Party Congress Preparations in Pyongyang

Commercial satellite imagery from February 2 shows hundreds of soldiers practicing marching formations at the Mirim Parade Training Ground in east Pyongyang, including a formation of the hammer, sickle and brush symbol of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK). These preparatory drills are likely for a parade to mark the upcoming Ninth Party Congress.

The Party Congress is the biggest event in North Korea’s political calendar. In recent years, it has occurred once every five years and draws delegates from across the country. It is where Kim Jong Un will disclose a new five-year plan that sets North Korea’s domestic and foreign policy agenda from now through 2031, including political, industrial, scientific, social, and military priorities.  

The precise timing of the Congress is still unknown. 

On January 24, North Korea reported that conferences of basic Party organizations and city and county Party organizations, which constitute the first two phases of electing delegates to the Ninth Party Congress, had been held. While  a conference of the WPK Central Committee Headquarters was reported on January 30, no further conferences of provincial and other sectoral Party organizations, such as those of the Korean People’s Army, the cabinet, and ministries have yet been announced. 

Party Congresses typically convene two-to-three weeks after North Korean media reports on city and county Party organizations’ conferences. However, in recent weeks, there has been a a series of ceremonies marking the completion of economic projects have been reported on, peppered with Kim Jong Un’s military appearances. If there are more economic projects to showcase or weapons to test before the Party Congress commences, the event could take longer to open.