Nort Korea's ruling party re-elects Kim Jong Un as general secretary

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been re-elected general secretary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea at a party congress held on February 22, state media said.

In a report published the following day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) credited Kim with enhancing the country’s global standing and strengthening its military capabilities. The agency said that under his leadership, the country’s war deterrence — centred on its nuclear forces — had been significantly reinforced, describing the armed forces as having been transformed into an elite and powerful military, Caliber.Az cites the report. 

Delegates at the congress also elected new members of the party’s Central Committee and approved revisions to party rules, although KCNA did not disclose details of the amendments. Some senior officials appeared to have been removed from the committee as part of the reshuffle.

The multi-day congress — the first since 2021 — sets out North Korea’s strategic direction for the next five years across economic, defence and diplomatic policy. Under the party charter, the general secretary is elected during the congress, the country’s highest governing forum.

Among senior figures believed to have been sidelined were former foreign minister Ri Su Yong, Supreme People’s Assembly Standing Committee chairman Choe Ryong Hae and senior military official Ri Pyong Chol, in what analysts see as a generational shift within the leadership.

By Sabina Mammadli