Image via CNN: Former North Korean leaders Kim II Sung (left) and Kim Jong II hang outside the House of Culture as Pyongyang holds its 7th Congress of Workers’ Party.
Kim Jong Un and the Workers’ Party of Korea held the first Congress in North Korea in 38 years. The historical meeting has been called a formal re-set of the system by some, harkening back to the days of Kim’s grandfather Kim Il Sung’s rule. As a result, the changes made at North Korea’s first Congressional meeting in the 21st century have gained Kim favor among older North Koreans who remember Kim Il Sung.
And just what were those changes exactly? The four-day summit included naming Kim’s younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, as a member of the ruling party’s powerful Central Committee. Kim Jong Un was also given the new title of “chairman,” and he approved leadership changes aimed at shifting power away from the military leaders and back towards the Workers’ Party of Korea members.
This Congress can be viewed as the first formal coming out and showing of Kim Jong Un as a leader. As Sean King notes in an interview with Arirang TV, Kim’s succession was rushed in 2008 by his father’s declining health. It appears that he finally has his bearing and is beginning to make his mark on the North Korean government.
Here are some additional highlights from the four-day event:
- North Korean General Ri Yong-gil, widely thought to have been executed in February for “factionalism, misuse of authority, and corruption,” attended the Congress, reconfirming his existence.
- Unfortunately for the West, there appears to be little change to the North Korean nuclear weapons program. The country’s controversial nuclear weapons and long-range missile programs will continue as planned. However, Kim did pledge that North Korea would only use their nuclear arms if their sovereignty were threatened first. Say what you will, but it is a step forward!
- Kim introduced a five-year plan to revive the country’s ailing economy. Poverty is rampant in North Korea: with a population of 25 million, the annual per capita income is only $1,800. For reference, the annual per capita income in the US is $56,300.
Hopefully, this shift in tone leads to happier relations between North Korea, the West, and ultimately the rest of the world!