国际英语新闻：Ruling party's conference to indicate new age for DPRK

PYONGYANG, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), will hold a major conference on Tuesday to elect the party's highest leading body.

The conference, the first of its kind in 44 years, is to be of great influence to the country's future.

CONFERENCE OF HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE

The conference's significance can be seen from what it is described in the Charter of the Worker' s Party of Korea (WPK) issued in 1980, which says that the Central Committee of the WPK can hold a WPK conference between two national congresses.

The WPK conference can debate and make decisions on urgent issues such as the party's lines, policies, strategy, personnel changes and tactics.

Previously, the DPRK has held two such conferences -- one on March 3 to March 7, 1958 and the other on Oct. 5 to Oct. 10, 1966.

At the first WPK conference, the experience in the anti-sectarian battle in the country was summed up and issues about strengthening unity and solidarity were raised.

Besides, the conference also discussed the basic guidelines for a five-year plan to boost the national economy, and set the goal of economic development and concrete measures to achieve it, stressing that light industry and agriculture should be developed together with heavy industry.

At the second WPK conference, then DPRK leader Kim Il Sung made a speech titled the "Situation at Present and Tasks of Our Party," in which he analyzed the international situation and clarified the principles and positions of the WPK on the international socialist movement.

The conference also laid down the guidelines of paying equal attention to both economic and defense construction.

Despite on different themes, both conferences highlighted the country's economic construction.