North Korea is preparing to hold the 9th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea at the end of this month amid worldwide attention on what policies Kim's government will announce for the future.
On Sunday, 8 Feb 2026 GMT+7, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea's state media, revealed that the country's leader will hold the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Congress late this February, marking the first such congress since 2021.
KCNA stated that the decision to convene the congress was made during a high-level leadership meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea, which Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un attended.
"The Executive Committee of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea unanimously approved holding the 9th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, the revolutionary capital, at the end of February 2026," KCNA reported.
The last party congress, the 8th, was held in January 2021, during which Kim Jong-un was appointed Party Secretary—a position formerly reserved for his late father and former supreme leader Kim Jong-il. Analysts viewed this as a move to consolidate Kim Jong-un's power.
The Workers' Party Congress is the highest governing meeting of North Korea's ruling party, serving as a major political stage to reinforce the regime's authority and a forum for announcing policy shifts or high-level personnel changes.
. cna