North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is telling his people that "hostile forces" are preventing an improvement in their lives.

On a visit to a construction site in the Wonsan-Kalma tourist area in the country's northeast, Kim blamed international sanctions for hampering economic development.

The comments, reported by the state-run Korean Central News Agency on Thursday, may be an effort to publicize a shift in Kim's priorities from military issues to economic concerns.

North Korea is expected to hold high-level talks with the United States as early as next week.