North Korea announced the result of its second party plenum of the year on Monday, notably deriding a “severe defect” in the country’s satellite program that led to its recent launch failure. But despite a delay in kicking off the event, political elites avoided a dramatic reshuffle.

NK Pro analysis shows that there were far fewer demotions and promotions during the latest three-day plenum than at a similar party meeting a year ago this month, a sign of continuity among the DPRK’s political leadership.

But the readmission of two elderly cadres and policy