Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of domestic news in North Korea this week.

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N. Korea stresses Cabinet's role as economic command tower

SEOUL -- North Korea on Friday stressed the Cabinet's role as a control tower for economic policy as it pushes to implement economic goals laid out for this year, according to its state media Friday.

At a plenary meeting of the North's ruling Workers' Party in late December, North Korea set out its key policy tasks for the new year, such as increasing economic production and building more homes in Pyongyang.

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N.K. science commission's 2023 research to focus on agriculture, key industries

SEOUL -- North Korea's commission in charge of science and technology has set the development of agriculture and the country's key industries as its main research goals for the new year, Pyongyang's main newspaper said Friday.

In an interview carried by the Rodong Sinmun, Seng Kyong-chol, the vice chair of the State Science and Technology Commission, said the agency aims to put the priority of its research areas on the 12 major goals for the national economic development laid out at a recent party meeting.

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N. Korea again on virus alert as cases rise in S. Korea, China

SEOUL -- North Korea has called for strengthening quarantine measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the fast spread of the virus in such neighboring countries as South Korea and China, according to its state media Monday.

The state-run Korean Central Television reported Sunday that virus cases shot up in the winter season in the South, China and Japan due to the fast spread of omicron subvariants, saying, "The virus situations in those regions are the most serious in the world."
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