North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party has re-elected Kim Jong Un as its general secretary, state media report. The announcement came during the party’s congress in Pyongyang on Sunday, a largely ceremonial event given the Kim family’s unbroken rule since the late 1940s.
State-run KCNA said that under Kim’s leadership, North Korea has “radically improved” its “war deterrence,” citing nuclear forces as a central pillar.
Despite long-standing international sanctions, North Korea has continued to develop its nuclear capabilities, regularly testing intercontinental ballistic missiles, although the regime’s secrecy makes it difficult to gauge the full extent of its progress.
Kim, who took power after his father’s death in 2011, has invested heavily in the weapons programme, positioning North Korea as a growing challenge to the West, particularly the United States. He is expected to outline the next phase of the country’s military plans during the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party, which began on 19 February. Ahead of the congress, Pyongyang displayed what it said were nuclear-capable rocket launchers.
The congress, held every five years, draws around 5,000 party members and provides a rare window into North Korea’s opaque political hierarchy. Observers consider it the country’s most significant political event, revealing priorities from foreign policy to nuclear ambitions.
While Kim remains at the apex of leadership, the congress has reshuffled the presidium, or executive committee, with more than half of its 39 members replaced since the 2021 congress, KCNA reports.
In his opening speech, Kim pledged to strengthen the economy and improve citizens’ living standards, describing these as “heavy and urgent historic tasks.”
Attention is also on Kim’s daughter, Ju Ae, who may make an appearance. South Korea’s intelligence agency earlier this month said Kim had designated Ju Ae, believed to be 13, as his heir. She has increasingly featured at official events, inspecting missiles and attending Beijing’s military parade alongside her father—a gathering that marked the first time the leaders of North Korea, China, and Russia appeared together, sending a show of solidarity to the US and its allies.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called Kim on Monday to congratulate him on his reappointment, promising to work together to “write a new chapter in the China-North Korea friendship,” according to Chinese state media. China remains North Korea’s main ally, trade partner, and aid provider, though it remains wary of Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions and its growing ties with Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
