North Korea’s Largest Political Event, Party Congress, Expected to Begin Within Days, Possibly on the 19th–20th

[Financial News] North Korea’s largest political event, the 9th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, appears likely to be convened within the next few days. Some observers predict it could open as early as around the 19th or 20th. Delegates to the 9th Party Congress had already gathered in Pyongyang on the 16th.
KCNA reported on the 18th that party delegates at all levels who will attend the 9th Party Congress paid their respects on the 17th at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il lie in state. The agency added that a "delegate credential presentation ceremony" for them was also held at the same venue. For the 8th Party Congress in 2021, the credential ceremony took place six days before the opening. Following this pattern, the congress is likely to be held by around the 23rd.
However, during the 8th Party Congress, the schedule was reportedly delayed somewhat due to Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) quarantine measures, leading some analysts to raise the possibility that this year’s congress could be convened even earlier.
Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), stated, "The party congress could be held around the 19th to 20th, two to three days after the visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun." He cited as precedent the 7th Party Congress held in 2016, which convened two days after a visit to the Kumsusan Palace. Earlier, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) also told the National Assembly that the 9th Party Congress could be held shortly after the Lunar New Year holidays.
The upcoming congress is expected to decide North Korea’s key domestic and foreign policy directions. In addition to policies toward South Korea and the United States, internal issues such as elevating the position of Kim Jong Un, President of the State Affairs Commission, and clarifying the succession structure may also be discussed. The National Intelligence Service recently assessed for the first time that Kim’s eldest daughter, Kim Ju-ae, is at the stage of being designated as successor.
Once the congress concludes, North Korea is expected to move on to convene the Supreme People’s Assembly, its equivalent of a parliament, as a follow-up step. In 2021, the Supreme People’s Assembly met five days after the end of the 8th Party Congress, and in 2016 it was convened about 50 days after the 7th Party Congress. Following this year’s congress, North Korea may first hold long-delayed elections to choose deputies for the 15th term.
Attention is focused on whether the Supreme People’s Assembly will amend the constitution to elevate Kim’s official state title to "president" and whether it will explicitly enshrine and publicize the doctrine of South Korea as a "hostile separate state." In December 2023, North Korea declared a shift in its policy line toward the South by defining South Korea as a "hostile separate state" and repeatedly vowed to codify this stance in law, but no concrete legal outcome has yet been made public.

rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter