SEOUL, Jan 3 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected a greenhouse farm construction site along the country's border with China on Friday, and encouraged youths and troops working on the construction in the new year, state media KCNA said on Saturday.

In recent weeks, Kim has made a series of visits to various military and economic facilities to confirm their progress ahead of the key Ninth Party Congress of the Workers' Party, expected to convene early this year to set out major policy goals.

"I wanted to spend the beginning of 2026 with my comrades who are greeting the new year at the northwest tip of our country, so I rushed here as soon as the central event was over," Kim said, lauding the workers' efforts.

The farm's location, Sinuiju, faces China's Dandong across the two countries' shared border and had been hit by flood damage in 2024.

(Reporting by Joyce LeeEditing by Bill Berkrot)