North Korea's Kim announces major construction projects as party congress nears

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un set a goal to carry out large-scale construction projects this year, including industrial factories in 20 regions simultaneously, state media KCNA said, as the country gears up for a key party congress.

North Korea is preparing to hold the Ninth Party Congress of the ruling Workers' Party, to convene soon to set major policy goals.

"We are now standing on the starting line of our gigantic struggle for another year, aimed at transforming the regions," Kim said in a speech on Thursday, KCNA said on Friday.

"Public health facilities and leisure complexes, together with regional industry factories, will be built in 20 regions of the country ... This means that nearly one-third of the cities and counties across the country will have been transformed."

Kim said the regional standard of living is a hallmark showing North Korea's development.

KCNA said a conference of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea on Wednesday elected delegates to be sent to the Ninth Congress, without naming the date of the Congress.