Seoul: North Korea's ruling Workers' Party has convened a key conference to decide on "strategic and tactical policies," according to the country's state media, amid hopes that the meeting will reveal Pyongyang's major policy goals for the coming year.

According to Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over the Workers' Party's 8th Central Committee's 4th Plenary Meeting on Monday (KCNA).

"The plenary meeting will review the implementation of key Party and state policies for the year 2021, as well as discuss and deliberate on strategic and tactical policies," the KCNA said, according to reports. Previous plenary meetings in the North lasted one to four days.

The political conference began as Seoul and Washington sought to re-establish nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang, which looks to have become more isolated as a result of the Covid-19 epidemic. After the countries' no-deal Hanoi summit in 2019, the North has remained unresponsive to US overtures for negotiations, demanding that Washington first reverse what it deems "double standards" and "hostile policy" against its rule.

Joe Biden signs enormous US defense budget bill

South Korea, U.S Japan negotiate possible defence ministerial talks

Covid-19: US Airlines cancels more flights amid Omicron scare