PYONGYANG, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The state media of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) issued a joint editorial on the first day of 2009, calling on the people to make "a new revolutionary upsurge" on all fronts to build a prosperous nation.

    The new year editorial, published annually by Rodong Sinmun, Josoninmingun and Chongnyonjonwi, newspapers of the party, the army and the youth league of the DPRK, generally set the tone of the country's policy for the coming year.

    The 2009 editorial called for "launching a general offensive" to "open the gate to a great, prosperous and powerful nation by 2012."

    "An important task facing us in economic construction at present is to push the effort to put production on a normal track and the modernization in close combination by taking advantage of the socialist planned economy," the editorial said.

    It called for decisively increasing the production of iron and renovations in the fields of power, coal, and rail transport.

    The economic construction should be in the light of independence and modern technology, it said, adding that it will solve the food problem by the country's own efforts.

    The editorial also called for building up the military guarantee for the nation.

    The country will develop relations with friendly countries and "make a positive contribution to achieving the cause of global independence," it said.

    It vowed to stand by the policy of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula and defending the peace and security of Northeast Asia and the rest of the world.