The Central Committee of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party is planning a key meeting in late December to set the direction of state affairs for next year. 

The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) said Tuesday that the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party has decided to convene the eleventh plenary meeting of the 18th Central Committee in late December. 

The Political Bureau will review the execution of party and state policies this year and confirm the direction of policies for next year.

The KCNA said the committee will discuss and decide on important issues related to the comprehensive development of socialist construction, but it did not elaborate further. 

In past years, North Korea has announced policies for the new year at the committee's year-end meetings. 

The planned meeting comes ahead of the launch of the Trump administration. 

Last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared South Korea an enemy after a meeting that ran from December 26 to 30.