North Korea convened a meeting of the Central Committee headquarters to select representatives for the upcoming 9th Party Congress. This move indicates that preparations for the imminent party gathering are accelerating.
The party’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported that the Central Committee headquarters meeting took place on January 28.
The meeting was attended by representatives elected from various organizational assemblies and delegations of the Central Committee. Cho Yong-won, the party’s secretary, presided over the proceedings.
During the meeting, new leadership for the Central Committee’s headquarters was elected, and committee members and candidates were selected.
According to the newspaper, the first plenary session of the Central Committee’s headquarters elected the chief secretary and secretaries, and organized the secretariat.
Cho announced the outcomes of this initial plenary session.
The newspaper also reported that representatives elected from various organizational assemblies and delegations participated in the meeting. Elections were held to choose representatives for the 9th Congress, and observers were also recommended.
North Korea decided to convene the 9th Party Congress during a plenary meeting of the Central Committee last June. In a subsequent December plenary session, they announced that important decisions regarding the congress were made, but specific agenda items and schedules were not disclosed.
Previously, North Korean media reported the completion of grassroots party organization assemblies and city and county party representative meetings on January 24. With the finalization of party-level representative selection, it suggests that the congress could be held in the near future.
Typically, after provincial party representative meetings conclude, the process involves reviewing qualifications of representatives, finalizing the agenda, and examining documents. This is followed by a Politburo meeting to confirm the schedule for the 9th Party Congress. Given this timeline, the congress is expected to take place in early February.
During a regular press briefing, Deputy Spokesperson Jang Yoon-jung noted that this appears to be the first report from North Korean media regarding the Central Committee headquarters meeting. She anticipated that the timing of the congress would be announced soon through a Politburo meeting.
Deputy Spokesperson Jang added that the convening of the Central Committee headquarters meeting suggests that the timing of the congress will likely be announced soon through a Politburo meeting, not only for the provinces but also for Pyongyang. This indicates that related procedures are underway in preparation for the upcoming congress.