North Korea's parliament pledged to maintain spending for a stronger defense despite facing economic challenges.
A two-day parliamentary meeting, held on Wednesday and Thursday in the capital Pyongyang, focused on the 2025 state budget, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Premier Pak Thae-song, Parliament Speaker Choe Ryong-hae, and other high-ranking officials took part in the meeting.
The session acknowledged that the 2025 state budget was structured to support a five-year economic development plan by "concentrating investment on accelerating significant changes in the national defense capabilities" and "displaying the might of the self-supporting economy in major sectors of the national economy," KCNA reported.
It did not say if North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended the session.
Pak said although the country faced numerous challenges last year, the "grand construction campaign" for the people continued without interruption.
He acknowledged that shortages and difficulties were more severe than ever, but emphasized that the state had established a well-regulated system for controlling the quality of products.
