The North Korean Supreme People’s Assembly gathered for its first session on Wednesday. According to state news agency KCNA, the chamber agreed to adopt laws on landscaping and rural development.
However, it also pledged to help turn the nation into a “beautiful and civilised socialist fairyland”.
The two laws are intended to help advance efforts made by the governing party to bring about “a radical turn in the rural community and its policy on landscaping to achieve a rapid development of the Korean-style socialist rural community and spruce up the country into a beautiful and civilised socialist fairyland”.
Kim Jong-un, who did not attend the parliamentary event, also promised to improve people’s livelihoods and boost rural development amid spiralling economic crises.
Economic difficulties have been blamed on self-imposed COVID-19 lockdowns, international sanctions over the country’s nuclear weapons programme and also natural disasters.
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However, any of Kim’s economic promises have yet to be fulfilled, analysts say, and aid organisations have warned of rampant food shortages and other hardships.
US-based site 38 North last month claimed that Kim’s vow to rebuild a typhoon-ravaged province in the country’s North and transform it into a “model” mining community has made little progress.
Washington has also taken aim at Pyongyang after Kim poured resources into military projects rather than assisting his compatriots.
The Kremlin has also been accused of approaching North Korea about buying ammunition.
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