The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is projecting newfound confidence and optimism as thousands of its uniparty delegates flood Pyongyang for their semi-decennial congress.
As usual, the tightly calibrated, almost mechanical rhetoric on display has offered little insight into the clandestine operations of the world’s most mysterious regime — but intelligence agencies and foreign observers know that when one is trying to understand the trajectory of North Korea, the devil is in the details.
Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un delivered the opening speech at the 9th Workers’ Party Congress on Friday, where he allowed himself to admit that the nation was facing collapse when the previous congress was convened just five years ago.
“When we convened the 8th Party Congress, the subjective and objective conditions of our revolution were literally so harsh that we could hardly maintain our own existence,” Kim admitted to the gathered delegates in a rare display of vulnerability. “The hostile forces grew more reckless in their schemes for harsh blockade and sanctions against us, and we were also confronted with successive natural calamities and the global public health crisis.”
“However, everything has fundamentally changed today, five years from then,” he contended. “Today, we are here at its 9th Congress, filled with optimism and confidence in the future.”
Kim might have felt stunted to outside observers, weighed down with extensive inside-baseball commentary on party politics that can sound robotic and formulaic to those outside the rigid hierarchy of the hermetic regime.
The supreme leader diligently acknowledged various “non-permanent preparatory committees” and the “five-point Party-building line in the new era.” He recognized how each “field and sector” participated in “setting the goals and working out the plans for development to be achieved in the period of the new long-term plan.”
Cold, utilitarian jargon is the de facto language of inward-facing Workers’ Party politics. The political party is the sole organ of power in the nation and is enshrined as such in the North Korean constitution. There is little room for ideological discussion or debate, only critique and observation of the party’s unanimous positions.
The supreme leader did not so much as acknowledge a single other country by name — a disappointment for those seeking to learn more about the regime’s current attitude toward the White House.
But it’s hardly a surprise, given North Korea’s track record of isolation that has earned it the nickname “the hermit kingdom.”
The heir apparent?
North Korea observers are most preoccupied with Kim’s succession plan.
Intelligence reports from South Korea have long indicated that there is considerable reason to believe the supreme leader plans to name his daughter, Kim Ju-Ae, as his heir apparent.
The girl, who is believed to be in her early teens, has been thrust into the spotlight of North Korean news media after repeated appearances at her father’s side.
A female Kim sitting atop the North Korean hierarchy would have been unthinkable just years ago, especially considering the fact that Kim Jong Un is believed to have a male child born around 2010. That son has never been seen in public. He is also believed to have a third child, born around 2017, but the gender of the child is unknown.
When Ju-Ae accompanied her father on a rare international trip to China, the South Korean National Intelligence Service reported that it appears Kim is crafting a “narrative” to give his young daughter legitimacy as his heir. Those intelligence officials have only become more confident over time.
The Workers’ Party Congress, the premier legislative meeting of the country’s uniparty government, is the optimal time for the supreme leader to make this hypothetical selection official.
If Ju-Ae makes a center-stage appearance with her father during the congress — or especially if she receives an official post within the government — it is widely believed that her status will be sealed.
President Kim Jong Un?
North Korea observers are also anxiously waiting to see if Kim will make one of the last power grabs available to him by taking on a mantle only ever held by his grandfather.
North Korean founder Kim Il Sung has posthumously become a quasi-deity among his countrymen, complete with mythological birth stories and superhuman miracles attributed to him.
This cult of personality culminated in the suppression of the country’s office of the head of state and a rewriting of the constitution to posthumously declare Kim Il Sung the “eternal President of the Republic.”
It could be argued that the decision in 1998 turned North Korea into the modern world’s only necrocracy.
As supreme leader, there are few, if any, levers of power unavailable to Kim. Claiming the office of DPRK President would not signal a meaningful promotion, but perhaps a reshuffling of the command structures in place.
“Should North Korea reintroduce the ‘DPRK president’ title in the constitution and appoint Kim to that role at the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) session following the Party Congress or at another future SPA meeting, the implications could extend beyond prestige or a ceremonial upgrade for a leader who already heads the Party, state, and the military,” North Korean analysis think tank 38 North wrote ahead of the meeting.
The report explained: “It could affect the country’s decision-making structure, including on defense and foreign policy, as well as succession planning, whether a campaign is currently underway or anticipated in the future.”
KIM JONG UN’S DAUGHTER TAKES CENTER STAGE AT DYNASTIC CEREMONY
North Korea has good reason to be optimistic. Deployment of the Korean People’s Army to aid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as material support purchased by the Kremlin for the same purpose, has given a jolt of life to the militaristic regime.
Increasing conflicts with Western powers have also pushed the People’s Republic of China to bolster its ties with the Kim regime, which had begun to lose relevance at the height of Beijing’s diplomatic successes in previous years.
Even the Kim regime’s archrival, South Korea, has expressed interest in more normalized relations with its northern neighbors.
Kim unveiled a new batch of 600 mm multiple-launch rocket systems on Thursday, just before the beginning of the Workers’ Party Congress.
“When this weapon is used, no force would be able to expect God’s protection,” Kim said, according to state media. “It is really a wonderful and attractive weapon.”
The future of the North Korean nuclear program — regarded by the Kim dynasty since its establishment as its ace in the hole — is expected to be discussed at length during the meeting.
