Participants Confirmed for Early February Political Event in North Korea as Kim Jong Un Continues Provincial Inspections

[Financial News] Preparations are in the final stage for selecting participants for the 9th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, North Korea's largest political event, which is expected to be held in early February. Once North Korea completes the selection of representatives from the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea for the 9th Congress, it will move directly to convening the congress.
According to Rodong Sinmun on the 20th, North Korea held a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea on the 28th. Representatives elected at general meetings and representative meetings of organizations at all levels of the Central Committee took part, and elections were held to choose representatives of the Party headquarters organizations to be sent to the 9th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, while observers were also recommended.
After completing grassroots Party general (representative) meetings and city and county Party representative meetings on the 24th, the selection of representatives at the Party level has now been wrapped up, indicating that the opening of the Party congress is imminent. The schedule for the 9th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea will be finalized at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (Politburo).
Ahead of the 9th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, President of State Affairs of North Korea Kim Jong Un has continued his provincial inspections. He attended a groundbreaking ceremony for new local production facilities at the start of the year and praised the achievements of the "Local Development 20×10 Policy," a key initiative now in its third year. On the 29th, Kim Jong Un presided over a groundbreaking ceremony for local industry in Unryul County, South Hwanghae Province. Beginning this year, North Korea plans to simultaneously carry out projects to build light industry factories and health and cultural facilities in 20 cities and counties.

rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter