North Korean leader Kim Jong Un opened a rare national party congress with a triumphalist speech, declaring the country’s “major achievements” and projecting the growing confidence of an insular regime. The tone of the address suggested that Pyongyang now views its position as more stable than in the past.
The congress, attended by about 5,000 delegates and held once every five years, opened on Thursday and represents the country’s largest political event. It serves as the forum for setting strategic priorities and formalizing key shifts in ideology, foreign policy, economic planning, and military doctrine.
The proceedings are being closely watched abroad for clues about the regime’s future trajectory. Last week, South Korean intelligence agencies reported that Kim is considering his 13-year-old daughter as a potential successor.
In his address, Kim reviewed the past five years, recalling that at the previous congress in 2021 “the subjective and objective conditions of our revolution were so harsh that we could barely sustain our own existence.” He highlighted the “scientific” nature of planning and stressed that the “selfless struggle” of party members had delivered “major achievements despite the severity of the trials and hardships.” Among them, he cited a “tight blockade and sanctions,” as well as “a succession of natural disasters and a global public-health crisis.”
This confident, triumphalist tone reflects, analysts say, North Korea’s strongest position in many years. The supply of troops and weapons to support Russia’s war against Ukraine has provided Pyongyang with a powerful regional ally and a financial lifeline.
“If North Korea was previously on the defensive, its geopolitical status has changed markedly in recent times,” said Koh Yu-hwan, an emeritus professor at Dongguk University.
Since the 2021 congress, the regime, according to experts and observers, has developed more advanced solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles and expanded its range of tactical nuclear options. “North Korea has recently unveiled what appears to be a near-complete hull of a nuclear-powered submarine,” said Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute. “Russia must have transferred the technologies needed to build it.” At the same time, specialists say, work has been under way to strengthen conventional forces—including in drones, artillery, and air defense.
On Thursday, Kim also showcased a new 600-millimeter ultra-precision multiple rocket launcher, which state media presented as a symbol of the country’s upgraded strike capabilities.
Although GDP per capita stood at about $640 in 2023, according to UN data, the economy is assessed as more resilient than five years ago. Growth in 2024, the Bank of Korea said, reached 3.7 percent.
“Significant funds are clearly flowing in from arms exports to Russia and cryptocurrency theft,” said Peter Ward of the Sejong Institute. Research by Chainalysis suggests that the latter alone generated about $2 billion in 2025.
Ward expects one of the congress’s key themes to be the regional “20x10” program, which envisages developing 20 towns each year over a decade. Combined with investments in health care, he said, this reflects the fact that while Kim is “first and foremost focused on staying in power, he nonetheless has a formal interest in the population’s well-being.”
Kim made no mention of a desire to resume dialogue with the United States. He has previously said he would be willing to talk with US President Donald Trump if Trump were to “abandon the absurd obsession with our denuclearization and accept reality.”
Kim’s daughter, Kim Ju-ae, has not appeared at the congress so far. Kim Jong Un also noted that of the delegates attending the event, 413 are women.