Kim Jong Un
Kim Jong UnReuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday kicked off his ruling Workers' Party congress and acknowledged that his five-year economic plan had failed to meet its goals "on almost every sector", Reuters reported, citing North Korea’s official news agency KCNA.

The rare political gathering, which Kim last hosted in 2016, has drawn international attention as he is expected to unveil a new five-year economic plan and address foreign policy, just two weeks before US President-elect Joe Biden takes office.

In his speech, Kim said the country had achieved a "miraculous victory" by bolstering its power and global prestige since the last meeting, referring to military advances that culminated in successful tests in 2017 of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

He admitted, however, that the five-year economic strategy he set forth in 2016 had failed to deliver and called for a boost in North Korea's self-reliance to tackle internal and outside challenges hindering its progress.

"The strategy was due last year but it tremendously fell short of goals on almost every sector," Kim was quoted as having said.

On the global pandemic, Kim lauded party workers for ensuring "stable situations against the coronavirus from beginning to end."

North Korea has not officially confirmed any coronavirus cases, although it reported thousands of "suspected cases" to the World Health Organization.

During President Donald Trump’s time in office, he tried to reached an agreement with North Korea, but it is unclear what path Biden will take.

Kim and Trump met in Hanoi in 2019 for a summit that left nuclear talks at a standstill.

The pair had met three times since June 2018 but made little progress towards denuclearization.

Since those talks broke down, North Korea has conducted several tests of ballistic missiles.

In July, a senior diplomat said North Korea has no intention to sit down with the United States for renewed talks.