Contributors in the economic sector arriving at a station in Pyongyang to attend New Year's celebrations are seen in this file photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, Dec. 29. Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has invited people who contributed to attaining this year's key economic goals to Pyongyang for New Year's celebrations, state media reported Friday.

North Korea is preparing to hold celebration events in the capital to mark the start of the new year, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Kim has invited what the North dubbed hard-working innovators in terms of the country's 12 economic goals to the upcoming celebrations, it said.

Since Kim took power in late 2011, North Korea has displayed nighttime fireworks and held celebratory performances on New Year's Eve.

Last year, the country invited those engaged in the military and munitions sectors as guests of honor to the celebrations. In 2022, North Korea doubled down on provocations by firing a record number of ballistic missiles.

In contrast to major achievements in the military sector, North Korea's economic difficulties have been deepening amid U.N. sanctions imposed due to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs. (Yonhap)