North Korea’s Kim opens 9th party congress citing economic achievements

SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his reclusive country had overcome recession and

accomplished major economic goals

over the past five years as he opened the Ninth Party Congress, state media outlet KCNA reported on Feb 20.

The congress, which opened on Feb 19, is the country’s biggest political event. Held every five years to review performances and set new policy goals, it can bring changes in leadership roles beneath Mr Kim, the supreme commander.

In his opening speech, Mr Kim said North Korea had made “significant accomplishments” over the past five years in politics, economy, defence, culture and diplomacy, enhancing its self-reliance.

For the outside world, North Korea has brought a “big change” in relations with other countries and the global geopolitical landscape, he said.

He did not mention relations with the US or neighbouring South Korea in his speech, and did not refer to his country’s efforts to develop a stockpile of nuclear weapons.

At the meeting, attended by 5,000 members of the ruling Workers’ Party, new goals and plans in various sectors for the next five years were submitted, KCNA reported. North Korea is expected to showcase military capabilities at a parade and weapons development goals as part of the meeting.

Analysts are also monitoring whether Mr Kim would be given the title of president and if his teenage daughter, Kim Ju Ae, makes an appearance or receives some form of official post. There has been

increasing speculation among analysts and from South Korea’s spy agency

that Mr Kim is grooming Ju Ae to succeed him.

When the previous Eighth Party Congress was convened, the circumstances surrounding North Korea were “extremely challenging”, Mr Kim said, citing natural disasters and an international health crisis, apparently referring to the Covid-19 pandemic. The country’s economy and industries were running on old practices, he added.

North Korea’s economy suffered its biggest contraction in 23 years in 2020 as it was battered by continued UN sanctions, Covid-19 lockdown measures and bad weather, South Korea’s central bank has said.

But more recently, there have been signs of recovery and the economy grew 3.7 per cent in 2024, the fastest annual pace of growth in eight years, backed by expanded economic ties with Russia, according to estimates by the Bank of Korea.

“Everything has changed fundamentally for the past five years,” Mr Kim said.

In a speech that focused mostly on economic development and promoting party leadership, Mr Kim said the country was “faced with heavy and urgent historic tasks of boosting economic construction and the people’s standard of living”.

Earlier this week, he marked the

completion of 10,000 new houses in Pyongyang

, which achieved the goal of building 50,000 homes set during the Eighth Congress.

It is unclear for how long the gathering will run, but the Seventh Congress lasted four days and the Eighth Congress ran for eight days.

Satellite images showed thousands of North Koreans spelling out the slogan “Ninth Party Congress” in large Korean characters in central Pyongyang last week, NK News reported, citing it as possible evidence of plans for a military parade.

Mr Kim may have toned down his speech to avoid international or military issues, said Dr Jeong Eun-mee, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a South Korean state-run think-tank.

“He appears to be refraining from making public comments about sensitive issues,” she said, especially ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China in April.

Political science professor Kang Dong-wan of Dong-A University in Busan said Mr Kim may revise rules to formalise the “hostile two states” rhetoric guiding policy towards South Korea. REUTERS