Key Issues at North Korea’s Biggest Political Event May Emerge as Early as the 23rd as Kim Jong Un’s General Report Moves Toward Publication

The contents of the general review report on the work of the Party, which will reveal the outline of the 9th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, North Korea’s largest political event, are expected to be made public as early as the 23rd. Through this general review report on the work of the Party, North Korea evaluates and sums up its policies over the past five years and sets a new course.
The 9th Party Congress, which opened in Pyongyang on the 19th with more than 5,000 representatives from the Party, government, and military in attendance, has entered its fourth day. On the 22nd, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the third-day session of the congress, held on the 21st, continued Kim Jong Un’s general report on the review of work, following on from the previous day. In this general report on the review of work, Kim Jong Un stated, "A new strategy for struggle has been set forth, and sector-by-sector long-term goals as well as the tasks and ways to implement them have been presented." However, the specific details have not yet been disclosed.
Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), predicted, "There is a possibility that the full text of Kim Jong Un’s general report on the review of work, or a report-style summary of it, will be released on the 23rd, when coverage of the fourth day of the congress is aired."
One difference from the previous congress is that the authorities have not provided interim reports on the sector-by-sector content of Kim Jong Un’s general report on the review of work. During coverage of the 8th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, state media briefly reported each day for three days on which sectors Kim Jong Un had addressed in his general report. At this 9th Congress, however, only the start and conclusion of the report have been announced. That said, during the 7th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, state media also reported only the opening and closing of the report.
In addition, only two people have so far been named as speakers in the debate on the first agenda item, Kim Jong Un’s general report on the review of work: Jang Kyong-guk, chief secretary of the Sinpho City Party Committee and representative of South Hamgyong Province, and Choe Son-hui, the North Korean foreign minister and representative of the Pyongyang City Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. Observers assess that Choe Son-hui’s appearance as a lead speaker reflects the regime’s emphasis on external and security achievements, including the war in Ukraine, North Korea–Russia cooperation, participation in Victory over Japan Day (China), and the line of treating two countries as "hostile." At the 7th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, by contrast, 40 people took part as speakers in the debate.
The 9th Congress’s presidium, unveiled on the 20th, has also undergone a generational shift, with 23 of its 39 members—about 59 percent—being replaced.
The procedure for the Party representatives has changed as well. At the 7th and 8th Congresses of the Workers’ Party of Korea, debates and the adoption of a support and decision document followed Kim Jong Un’s general report on the review of work. This year, however, the congress is first holding preliminary discussions on the general review report on the work of the Party by the Central Committee, and only then proceeding to Kim Jong Un’s general report, debate on the agenda, and the adoption of a support and decision document.
Yang Moo-jin, a distinguished professor at the University of North Korean Studies, predicted, "Given the reduced number of speakers and the shortened schedule, it is likely that the sectoral committee meetings will be omitted or shortened as well, so the 9th Congress will probably last about five days, three days shorter than the 8th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea."


rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter