North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Monday presided over discussions during the 4th Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) did not report any remarks by Kim but said several undisclosed agenda items were approved by the government's members.

KCNA said the meeting was convened to discuss upcoming plans to guide "the struggle of [the] Party and people to usher in a new period of the development of socialist construction to the next stage of victory."

Major policies have often been announced at plenary meetings, including developments in the relationship with the United States. Given how the meeting was closed to journalists, it is unclear what exactly was discussed.

"Kim has used speeches around the new year holiday in the past to make friendly overtures to the U.S. and South Korea," NK News wrote, "but also to reveal nuclear weapon developments and other military plans."

It is not known if one of the topics of discussion was reunification with South Korea. Reuters reported that North Korean leaders have been open to resuming those discussions on the condition that "hostile policies" from South Korea and its western allies stop.

In response to the meeting on Monday, South Korea's Ministry of Unification hoped that the North "will start the new year by opening the door for dialogue with the international community, and take a step forward for engagement and cooperation."

Korean summit
South Korea's Ministry of Unification said that it hoped the North "will start the new year by opening the door for dialogue with the international community, and take a step forward for engagement and cooperation." Above, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (left), who is celebrating 10 years in power, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shake hands after announcing a joint statement near the end of their historic summit at the truce village of Panmunjom on April 27, 2018. (KOREA SUMMIT PRESS POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The meeting comes as Kim is marking 10 years in power. Since his father and longtime ruler Kim Jong Il's death in December of 2011, Kim Jong Un has established absolute power at home and fortified North Korea's nuclear and missile arsenals. The economy has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, U.N. sanctions and mismanagement, but few experts question his grip on power.

After a torrid run of nuclear and missile tests in 2016-17, Kim Jong Un participated in a series of landmark summit talks with then-President Donald Trump to discuss the future of his weapons arsenals. Those talks collapsed in 2019 over disputes about how much sanctions relief North Korea would get in return for steps toward partial denuclearization.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.