Authors of 38 North’s North Korea Briefing, a quarterly publication on North Korea’s inside dynamics and international coverage, supply their preliminary assessments of the February 19-25 Ninth Celebration Congress. On the occasion, Kim Jong Un reviewed the nation’s achievements over the previous 5 years and outlined Pyongyang’s home and international coverage objectives for the subsequent 5. The Congress additionally revised the Staff’ Celebration of Korea (WPK) Constitution and elected new full and alternate Celebration members. A plenary assembly held on the sidelines of the Congress elected new WPK management.
It must be famous that these preliminary assessments had been written with two necessary caveats. First, North Korean media offered a abstract, not the complete textual content, of Kim Jong Un’s report back to the Celebration Congress. Second, a post-Congress parliamentary session will possible implement follow-on measures, thereby offering a fuller image of the choices made. (North Korea has not introduced the dates of the subsequent Supreme Folks’s Meeting session.)
Extra evaluation and commentary on the Ninth Celebration Congress and its potential implications will observe.
Let’s See the Context, Not Phrases
In current weeks, many North Korea watchers have fixated on whether or not Kim Jong Un’s younger daughter is his successor and whether or not one other Trump-Kim summit would possibly materialize in April when Trump visits China. However Pyongyang has clearly had greater considerations. One appears to be learn how to rigorously craft its abstract report of Kim Jong Un’s speech on the extremely anticipated Ninth Celebration Congress to supply simply sufficient teasers to preserve the world guessing, or to nudge it towards studying North Korea’s intentions in a selected means. Word: The Congress report itself is express: “Now our enemies don’t know what we’re planning and calculating. They can’t and shouldn’t know.”
This technique seems to be working. Most worldwide media headlines have targeted on Kim’s remarks on the USA and South Korea, highlighting the distinction between a conditional openness to reengage Washington and a reaffirmation of his two-Koreas coverage paired with a blunt risk to obliterate South Korea ought to it undermine North Korean safety.
These remarks largely tracked with Kim’s September 2025 speech to the Supreme Folks’s Meeting (SPA). But, there seems to be a refined however doubtlessly necessary shift price noting. In September, Kim stated “there isn’t a purpose for us to not come nose to nose with it [the United States]” if it drops the denuclearization demand and acknowledges “the truth.” The Celebration Congress readout replaces this with “there isn’t a purpose why we can’t take to each other with the U.S.” if “the U.S. respects the current place of our state specified within the Structure of the DPRK”—a reference to its nuclear-armed standing—and “withdraws its hostile coverage.” “Hit it off with” appears much less particular than “come nose to nose with,” which carries a stronger nuance of dialogue. The situations have additionally hardened: Pyongyang now explicitly calls for US recognition of its nuclear standing and provides the withdrawal of “hostile coverage” as a prerequisite—a better bar than merely accepting actuality and abandoning denuclearization. Taken collectively, this implies North Korea has raised the value for engagement since September, virtually actually reflecting Kim Jong Un’s rising self-confidence, his notion of North Korea as a significant world participant, and the more and more ominous geopolitical scenario.
North Korea’s conditional openness to engagement additionally must be learn towards how the Congress report frames the USA extra broadly: as an untrustworthy worldwide actor that stays “totally unchanged in its unique hostile view on the DPRK.” Equally, North Korea’s risk towards South Korea carries implicit messaging towards Washington, provided that South Korea is a treaty ally to the USA. In that context, the report’s declare that North Korea has “completed all of the preparations for launching speedy retaliation”—“completed” marking a development past earlier formulations of fight or struggle preparations—appears to tackle added weight.
Lastly, the report’s uncommon emphasis on Celebration management over exterior affairs appears to elucidate Celebration Worldwide Affairs Division (IAD) Director Kim Track Nam’s promotion inside the Celebration management hierarchy. This raises questions concerning the evolving relationship between the IAD and the Overseas Ministry, and what it could imply for the initiatives Overseas Minister Choe Son Hui is main, most notably her function in Pyongyang-Moscow relations.
Utilizing “Hardest Stand” Towards US and “Most Hostile” Inter-Korean Relations to Justify Exhausting Navy Line
North Korea’s Celebration Congress report justified doubling down on its protection coverage by declaring that it might “firmly keep the hardest stand” towards the USA and threatening South Korea—warning that the “chance of the ROK’s full collapse … can’t be dominated out” if Seoul undermines North Korea’s safety. The report made no point out of Pyongyang’s relations with Russia or China.
In his report back to the Congress, Kim Jong Un stated North Korea “will totally put together ourselves for the confrontation with the U.S. sooner or later, too, as now and firmly keep the hardest stand,” whereas including that “there isn’t a purpose why we can’t take to each other with the U.S.” if it “respects the current place of our state”—a reference to its nuclear-armed standing—and “withdraws its hostile coverage.” This echoed his September 2025 parliamentary speech, by which he signaled openness to dialogue if the USA dropped its denuclearization demand. But, the report’s total thrust leans towards multipolarity reasonably than US engagement. It portrays the USA as a destabilizing drive, cites US “hostile coverage” to justify modernizing North Korea’s nuclear and traditional forces, and pledges Pyongyang’s function in constructing a multipolar world.
Whereas Kim maintains strategic ambiguity towards the USA, he has chosen readability towards South Korea. Kim Jong Un dismissed South Korea’s conciliatory overtures as a “a careless misleading farce,” declared that Pyongyang “will exclude the ROK from the class of compatriots eternally”—calling this the “remaining essential determination” of the North Korean Celebration and authorities. He additional warned that “the usual of our navy counteraction … has modified in essence” and that Pyongyang “can launch any motion” if South Korea undermines its safety—even elevating the “chance of the ROK’s full collapse.” By branding Seoul as “essentially the most hostile entity,” Kim each justified a tough navy line and sought to press South Korea towards extra elementary shift in its North Korea coverage.
There was no direct point out of Russia and China, with Kim referring solely to “steadily develop[ing] the normal relations of friendship and cooperation with neighboring international locations onto a better stage and “proactively conduct[ing] political and diplomatic actions, trade and cooperation to broaden and strengthen[ing] the relations with the anti-imperialist impartial international locations.” Although not reported in state media, it’s presumed that Kim Jong Un mentioned North Korea’s relations with each Russia and China within the context of “necessary modifications to the place and affect of the DPRK.”
The above section was initially drafted in Korean. The preliminary translation was produced utilizing AI instruments and subsequently reviewed word-for-word and refined by a bilingual subject-matter professional to make sure accuracy and readability.
Continued Construct-up of Nukes Whereas Upgrading Standard Weapons
The navy part of the Ninth Celebration Congress report was a lot shorter on specifics than the earlier one. The road of march established in 2021 for nuclear forces apparently will proceed, producing extra nuclear weapons and extra of the supply methods already in growth. Standard forces will likely be upgraded as properly, however apparently not on the expense of the continuing nuclear buildup. Digital warfare, unmanned methods, and newly-highlighted however unspecified anti-satellite capabilities additionally had been highlighted.
Nuclear Forces: North Korea apparently will proceed its ongoing “very passable” effort to extend the variety of nuclear weapons, and “speed up the deployment of already-developed” supply methods. The report did single out “ICBM [intercontinental ballistic missile] complexes of floor and underwater launching” with out specifying stable propellants as in 2021, presumably suggesting the parallel build-up of the liquid ICBM drive. This 12 months’s report didn’t point out nuclear-powered submarines as in 2021, however its point out of “underwater launching” ICBMs and the “nuclear weaponization of… underwater forces” presumably means the continuing nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) effort will proceed.
Standard Forces: In mild of Kim Jong Un’s September 2025 assertion that the Ninth Congress “would put ahead the coverage of concurrently pushing ahead the constructing of nuclear forces and traditional armed forces,” the dearth of an express assertion alongside these traces and extra specifics on standard navy packages within the new report was stunning. That stated, the report endorsed “upgrading the traditional weapons possessed by our military” and “reinforcing” the “firepower methods” adjoining to South Korea. The North additionally will reinforce deployments of the KN-25 (famous particularly) and different short-range ballistic missiles (additionally able to delivering nuclear and chemical warheads), together with “new-type 240 mm-caliber a number of rocket launchers,” to “enormously improve the density and sturdiness of concentrated assault” towards the South. The report additionally mentions unspecified “necessary duties for introducing new secret arsenals and particular strategic belongings into our military.”
Supporting Capabilities: The brand new report additionally flagged plans for:
- “Numerous AI unmanned assault complexes,” most likely together with unmanned air automobiles (talked about in 2021) and the tactical drones.
- “Very highly effective digital warfare [EW] weapons methods to paralyze the enemy’s command heart.” EW has been a longstanding precedence for Pyongyang that has most likely taken on new salience in mild of the struggle in Ukraine.
- “Particular belongings for attacking the enemy’s satellite tv for pc in emergency”—a brand new focus space on this report. This most likely entails EW in not less than the close to time period. Though Pyongyang can develop direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) interceptors based mostly on its solid-propellant missiles, efficient standard ASAT payloads can be technically difficult. In an “emergency,” nonetheless, the North would have the ability to use its current nuclear-armed ballistic missiles to assault satellites.
- “Extra developed reconnaissance satellites”: Recon satellites had been first talked about within the 2021 report, and the reference to “extra developed” ones confirms the North stays dedicated to their deployment. This “evolution” could assist clarify why Pyongyang has not but tried to launch a second recon satellite tv for pc since a Could 2024 failure.
Formalizing Kim Jong Un’s Sole Absolute Energy, Outlining a 5-12 months Nationwide Improvement Technique
The Ninth Celebration Congress offered a plan for strengthening the Celebration and advancing socialist development over the subsequent 5 years (2026-2030). Kim Jong Un formalized the abandonment of the Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il line, consolidated his personal absolute energy, outlined a socialist development plan; and assembled the Celebration management to information the Celebration and state over that interval.
Abandoning the Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il Line and Establishing Kim Jong Un’s Absolute Energy: The Celebration Congress targeted on Kim Jong Un’s governing capability and qualities as the highest chief. Kim was outlined because the devoted successor to the reason for Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, reaffirming that his legitimacy derives from the Paektu bloodline. The Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il line was criticized as outdated, whereas Kim Jong Un was credited with surpassing his predecessors by charting a brand new line of socialist growth.
The Congress cited his main achievements as: constructing nuclear and traditional navy capabilities; reaching parallel growth of protection and the financial system; efficiently implementing the five-year financial plan; setting up 50,000 housing items in Pyongyang; constructing rural housing; creating vacationer and resort amenities; and finishing up rural, regional, and public well being growth initiatives. On the navy aspect, it highlighted the creation of devoted regional development regiments inside mixed items at numerous ranges of the military and their deplopment to regional development initiatives, in addition to the dispatch of troops to Russia’s struggle towards Ukraine and the truth that captured troopers selected to take their very own lives.
Subsequent 5-12 months Socialist Building Plan: North Korea diagnoses its inside and exterior surroundings as a disaster pushed by UN Safety Council sanctions, successive pure disasters, financial hardship, and the unfold of South Korean tradition. Specifically, the financial sanctions stemming from the nuclear buildup have extended financial isolation and disaster, whereas the unfold of South Korean tradition has accelerated pro-South Korean sentiment among the many inhabitants, thereby amplifying regime instability.
North Korea’s socialist growth technique in response to this inside and exterior disaster has rested on strengthening nuclear forces; creating the financial system by way of self-reliance and mass mobilization; looking for recognition as a nuclear-armed state and the lifting of sanctions by way of negotiations with the USA; and severing inter-Korean relations by framing them as two hostile states. As with the Eighth Celebration Congress, the Kim regime has once more not put ahead any concrete financial growth measures, equivalent to lifting sanctions, pursuing financial reform initiatives, revitalizing markets, or permitting higher freedom for financial exercise. The boundaries of pursuing financial growth by way of a closed, self-reliant financial system devoid of sanctions reduction and market reform, relying as an alternative on ideological incentives and mass mobilization, are clear. Issues in correctly managing and working trendy manufacturing and repair amenities—Kim Jong Un’s signature initiatives—have already emerged in lower than a 12 months. Complete growth of socialism with out sanctions reduction and financial reform won’t succeed.
The above section was initially drafted in Korean. The preliminary translation was produced utilizing AI instruments and subsequently reviewed word-for-word and refined by a bilingual subject-matter professional to make sure accuracy and readability.
Is Personnel Coverage? Or Personnel Simply Personnel?[1]
Personnel modifications enacted through the Ninth Congress of the WPK underscore an emphasis on home financial coverage. Different personnel modifications had been made to the Korean Folks’s Military (KPA) corps commanders which had been publicized throughout a post-congress navy parade.
An Kum Chol, a former provincial occasion secretary and heavy trade official, and Kim Jong Gwan, a former protection minister and high KPA development official, joined the Secretariat and had been appointed Central Committee division administrators. Of those two officers, Kim Jong Gwan has a novel profession trajectory. In 2025 he migrated from a senior logistics command within the Protection Ministry into the North Korean Cupboard as a vice premier. Kim’s temporary stint within the Cupboard was most likely a matter of seasoning to organize him for this Celebration place. Like Kim Jae Ryong and No Kwang Chol, Kim is the epitome of a Kim Jong Un-era senior official—an elite who can migrate into completely different posts throughout the regime and assist fulfill coverage objectives.
Biking out of the Celebration into the Cupboard are two former WPK Financial Affairs Division Administrators, Kim Tok Hun and Jon Hyon Chol. Kim Jong Un, regardless of two express denunciations of the Cupboard beneath Kim Tok Hun and financial officers like Jon, can’t be totally dissatisfied with the state of North Korea’s financial system or the job efficiency of officers who handle it. Jon, Kim, and Pak Jong Gun (final identified to be head of the State Planning Fee and a vice premier) have retained Political Bureau standing, placing them near recommendation and decision-making channels.
Three commanders of the 4 forward-deployed corps items have modified with Lt. Gen. Ju Track Nam main the II Corps, Lt. Gen. Jon Myong Nam main the IV Corps and Lt. Gen Ri Jong Guk main the V Corps. Of the prior corps commanders on this cohort, solely Choe Tu Yong has Central Committee standing. Whereas different corps command modifications had been made through the congress, these deployed to the entrance historically qualify for future choice for KPA Excessive Command appointments.
The Celebration Congress almost certainly represents a two-step course of. North Korea is 2 years overdue for parliamentary elections and the final head of parliament was dismissed. It’s extremely possible that elections will likely be held in 2026. As such, Pyongyang watchers are solely starting to reconcile the strategic and coverage implications of the Ninth Celebration Congress.
North Korea Enters a “Complete Socialist Improvement” Interval
In his opening handle to the Celebration Congress, Kim Jong Un declared that the 2021-2025 five-year financial plan had been fulfilled “in the primary.” Nonetheless, as typical, he didn’t neglect to listing shortcomings, citing “deep-rooted defeatism, irresponsibility, conservatism, formalism and immaturity in management skill”—a ritual criticism of officers failing to behave on the highest chief’s intentions that dates to the Kim Il Sung period. In his concluding speech, Kim warned that newly-built manufacturing and repair amenities constructed as a part of the 20×10 coverage for regional growth had been “not managed and operated as correctly as they need to be, and the steering and management over these amenities are uncared for,” terming it “severe dereliction of responsibility, irresponsibility and different ingrained maladies of looking for solely speedy positive factors.” This reveals that factories established beneath the 20×10 coverage have already run into issues: native management negligence has prevented them from reaching meant manufacturing ranges, and the pursuit of short-term positive factors has triggered them to lose sight of the factories’ unique goal.
Regardless of these acknowledged issues, the Congress declared the beginning of “a brand new development of complete socialist growth.” Sectoral consultative conferences adopted Kim’s report, with members breaking into trade, agriculture, mild trade, tradition, development, navy affairs, arms trade, judicial affairs, international affairs, and Celebration affairs teams. These sectors, alongside the protection trade, will possible represent the priorities of the subsequent five-year plan. The Congress report recognized the elemental process of socialist financial development as consolidating achievements from the Eighth Celebration Congress interval, establishing a basis for steady and sustained financial development, and tangibly bettering residing requirements. It additionally famous persistent challenges within the metallurgical, chemical, energy, coal, and equipment industries.
The 2021-2025 plan was carried out beneath extraordinary stress—intensifying sanctions because the late 2010s and the COVID-19 pandemic—and the North Korean folks possible feared financial collapse. But, the sincere evaluation is that this didn’t happen, and the plan achieved sure outcomes. The Congress report makes clear that the management views inadequate hardware-based productive capability as a major problem, however views software program failures—low productiveness and administrative mismanagement that fails to completely understand the potential for manufacturing capability—as an equal or higher concern. Reforming financial mechanisms is important. The following five-year plan (2026-30) will possible demand a cautious balancing act between sustaining political stability and unlocking productive capability.
