Committee of the Workers' Party, in the photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on Jan. 25. Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for an improvement in the country's regional economy and rebuked officials over their lukewarm attitude in tackling the "serious political issue," state media said Thursday.

Kim made the remarks as he has stressed the importance of developing the economy in areas outside of Pyongyang by building modernized factories in 20 counties each year over the next decade as the North continues to face severe food shortages and economic hardships.

The North Korean leader unveiled the plan during a speech at a meeting of the North's rubber-stamp Supreme People's Assembly on Jan. 15 where he vowed to take "strong state support measures" to reduce the gap between cities and rural areas.

"Today, failure to satisfactorily provide the people in local areas with basic living necessities including condiments, foodstuff and consumption goods has arisen as a serious political issue that our Party and government can never sidestep," Kim said during an enlarged meeting of the political bureau of the central committee of the Workers' Party earlier this week, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Noting that the North's regional economy is in a "terrible situation," Kim warned that some departments and economic institutions have been sitting "idle" and were "paying lip service" while "failing to find out realistic and revolutionary possibilities," the KCNA said.

Kim also signed an order approving the mobilization of the North's People's Army units to carry out measures for regional industrial development, it added, saying the North Korean leader appreciated the "strategic significance" of the Mount Myohyang enlarged meeting.

Given that the key issue of the meeting was on developing regional economy, the two-day meeting that ended Wednesday appears to have taken place at Mount Myohyang, a mountain that stands on the borders of North Pyongan Province and Chagang Province, rather than Pyongyang.

North Korea has been emphasizing the importance of economic development and strengthening the role of the cabinet as the "economic control tower" as the country grapples with prolonged economic difficulties.

The North has been under tightened U.N. sanctions, which call for, among other things, a ban on the country's exports of coal and other mineral resources to cut off North Korea's access to hard currency. (Yonhap)