SEOUL, Feb 13 (Reuters) – North Korea is expected to convene the Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers’ Party this month, the country’s biggest political gathering that reviews performance, sets new policy goals and can bring leadership change.
The Congress comes as leader Kim Jong Un has stepped up weapons development and factory inspections, while deepening ties with Russia amid sustained tension with South Korea and the United States.
The following are some themes likely to be in focus.
TIMING AND WHAT THE CONGRESS DOES
The decision to convene the event was approved at a plenary meeting in June, when state media said the party agreed to hold the Ninth Congress but did not set a date.
State media KCNA later reported that the party’s Politburo adopted a decision to open the Congress in Pyongyang in late February 2026.
The Congress is the party’s top decision-making forum and is expected to review the past five years and set the governing line for the next phase, spanning the economy, defence and diplomacy.
NEW FIVE-YEAR PLAN
The Congress is expected to provide a verdict on the current five-year development push and outline future goals, with Kim urging officials to set “scientific and realistic” plans for the next five years.
At the 2021 Congress, Kim said a previous economic plan had failed in “almost every sector” and unveiled a new five-year plan through 2025. Kim’s speech emphasised concentrating investment on core heavy industries such as metals and chemicals, and strengthening agriculture and light industry to increase consumer goods output.
In the run-up to the Ninth Congress, Kim has paired military messaging with visits tied to economic priorities, including inspections of construction and industrial facilities, as the government seeks to show progress heading into the meeting.
WEAPONS BUILDUP
Kim has used late-2025 events to underscore what state media described as an “unlimited” drive to develop the country’s nuclear force, while showcasing cruise missile launches and other weapons activity.
He has also called for increased production of key conventional systems, including multiple rocket launchers, ahead of weapons production goals to be set out at the congress.
Analysts have said the Congress could be used to announce a further push for more nuclear weapons and new conventional armaments, possibly to bolster leverage for any future talks with the United States.
LEADERSHIP SIGNALS AND SUCCESSION SPECULATION
The Congress can reshuffle elite positions and can feature major turnover in the country’s leadership.
During the last Congress in 2021, more than seven out of 10 members of the Congress’ executive committee were replaced with economic technocrats, according to South Korean analysts.
Analysts also raised the possibility the Congress could revive the title of “president” for Kim — a designation historically associated with state founder Kim Il Sung, aligning the leader’s position more closely with foreign heads of state.
Kim’s teenage daughter Ju Ae has also appeared prominently at recent high-profile events, fuelling outside speculation about succession signals at the congress.
While analysts differ on what roles, if any, could realistically be announced given her age, South Korea’s spy agency has said it is watching closely whether she is given any formal title or post.
If Ju Ae eventually became leader it would extend the family dynasty to a fourth generation.
RUSSIA TIES
At a key party meeting in December, Kim praised participation by North Korean soldiers in overseas military operations, as state media highlighted a mutual defence pact signed with Russia.
Under this pact, in 2024 North Korea sent thousands of troops, artillery ammunition and missiles to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to South Korean, Ukrainian and Western sources.
The Congress could further formalise policy priorities around this partnership, including defence industry production targets and the strategic framing of North Korea’s external security environment.
U.S., SOUTH KOREA AND CHINA
North Korea has dismissed outreach from South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, while recent missile launches were seen by some analysts as messages aimed at China as well as South Korea and Japan.
With U.S. President Donald Trump voicing interest in resuming dialogue with Pyongyang, analysts quoted by Reuters have linked the North’s weapons activity to an effort to raise negotiating leverage for any potential contact with Washington.
(Reporting by Kyu-seok ShimEditing by Ed Davies and Michael Perry)
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