DPRK legislature holds key session

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SEOUL -- The top legislature of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) adopted a Cabinet work report and swore in the country's new premier in a key session in capital Pyongyang, state media said Friday.

The 12th session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK was held on Jan 22 and 23, during which several agenda items were discussed and adopted, including assessments of the DPRK Cabinet work for the past year and its tasks for this year as well as state budget issues, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

In a report on the Cabinet work to the top legislature, Pak Thae Song, the country's new premier, made an analysis and assessment of the successes, experience and a series of deviations in implementing economic policies over the past year and laid out detailed tasks for economic sectors this year. The session approved the report on the Cabinet work, the KCNA said.

The assembly swore in the new premier during the session.

The new premier took an oath on behalf of the Cabinet members, vowing to remain faithful to the DPRK Constitution and live up to the expectations of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and the people with absolute devotion, the KCNA reported in another dispatch on Friday.

Pak stressed that the Cabinet will "hold fast to the lines and policies of the WPK as its lifeline" and carry out economic work "in a responsible and dynamic way" towards the goal of the growth and development of the overall national economy and the improvement of the people's living standards, the KCNA said.