N. KOREA'S PLENARY SESSION

[Anchor Lead]

North Korea's parliament held a plenary session in Pyongyang on Sunday, two days later than originally scheduled. But, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not attend this year's session.

[Pkg]

​North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly reportedly held a plenary session at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang on Sunday. The regular session was attended by ranking officials, including Choe Ryong-hae, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, and Pak Pong-ju, vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party. Leader Kim Jong-un reportedly missed this year's parliamentary meeting. The assembly approved a budget proposal and decided on five other issues from resource recycling to distant education and personnel appointments. During the session, Foreign Minister Ri Son-gwon and Kim Hyong-jun, who is believed to be a new vice chairman of the party's central committee, were named members of the State Affairs Commission. Three other key officials were also newly named members of the State Affairs Commission. They include Ri Pyong-chol, a vice chairman of the party's central committee as well as Minister of People's Security Kim Jong-ho and Minister Kim Jong-gwan of the People's Armed Forces. Ri Su-yong, Tae Jong-su and Ri Yong-ho resigned from their posts on the commission. Prior to the parliamentary assembly, North Korea held a politburo meeting on Saturday and elected Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leader's sister, as an alternate member of the party central committee's political bureau. Foreign Minister Ri Son-gwon and Pak Jong-chon, chief of the General Staff of the North Korean Army, were also given memberships to the political bureau. Pyongyang initially announced a plan to hold the parliamentary session last Friday, but was postponed without explanation.