North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for a fight to root out “non-socialist” elements in the society, its media reported Sunday, as he strives to tighten the ideological discipline amid international sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs.

In his address to the Conference of Cell Chairpersons of the ruling Workers‘ Party on Saturday, he directed the rank-and-file organizations to lead a “revolutionary offensive to uproot non-socialist practices,” according to the official news agency KCNA.

Kim Jong-un (Yonhap)
“He said the offensive should be launched in the party cells, the bases educating the party members and other working people and training them into revolutionaries and the lowest revolutionary posts defending Korean-style socialism,” the KCNA said in its English edition.

The party wrapped up the three-day conference of cell chairpersons Saturday. They lead the WPK’s lowest-level units, consisting of five to 30 members.

The gathering came amid heightened tensions over North Korea‘s nuclear and missile programs.

The United Nations Security Council unanimously passed toughened sanctions against North Korea on Friday, condemning its latest test of an intercontinental ballistic missile on Nov. 29.

Kim said harmful non-socialist practices occurred because party organizations and officials failed to persistently conduct education among people and intensify the ideological struggle.

“When our socialist culture and art prevails over the corrupt bourgeois reactionary culture, it is possible for people not to harbor illusions about the enemies’ culture but to prevent ideological and cultural poisoning by the imperialists,” he was quoted as saying.

In his closing address later in the day, Kim underscored the role of party cells in building a powerful socialist country.

“Even though we may face manifold difficulties and hardships in the ways ahead, the Party Central Committee feels reassured as there are hundreds of thousands of cell chairpersons, core members loyal to the party and vanguard fighters for carrying out the party policies, and millions of party members,” he was quoted as saying by the KCNA.

“What we have done is just the beginning and the Party Central Committee plans to conduct more new projects for the people,” he added. 

Kim pledged that the party will carry out operations “in a big and bold way for building a socialist power with trust put in party cell chairpersons.” (Yonhap)