North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has publicly praised the country's youth involved in the construction of a major hydraulic power station, Pyongyang's state media reported Monday, as he is viewed as trying to reach out to younger generations.

Kim, known to be in his early 30s, recently visited the construction site of the Paektusan Hero Youth Power Station near the border with China for a second time this year, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). As usual, it did not provide the exact date of his activity.

The project began in 2002 and the North aims to complete construction in time to celebrate the 70th founding anniversary of the Workers' Party on Oct. 10.

A number of young people and troops have been mobilized to speed up the work, especially since Kim last visited the site in April.

"The young people of the DPRK (North Korea) are very admirable as they have waged a high-pitched drive day and night for the past more than 120 days," Kim was quoted as saying. "It could be created only by the young people of the DPRK, educated and trained under the care of the Workers' Party of Korea, and all of them are heroes."

He has demonstrated "the deepest trust" in the youth by naming the power plant the Paektusan Hero Youth Power Station, added the KCNA. Paektusan is the highest mountain on the Korean Peninsula, sitting on the North Korea-China border.

He was accompanied by Choe Ryong-hae, secretary of the Workers' Party, and Jo Yong-won, vice department director of the party's central committee.

Choe traveled to Beijing early this month to attend a high-profile military parade to commemorate a World War II anniversary as Kim's special envoy. (Yonhap)