Kim Jong Un has opened the Workers’ Party congress, North Korea’s most important political event, where he is expected to set his domestic and foreign policy agenda for the next five years and further entrench his family’s authoritarian rule.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) announced today that the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) was under way, marking the start of the country’s most consequential political event since 2021.
The state news agency said that the Ninth Congress of the WPK “opened with splendour in Pyongyang, the capital city of the revolution,” reporting that the high-level meeting started on Thursday and observers say it is expected to run for several days.
The ruling Workers’ Party congress comes as the North Korean leader carves out a more forceful regional presence, leveraging an advancing nuclear arsenal and a growing alignment with Moscow that have deepened his standoffs with Washington and Seoul.
The meeting will likely provide the stage for Kim to unveil his key political and military objectives and further consolidate his authoritarian grip before thousands of ruling party delegates.
Some Analysts say Kim could also use the congress to position his teenage daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and about 13, as a potential successor, formalizing the regime’s fourth-generation succession.
Entering his 15th year in power, Kim is in a much stronger position than when he last convened the congress in 2021, when North Korea was experiencing a crippled economy worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and the wreckage of his failed diplomacy with US President Donald Trump.
Kim then made a rare admission of economic failures and issued a five-year development plan through 2025, urging economic self-reliance through mass mobilization. He doubled down on his nuclear ambitions and issued a long wish list of sophisticated weapons systems.
North Korea has developed or tested much of the weapons Kim demanded in 2021, including solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles and tactical nuclear systems.
The country launched its first military satellite in 2023 and has recently claimed progress in building a nuclear-propelled submarine.
Kim held a ceremony yesterday to unveil the deployment of 50 new launch vehicles for nuclear-capable short-range missiles.
After prioritizing nuclear weapons and missiles, Kim is now putting more focus on conventional systems, launching new warships, anti-air weapons and attack drones, while outlining broader plans to integrate nuclear and conventional forces.
Kim’s recent comments suggest that he will use the congress to emphasize the parallel development of nuclear and conventional systems under a separate five-year plan for military development.
Kim now appears less isolated and more confident, buoyed by stronger ties with Russia and China, an extensive nuclear arsenal and what the outside world sees as a gradually improving economy.
While the true state of North Korea’s often struggling economy is hard to gauge, outside experts suggest the country has seen a gradual recovery in economic activity, helped by a post-COVID boost in trade with China and the export of weapons to help Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Kim Lauds North Korea’s Economy
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lauded his nation’s improving economy and regional standing.
In his speech, Kim claimed that the North has made significant progress since 2021, citing economic gains and a firmer regional footing that he said marked an “irreversible” strengthening of the state’s status.
Reports claim that North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, made no mention of relations with either South Korea or the US in his opening speech to the congress and, instead, focused on boosting the country’s economy.
“Ahead of our party are heavy and urgent tasks of advancing economic development and improving people’s livelihoods, and transforming all aspects of social life in the country as quickly as possible.”
Kim Jong Un
South Korea’s official news Agency said that the gathering will be closely followed for any signs regarding North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons or overtures towards the administrations in Seoul and the United States, which the North considers its chief foes.
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