party, meeting
The Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported on Dec. 29 that the politburo of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) convened on Dec. 27 for its 24th session, which lasted for two days. The politburo’s meeting, which was held immediately after the Central Committee’s plenary session began on Dec. 23, reviewed items consolidated from research groups and deliberative bodies in various subcommittees and revised and supplemented their draft decisions before submitting them to the plenary session, the newspaper reported. (Rodong Sinmun, News 1)

North Korean authorities have mandated nationwide study sessions on the outcomes of December’s 11th Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee, requiring workers to memorize the content – a policy that’s drawing increasing complaints of exhaustion.

“Regional party committees have ordered all party members and workers to study the plenary meeting decisions,” a Daily NK source in North Pyongan province reported recently. “Everyone must attend ‘plenary meeting study sessions’ after work before they can go home.”

The study materials cover North Korea’s 2025 economic policies under its five-year plan, including key economic indicators, annual production targets, and specific goals for individual workplaces. Workers must demonstrate complete mastery of these materials to show their commitment to organizational objectives.

Workers with regular jobs are particularly frustrated by these mandatory after-work memorization sessions. At one North Pyongan province coal mine, a worker expressed his frustration with the daily question-and-answer sessions: “It’s absurd to force miners, already exhausted from working underground, to memorize materials and answer questions.”

The pressure has intensified as officials from higher agencies conduct random spot checks. “They stop miners in passing and quiz them about the study materials,” the source said. “Everyone’s on edge because if you answer incorrectly, they report it to your supervisor, who then faces reprimands.”

Local party officials, fearing criticism from their superiors over workers’ inadequate knowledge, have resorted to harsh tactics. “They tell workers to ‘memorize the materials instead of sleeping,'” the source said. “When someone can’t recite the content, these officials publicly humiliate them, calling them stupid and birdbrained. It’s created serious tension between officials and workers.”

Workers are increasingly vocal about their displeasure with these policies. “People are asking how this helps anything,” the source explained. “They say you need good morale to meet production goals, but these daily memorization drills and hostile quizzing just destroy workplace spirit. How does memorizing party decisions improve the economy? We shouldn’t waste time on such pointless activities.”

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