The Seventh Congress of the Workers Party of Korea, the first in 36 years, had a heavy agenda as it officially appointed Kim Jong Un chairman of the WPK – just as his father was appointed at the Sixth Congress in 1980 – and expanded of the Political Bureau of Central Committee of the Party. It appears that the goal of the Congress was to institutionalize “Kim Jong Un-style of governing” and showcase it to the international community.
The five-year national economic development plan, closely associated with the “brilliant blueprint” of Kim’s New Year’s address, was announced as well. This is quite notable as it is a correspondence to the international community’s sanctions against North Korea after the fourth nuclear test.
The Seventh Congress of the Workers Party of Korea, the first in 36 years, had a heavy agenda as it officially appointed Kim Jong Un chairman of the WPK – just as his father was appointed at the Sixth Congress in 1980 – and expanded of the Political Bureau of Central Committee of the Party. It appears that the goal of the Congress was to institutionalize “Kim Jong Un-style of governing” and showcase it to the international community.
The five-year national economic development plan, closely associated with the “brilliant blueprint” of Kim’s New Year’s address, was announced as well. This is quite notable as it is a correspondence to the international community’s sanctions against North Korea after the fourth nuclear test.
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Dr. Yoojin Rhee is currently working as a research fellow for the Reunification Business Department at Korea Development Bank (KDB). She is a director for the Korean Association of North Korean Studies (KANKS), and a policy member of the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation (KCRC). She was a research professor at the Ilmin International Relations Institute (IIRI), Korea University and a visiting fellow at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, Kyungnam University from 2010-2011. Her research focuses on international political economy, North Korea development/security studies and inter-Korean relations, with emphasis on North Korea. She can be reach via email.
