North Korea is preparing to hold a major Workers' Party meeting in late June to review the progress of state and party policies from the first half of the year, amid close attention on whether it will send new signals toward South Korea and the United States.
On 25 May 2026, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the Political Bureau of the Workers' Party of Korea resolved to convene the 2nd plenary meeting of the 9th Central Committee in late June. North Korean state media stated this meeting aims to review the progress of party and state policies for 2026 during the first half of the year, discuss plans for the second half, and address other key issues, though no further details have been disclosed.
In recent years, North Korea has regularly held plenary meetings of the Workers' Party in late June and December each year, with additional meetings convened as needed for important political, security, or economic matters.
This upcoming meeting comes as North Korea continues to implement measures following the 9th Workers' Party Assembly held in late February. One month later, North Korea amended its constitution to add new provisions regarding the country's territory, defining borders with China and Russia to the north and South Korea to the south, and removed all references to reunification between the two Koreas from the constitution.
Analysts are watching for discussions or announcements at the late June meeting that may indicate new stances toward South Korea and the United States, especially amid reports that Chinese leader Xi Jinping may visit North Korea soon.