North Korea's Kim Jong Un opens congress with policy failures admission

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has opened its first ruling party congress in five years with an admission of policy failures and a vow to lay out new developmental goals, state media reported Wednesday.

The Korean Central News Agency reported North Korea has kicked off the Workers' Party Congress in Pyongyang on Tuesday, with thousands of delegates in attendance.

In his opening speech, KCNA cites Kim as saying the previous state developmental goals set in a 2016 congress were not met in almost all areas to a great extent.

He says North Korea must not repeat the painful lessons.

This year's congress comes as Kim faces the toughest challenge of nine-year rule because of what he calls multiple crises -- an economy hammered by pandemic-caused border closings, a spate of natural disasters last summer and persistent US-led sanctions.

North Korea has said it will lay out a new five-year development plan at the ongoing congress.