国际英语新闻：DPRK cabinet meets on economic issues

PYONGYANG, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The cabinet of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) recently met to summarize last year's economic achievements and determine the guidelines for this year's economic task, the official Minju Choson newspaper reported on Sunday.

According to the report, many sections of the national economy overfulfilled the production plan especially on the scientific development and completed hundreds of important programs, contributing to the normalization of the production and the modernization of the national economy and creating precondition to great improvements of people's living standards.

The meeting stressed the guideline to prioritize the development of light industry, asking all the enterprises of the industry to complete the production plan unconditionally in order to promote rapid change of the DPRK's light industry.

The meeting also underlined that improving economic management is an urgent issue to energize the national economy. Work should be done to seek profit through scientific management, especially strengthen the activity and creativity of the workers according to the principles of Korean socialistic economy management.

A New Year editorial jointly issued by leading DPRK newspapers on Jan. 1 was titled "Bring about a Decisive Turn in the Improvement of the People's Standard of Living and the Building of a Great, Prosperous and Powerful Country by Accelerating the Development of Light Industry Once Again This Year."