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Unpacking the recent Congress.
In this photo from North Korean state media, Kim Jong Un delivers an address at the first session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly, Mar. 23, 2026.
The 9th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea was held in February, showcasing with great aplomb achievements across a range of fields over the five years since the 8th Party Congress. Meanwhile, a new Five-Year Plan was announced with the goal of the “all-out development” of a socialist state. The new plan revealed no significant deviations from the conventional path. Indeed, one could argue that the primary feature of the Congress was that it established the format of a regular meeting once every five years, demonstrating to domestic and international observers alike that North Korea enjoys a stable government.
During the Kim Il Sung era, the Party Congress was held once a decade. Under Kim Jong Il, when the economy was in turmoil, it was not held once. Kim Jong Un was able to hold it in 2016, for the first time in 36 years. At the 7th Party Congress, Kim, the party’s First Secretary, was given the new position of Chairman, and then at the 8th Party Congress he was named General Secretary. This time, he was simply re-elected as the incumbent General Secretary. Likewise, at the Supreme People’s Assembly in March, he kept his title of President of the State Affairs Commission as head of state.
