The Workers’ Party of Korea has reelected Kim Jong Un as the leader of their nation. While that might not be a surprise for the supreme leader, powerful allies say a “new chapter” is beginning.
Korean Central Television, a North Korean state media outlet, announced Monday that the Workers’ Party of Korea reached a unanimous decision to elect Kim Jong Un as general secretary on Sunday, the fourth day of the ongoing Congress.
“The noble patriotic example shown by Comrade Kim Jong Un and his ardent appeal made all the people redouble the pride in and honor of our great state and the unique thoughts, and the feelings peculiar to Koreans were fully displayed as a motive force for the courageous advance towards a rich country with a strong army,” Politburo member Ri Il-hwan said in a speech at the Congress rhapsodizing the supreme leader.
Ri added: “In the era of Kim Jong Un, we have entered the world of advanced civilization at a stride and constantly learned how to make new things and innovations and made ourselves familiar with it, creating our own style of civilization and making great progress ideologically and culturally.”
The Workers’ Party of Korea is the ruling party of the country and the sole base of political power. The Kim dynasty has held the office of general secretary since the country’s founding.
Next in line?
Two potential developments have been closely anticipated since the beginning of the Workers’ Party Congress last week: the possibility of Kim being designated President of the Democratic Republic of Korea, or North Korea, and the potential promotion of his daughter to a formal office.
Thus far, Kim has not been bestowed with the presidency, which is his country’s official “head of state” position. Kim Il Sung, the supreme leader’s grandfather and founder of North Korea, has been enshrined in the constitution as the “eternal President of the Republic” since 1998.
Such a move would signal a fundamental shift in the bureaucracy of the national government and redoubled faith in the current leader, though Kim already enjoys functionally unlimited power.
Kim’s teenage daughter, Kim Ju Ae, has not yet attended the party congress, but an intelligence report that emerged in the South Korean press over the weekend surprised international observers with the bold claim that her name and position are not what was previously believed.
The Chosun Daily, a newspaper of record in South Korea, released an exclusive report on Monday claiming that national intelligence agencies now understand the girl, who has never been publicly named by the North Korean regime, to be known as “Kim Ju Hye.”
The allegedly high-ranking sources did not elaborate on whether the teen, who was first seen in public in 2022, has always been named as such or if her name was changed. It is believed Kim Jong Un underwent such a name change when he was designated as successor to his father, changing from Kim Jong Woon (Korean for “cloud”) to Kim Jong Un. (meaning “grace”).
These same sources told the Chosun Daily that the daughter is currently serving as the military’s “missile general director.” Such a role would be indisputable proof that the Kim dynasty plans to deploy her into leadership roles in the future, allowing her to gain experience at the helm of military decision-making.
“This is the stage of being designated as a successor,” South Korea’s National Intelligence Service claimed earlier this month. “Circumstances have been detected where [the daughter] provides opinions on some policies.”
These changes to the girl’s biography signal either her rapidly changing position within the regime’s power structure or fundamental errors by South Korean intelligence officials.
North Korea in the world
Once a pariah on the international stage due to Western-led sanctions, North Korea has enjoyed a windfall of prestige and relevance since being brought back into close coordination with Russia and China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was among the first world leaders to react to the news, expressing hope that the “party and people” of North Korea would “drive the socialist cause in DPRK to constantly break new ground.” The shared communist history of the People’s Republic of China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a favorite talking point of Xi when courting the Kim dynasty’s support.
Xi told Kim in a congratulatory message that he was prepared to “open a new chapter in the China-DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] friendship, serve the cause of socialist development in both countries, and enhance the well-being and friendship of our peoples.”
North Korea earned its stripes in the anti-Western bloc by contributing manufacturing and manpower to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which the Kim dynasty also saw as a valuable opportunity to give North Korean soldiers active combat experience.
Russian Ambassador to Korea Georgy Zinoviev told reporters at the embassy in South Korea earlier this month that the “greatness” of North Korean soldiers aiding the invasion will not be forgotten. The Russian embassy is currently being forced to take down a banner unfurled on the edifice of their building for Diplomats’ Day and Defender of the Fatherland Day that reads “Victory will be ours.”
The Workers’ Party Congress is expected to continue into this week, providing ample opportunity for further developments or clarification.
Many experts are watching the Congress to determine the future of central leadership, with aging veterans of the North Korean government facing the possibility of replacement by younger blood.
North Korea’s future relationship with the United States remains an open question as well, with Kim offering semi-positive comments about President Donald Trump last year. The supreme leader has made clear that while he is open to the possibility of normalizing relations with the Trump administration, he outright rejects any attempt to negotiate denuclearization.
