North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hailed the “radical successes” of the past five years in his speech at the opening of the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, state media reported Friday. Photo by KCNA/EPA
North Korea kicked off its ruling Workers’ Party’s Ninth Congress, state-run media reported Friday, as leader Kim Jong Un hailed what he described as major achievements over the past five years.
The official Korean Central News Agency said Kim, speaking at Thursday’s opening session in Pyongyang, praised the “notable, comprehensive and radical successes” achieved since the previous congress, portraying the period as one of transformation despite international sanctions and economic hardship.
The party congress — held roughly once every five years — is one of North Korea’s most important political events, bringing together senior officials and delegates from across the country to review policy performance, revise party rules and elect a new leadership body.
In his remarks, Kim highlighted the country’s economic development, saying the regime has made “dynamic progress in reinforcing and readjusting the technical infrastructure and functions of the key industries.”
“As a result, not a few sectors of our economy have freed themselves from the protracted obsolescence and stagnation, and instead built up their foundations and potentials to achieve significant growth,” he said.
Kim also touted the party’s efforts to improve housing and regional industry, saying they had brought about “substantial improvement in the people’s living standards.” Earlier this week, he attended the inauguration of a housing development in Pyongyang, marking completion of the 50,000-home construction goal set at the Eighth Congress.
KCNA said the congress will review the work of the party’s Central Committee, consider revisions to party rules and elect new senior officials. It is unclear how long the gathering will last, but most observers expect it to run for several days.
Closely watched issues include whether Kim’s daughter, Ju Ae, who has increasingly appeared at major state events alongside her father, will receive any formal recognition or new role that could signal her emergence as a potential successor.
Foreign policy is also expected to feature prominently on the congress agenda. In his speech, Kim highlighted what he called a “great change” in North Korea’s geopolitical environment that has “created favorable conditions and circumstances for giving a greater spur to our socialist construction.”
Pyongyang has strengthened ties with Russia, and growing military and economic cooperation appears to have given the isolated state a much-needed boost amid deep international sanctions.
Another major focus will be North Korea’s plans for weapons development. Kim said last month that the congress “will clarify the next-stage plans for further bolstering up the country’s nuclear deterrent.”
Analysts will also look for signals on Pyongyang’s approach toward South Korea, where inter-Korean relations remain frozen, and toward the United States, as questions linger over whether North Korea will maintain its current hardline stance or leave room for future diplomacy.
Kim has signaled a willingness to resume talks with Washington but has warned that any discussion of giving up his regime’s nuclear arsenal would be off the table.
The congress brought together about 5,000 party delegates from across the country, including more than 200 officials from party headquarters and more than 4,700 from regional and industrial organs, KCNA said.
