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The North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un thanked the people in a rare New Year's letter for their support of the ruling party in these "difficult times".
The handwritten letter was released on Friday, shortly before an important party congress designed to set the country's economic goals.
Kim usually gives a TV address on January 1st, but he skipped it for the first time last year.
The New Year's letter reached North Koreans after the festivities in Kim-Il-Sung Square in Pyongyang, where the New Year started with fireworks, singing and dancing.
The celebration took place despite the corona pandemic, which, according to the authorities, has not yet reached the country.
Reuters news agency published a photo of this New Year's letter from the ruler
Source: via REUTERS
In the letter distributed by the state news agency KCNA, Kim wished the people good luck and good health and wrote: “In the New Year I will work hard to usher in the new era even earlier, in which the ideals and desires of our people are in Fulfillment will come. "
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Kim also thanked the people for the party's support "in difficult times" - apparently referring to the economic hardship caused by international sanctions and the tough measures taken to combat the coronavirus.
North Korean security staff read the ruler's message in the newspaper
Source: AP / Cha Song Ho
According to South Korean media, Kim's father Kim Jong Il last sent a New Year's message to the people in 1995.
The congress, at which a new economic and political plan is to be drawn up, is the first such meeting in five years and only the eighth in North Korean history.
North Korean media reports suggest that the congress will take place in early January, but the exact date is not known.