NORTH KOREA: Kim Jong-Un, the leader of North Korea, has been re-elected as the Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea during the fourth day of the party’s congress, extending his 15-year leadership over the ruling party. According to the official KCNA news agency, the congress is held every five years, during which members of the Central Committee are selected and some party regulations are amended. Kim has been in power since 2011, following the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, the Supreme Leader of North Korea. In 2019, the constitution was amended to consolidate his power over all state matters as “unified and absolute.” In his opening speech at the congress, Kim referred to the past five years as a “glorious period in the implementation of socialism in the North Korean style,” while acknowledging challenges such as international sanctions and the global health crisis. He emphasized that the party now faces “heavy and urgent” tasks, with strengthening the economy, improving the standard of living for citizens, and comprehensive transformations in governmental and social areas as the main priorities of the party. He stated, “We must engage in a more active and sustained struggle without a moment’s pause or stagnation.”
