North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a key cement production plant near the capital on Sunday, stressing the facility’s role in achieving the “gigantic” construction tasks laid out at last week’s Ninth Party Congress.

Kim delivered a “significant speech of encouragement” to workers at the Sangwon Cement Complex, describing them as “ardent revolutionaries” who produced the materials needed for major construction projects under the previous five-year plan, state media reported Monday.

He underscored the continued importance of the cement plant and urged workers to continue committing themselves to the country’s development. 

“The complex has since exceeded the peak-year