Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has utilized the latest party congress to solidify his long-term hold on power, effectively marking the commencement of his era, as reported by Seoul's unification ministry.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the assessment from the ministry regarding North Korea's ninth party congress, which concluded its seven-day session on Wednesday, highlights that in his 15th year of leadership, Kim Jong-un officially declared "the Kim Jong-un era in a full sense." During the first party congress in five years, Kim was reelected as the general secretary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), with a focus on reinforcing the country's nuclear deterrence under his leadership.
The ministry supported this evaluation by noting the absence of "deference" expressions toward the late state founder Kim Il-sung and late former leader Kim Jong-il in Kim Jong-un's opening speech. Additionally, North Korea has been promoting Kim Jong-un's achievements, claiming they surpass those of his predecessors.
Furthermore, the unification ministry pointed out that North Korea replaced approximately half of the party officials in the central leadership during the party congress, interpreting this as a personnel reshuffle aimed at prioritizing officials' performances. The WPK elected 139 members and 111 alternate members to its central committee at the gathering, with 139 of the 250 members being newly elected.
Notably, Choe Ryong-hae, the 76-year-old chairman of the North Korean parliament and former top military leader, was excluded from the WPK central committee, along with other senior officials, indicating a significant generational shift in leadership.