Speaking on the policy directions for the new year at a key meeting of the country's ruling party on Wednesday, Mr. Kim also said Pyongyang would expand strategic cooperation with "anti-imperialist independent" countries, news agency KCNA reported.

He also laid out economic goals for the new year during the meeting, calling it a "decisive year" to accomplish the country's five-year development plan, the report said.

The North has suffered serious food shortages in recent decades, often as a result of natural disasters. International experts have warned that border closures during the COVID-19 pandemic worsened food security.