Opening of North Korea's 9th Party Congress: Kim Jong-un Emphasizes Irreversible National Status

The 9th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea opened on the 19th in the capital Pyongyang. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not mention South Korea or the United States, instead emphasizing that North Korea’s national status has been irreversibly consolidated.

According to KCNA, in his opening address at the Congress, Kim Jong-un said that compared to the 8th Congress held five years ago, North Korea has irreversibly strengthened its national standing, and that the impact brought by the world's political landscape on 'our country' has undergone enormous changes.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim Jong-un’s remarks were interpreted as an attempt to underscore that North Korea has consolidated its status as a nuclear-armed nation.

The report points out that Kim Jong-un did not mention South Korea, the US, or nuclear capabilities, but instead devoted more of his speech to economic issues.

Kim Jong-un did not mention South Korea, the US, or nuclear forces, but instead devoted much of his address to economic issues. He noted that historic tasks such as economic development, improving people’s livelihoods, and reforming national and social life are urgent priorities. The new five-year plan period will be a crucial time, during which comprehensive progress should be made on long-term policies for local development, rural revolution programs, and other initiatives that have already been enacted and launched.

It is speculated that this 9th Congress will summarize the achievements North Korea has made in the past five years and announce the direction of its domestic and foreign policies for the next five years.

The 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea was held in Pyongyang in January 2021.