Update (Jan. 6, 2021 at 1:15 p.m. KST): North Korean state media announced that the Party Congress began on Tuesday, Jan. 5 local time.

Satellite imagery suggests that North Korea kicked off its rare and highly anticipated Eighth Party Congress in downtown Pyongyang on Tuesday, according to NK Pro analysis. The political event is the highest form of political gathering under the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and is only the second Party Congress to be held in the last 40 years.

Images taken on Jan. 5 show an apparently full parking lot in front of the April 25 House of Culture, where the last Party Congress took place in 2016 and where the Eighth Party Congress is expected to take place this month. The large facility is rarely ever used, and the parking lot has not appeared full in recent weeks, suggesting that either the first day of the Party Congress or some other large event took place on Tuesday local time.

Circled in yellow are the buses appearing at the April 25 House of Culture on Jan. 5, 2021. | mages: EOS Landviewer. Edited by NK Pro.

At the same time, the parking lot at the April 25 Hotel on the other side of town — where Party Congress attendees are reportedly staying — appeared to be empty on Jan. 5, despite being full on most days since late Dec. 2020, according to EOS Landviewer and Planet Labs satellite imagery.

High-resolution satellite imagery reported by 38 North this week confirmed  earlier NK Pro reports that the parking lot at the April 25 Hotel was full of the large buses — the kind that are usually seen parked outside of large political events in North Korea.

Circled in yellow are the buses disappearing from the April 25 Hotel on Jan. 5, 2021. | mages: EOS Landviewer. Edited by NK Pro.

Meanwhile, the EOS Landviewer satellite images also revealed that rehearsals continued on Jan. 5 for what is likely a parade to celebrate the Party Congress at both Kim Il Sung Square and the Mirim training grounds in southeast Pyongyang.

State media has not released information regarding the starting date of the congress, but did report that it would start within the first 10 days of the month.

Edited by Kelly Kasulis