North Korea’s remarkably secretive plenum hinted at mid-year financial strain



Analysis North Korea’s remarkably secretive plenum hinted at mid-year financial strain New clues offer insights into reshuffles at June meeting, while suggesting difficulties funding prestige construction Martin Weiser July 22, 2025 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks at the mid-year plenum in late June. \| Image: KCNA North Korea's ruling party met for an extraordinarily secretive meeting last month, and a fuller picture of the personnel changes implemented at that plenum are only now slowly beginning to emerge. Just like in 2021 and 2024, leader Kim Jong Un and party officials met for the mid-year plenary at the distant Myohyangsan instead of the Central Committee headquarters in Pyongyang, underlining the importance that the leadership attached to the event. But despite this importance, state media released only a very brief report and eight minutes of video footage about the June 21-23 meeting, instead of the Read More © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01Crossing the Yalu: Why China and North Korea want to open long-stalled bridge 02A decade apart, two DMZ mine blasts highlight a new inter-Korean reality 03Chinese authorities seize smuggled goods bound for North Korea: records 04Likely Russian ship docks in North Korea’s Rason port for first time since May 05Trump doesn’t need a grand deal with Kim, but rather small coordinated actions 06North Korean trade with China rises 3.7% in August thanks to wig exports: data 07North Korea tensions expose Seoul’s uneasy relationship with UN Command 08North Korea’s politburo meeting hints at secret changes to senior officials 09The bureaucracy test: Signs to look for before a Trump-Kim summit 10China has reasons to like Trump’s North Korea outreach — and reasons to worry

Analysis

North Korea’s remarkably secretive plenum hinted at mid-year financial strain

New clues offer insights into reshuffles at June meeting, while suggesting difficulties funding prestige construction

Martin Weiser July 22, 2025

North Korea’s remarkably secretive plenum hinted at mid-year financial strain

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks at the mid-year plenum in late June. | Image: KCNA

North Korea's ruling party met for an extraordinarily secretive meeting last month, and a fuller picture of the personnel changes implemented at that plenum are only now slowly beginning to emerge.

Just like in 2021 and 2024, leader Kim Jong Un and party officials met for the mid-year plenary at the distant Myohyangsan instead of the Central Committee headquarters in Pyongyang, underlining the importance that the leadership attached to the event.

But despite this importance, state media released only a very brief report and eight minutes of video footage about the June 21-23 meeting, instead of the

01Crossing the Yalu: Why China and North Korea want to open long-stalled bridge
02A decade apart, two DMZ mine blasts highlight a new inter-Korean reality
03Chinese authorities seize smuggled goods bound for North Korea: records
04Likely Russian ship docks in North Korea’s Rason port for first time since May
05Trump doesn’t need a grand deal with Kim, but rather small coordinated actions
06North Korean trade with China rises 3.7% in August thanks to wig exports: data
07North Korea tensions expose Seoul’s uneasy relationship with UN Command
08North Korea’s politburo meeting hints at secret changes to senior officials
09The bureaucracy test: Signs to look for before a Trump-Kim summit
10China has reasons to like Trump’s North Korea outreach — and reasons to worry

North Korea’s remarkably secretive plenum hinted at mid-year financial strain

LATEST ANALYSIS

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Martin Weiser