Ri Son Gwon, minister of foreign affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), was elected as a member of the politburo of the ruling Workers' Party, official media reported Friday.

He was elected as a politburo member during a four-day plenary meeting of the party's eighth Central Committee that concluded on Thursday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Meanwhile, Kim Song Nam, another party official, was also named an alternate member of the politburo, while O Su Yong was elected as director of the party's Department of Economic Affairs, the KCNA added.

The DPRK held the plenary Central Committee meeting to discuss how to implement the first year's tasks of a five-year economic development plan set forth during last month's eighth party congress.

Kim Jong Un, top leader of the DPRK, watched a Lunar New Year performance on Thursday together with members of the party central leadership organ after the multi-day plenary meeting, the report said.