Overview
- KCNA said delegates unanimously re-elected Kim as general secretary on Feb. 22 during day four of the Ninth Workers’ Party Congress.
- The congress adopted revisions to party rules, though no details of the changes were disclosed.
- A reshuffled Central Committee list was released, with veteran official Choe Ryong-hae notably absent, pointing to a generational shift.
- Official reporting stressed that nuclear-based war deterrence has been “radically improved,” and Kim has signaled a next phase of the nuclear program.
- China’s Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message pledging stronger ties, while Pyongyang has so far avoided direct messages to Seoul or Washington as it moves toward a final five-year decision document.