Kim Jong-un, North Korea's State Affairs Commission Chairperson, said at the ninth congress of the Workers' Party, the country's largest political event, that "no challenge and no change in the situation can delay or stop our advance." But he still did not deliver concrete messages on external affairs such as policy toward the United States and South Korea.
The Korean Central News Agency reported on the 24th that Chairperson Kim said in a "conclusion" at the fifth day of the Labor Party congress held the previous day that "as was the struggle of the past five years, the struggle of the next five years that is beginning anew will likewise rely entirely on our independent strength and the great power of our people."
Chairperson Kim Jong-un devoted most of the 5,000-character "conclusion" to domestic issues. Kim recalled that during the party congress business summary report he emphasized "being bolder in overcoming and eliminating backwardness and abuses" and "smashing old formulas and molds, conservatism, and empiricism, and constantly creating and innovating new things."
He also hinted at dissatisfaction that factories and auxiliary facilities built through the recently prioritized local development project are not being operated properly.
Kim pointed out, "Less than a year after the party and the state set up new modern production bases and service bases, extreme negligence and irresponsibility of failing to properly manage and operate them and neglecting guidance and control over them, and chronic ills of not valuing the products of party policy and focusing only on immediate gains are reemerging."
He went on to stress that by the 90th and 100th anniversaries of the Labor Party's founding, 10 and 20 years from now, "if we steadily push ahead with national development and improving the people's welfare, we can transform the entire country and enable all people nationwide to live well."
There were also no direct references to the United States and South Korea that day.
It is somewhat unusual that no external messages toward the United States and South Korea emerged during the five-day party congress, from the business summary report and discussions to the conclusion. Some observers say prudence may be due to fluid international conditions, including an April U.S.-China summit.
However, North Korea is currently discussing five-year goals by institutional sector, including external affairs, industry, agriculture, military, munitions, and justice, so there is a possibility that the direction of the external line will be disclosed through the final decision document to be produced.
Meanwhile, before the fifth day's schedule of the party congress, an expanded meeting of the first plenary session of the ninth Central Committee of the Labor Party was held, the agency reported.
With the ninth party Central Committee newly formed at the congress the previous day, newly elected Central Committee members and alternate members held a meeting.
At the plenary session, Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of Chairperson Kim Jong-un, was promoted from vice director to Director General of the Labor Party. It has not yet been confirmed which specialized department within the party she will head as director.
Her party rank had been demoted from Politburo alternate member to Central Committee member at the eighth party congress in Jan. 2021, but she returned this time as a Politburo alternate member.
On the Politburo Presidium, the party's top power core, Chairperson Kim Jong-un, incumbent Cabinet Premier Pak Tae-song, and incumbent party organizational secretary Jo Yong-won were joined by Kim Jae-ryong and Ri Il-hwan.
The agency also said that the plenary session discussed an agenda item to "revise the collection of slogans of the party Central Committee and the party rules commentary." North Korea adopted a decision the previous day on amending the party rules, but it has not disclosed whether an "antagonistic two-state" stance toward South Korea was codified.