The first day of 2021 started with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ditching his traditional New Year’s speech for the second year in a row. But even so, plenty of eyes were still on the DPRK this month — the first half of Jan. 2021 was filled with state media reports about the country’s rare Eighth Party Congress in Pyongyang, which was held from Jan. 5 to Jan. 12.

At the Party Congress, North Korea announced the country’s new five-year economic plan after Kim lamented how previous economic goals in almost all sectors were “underachieved.” North Korea also