North Korean leader Kim Jong Un spent the second day of the ruling Workers' Party congress reviewing the country's achievements over the prior five years, describing that period as a "great transformation," state news agency KCNA reported on Saturday.
The meeting is the Ninth Congress of the ruling party and began on Thursday. Organizers indicated it is expected to continue for several days. As the largest political event held on a five-year cycle, the congress is tasked with setting policy direction and can result in changes to leadership posts beneath the country's supreme commander.
KCNA reported that the party lauded what it called "remarkable successes" across a range of areas under Kim's rule during the five-year span. The fields singled out in the agency's account included politics, the economy, culture, defence and diplomacy.
According to KCNA, the Central Committee of the ruling party prioritized identifying shortcomings before highlighting achievements, but the report did not specify what those shortcomings were. The lack of detail leaves the nature of any internal critiques unreported.
KCNA also said on Friday that 5,000 members of the Workers' Party are in attendance at the congress. The agency's coverage did not mention the presence of major foreign dignitaries at the meeting. It did, however, note that congratulatory letters had been received from Russia, China, Vietnam and Laos.
The congress is expected to include a public display of military capabilities in the form of a parade and statements of weapons development objectives as part of the meeting's events, KCNA said.
Analysis summary
- The congress serves as a quinquennial forum to set policy and potentially reconfigure party leadership under Kim Jong Un's authority.
- State media framed the past five years as a period of comprehensive gains across political, economic, cultural, defence and diplomatic spheres.
- The meeting is large in scale, with KCNA reporting 5,000 party members present, and is expected to feature a military parade and weapons development announcements.
Details remain limited in the official account, including the specific shortcomings reportedly identified by the Central Committee and any concrete leadership changes. KCNA's mention of congratulatory letters from several countries was noted without corresponding reporting on in-person foreign participation.