North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has publicly acknowledged that the regime’s ideological and propaganda efforts are failing to keep pace with societal changes, according to a report by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). He called for a more aggressive campaign to address the gap during the opening of the Third Workshop for Officials in the field of ideological work.

Kim reportedly stressed the need to strengthen the country’s propaganda system to better align with the evolving environment. The workshop, a key event for the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, is focused on reviewing and improving the methods used to instill the state’s ideology in the population.

The admission is a rare public recognition of a potential disconnect between official doctrine and the lived reality of North Korean citizens. It signals an internal concern within the leadership about maintaining ideological control amid unstated but implied shifts in society.