By Hyunsu Yim
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea said the failed launch of its military satellite last month was “the most serious failure” at the ruling party’s latest key meeting, state media KCNA reported on Monday.
The extended plenary meeting was held between Friday and Sunday, ordering workers and researchers to analyze the failed launch of the military satellite and prepare for another one in the near future.
Those responsible for launching the satellite were “heavily criticized”, according to the report.
This was the eighth expanded plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), the country’s ruling party.
The North Korean rocket plunged into the sea “after losing thrust due to the abnormal start of the second stage engine”, Pyongyang said after the failed launch in an unusually candid admission of a technical problem.
North Korea also pledged to continue to develop its nuclear capability and to strengthen its solidarity with other countries that oppose what it called the “US strategy for global supremacy”.
The meeting also discussed ensuring food self-sufficiency by increasing the country’s agricultural production and meeting the annual grain production target.
Earlier this year, South Korea’s unification ministry said the food situation in the north “appears to have deteriorated”.
The island nation is under tough international sanctions for its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs and its economy has been further strained by strict self-imposed border closures aimed at stopping COVID-19 outbreaks.
(Reporting by Hyunsu Yim; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)