SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has launched his nation’s most significant political gathering, where he’s anticipated to outline his policy priorities for the coming five years while solidifying his family’s grip on power.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Friday that the Workers’ Party Congress began Thursday in Pyongyang, with Kim delivering remarks focused on economic development.
According to Kim, the nation has achieved substantial advancement since the previous 2021 gathering, which took place amid the COVID-19 crisis. He pointed to economic improvements and stronger regional positioning that he described as an “irreversible” enhancement of the country’s standing.
“This created favorable conditions and circumstances for giving a greater spur to our socialist construction,” he said. “Our party is faced with heavy and urgent historic tasks of boosting economic construction and the people’s standard of living and transforming all realms of state and social life as early as possible.”
Government media outlets haven’t yet reported whether Kim addressed his ongoing tensions with the United States and South Korea or discussed his nuclear weapons development.
In recent years, Kim has used Russia’s conflict in Ukraine as an opportunity to develop his nuclear and missile programs while building closer ties with Moscow. He has sent thousands of soldiers and significant military supplies to support Russia’s war effort, potentially receiving economic assistance and military technology in return. Kim has also strengthened relationships with China, North Korea’s traditional partner and economic supporter, visiting Beijing last year for a World War II commemoration and holding his first summit in six years.
Although North Korea’s tight control over information makes it difficult to assess the country’s actual economic condition, international analysts believe there has been steady improvement, likely helped by increased trade with China after the pandemic and weapons sales to Russia.
The multi-day congress follows weeks of preparation during which Kim showcased his military strength and visited defense facilities and major construction projects to highlight his claimed accomplishments over the past five years. Kim stated that approximately 5,000 representatives are attending the gathering, including 224 central party leadership members.
Analysts predict Kim will use this opportunity to outline future economic objectives and additional plans to expand his nuclear-equipped military, which already possesses various weapons systems aimed at U.S. partners in Asia and long-range missiles that could potentially reach American territory.
South Korea’s intelligence service informed legislators last week that they’re monitoring whether Kim might use the congress to elevate his teenage daughter — reportedly named Kim Ju Ae and approximately 13 years old — as a possible heir, establishing the regime’s fourth-generation leadership transition.
Diplomatic discussions between Pyongyang and Washington have stalled since 2019, after talks between Kim and President Donald Trump broke down over disputes regarding U.S. sanctions related to North Korea’s nuclear activities. Kim’s administration has rejected American overtures for renewed dialogue since Trump returned to office, insisting that Washington must first drop its demands for North Korea’s nuclear disarmament before any negotiations can proceed.
North Korea has also halted virtually all communication and cooperation with South Korea following Kim’s disagreement with Trump. Tensions between the neighboring countries have intensified in recent years as Kim abandoned North Korea’s historical objective of peaceful reunification and established a confrontational “two-state” framework for the Korean Peninsula, a position he may further embed in the Workers’ Party’s founding document during this congress, according to experts.
