North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised "stabilization" of the economy amid ongoing problems, state media reported Tuesday after Kim gathered top state and provincial-level party officials for a small and informal "consultative" meeting in preparation for this week's larger party plenum.

After hearing from the officials about "urgent problems" related to the economy, Kim reportedly "voiced his plan to bring about a substantial change in the economic work of the state and the stabilization of the people's living," according to the state-run Voice of Korea (VOK).