'Wimintongchiseol' Kim Jong-un "Minimize Typhoon and COVID-19 Damage" Presence

Presiding over the 17th Enlarged Political Bureau Meeting of the 7th Labor Party Term
"Minimizing Human and Crop Damage Caused by the Typhoon is Important"

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un held a Workers' Party Political Bureau meeting on the 25th to discuss measures against the typhoon and the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Workers' Party's official newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on the 26th.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a Workers' Party Political Bureau meeting to discuss measures related to the typhoon and the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This is the first official event since the National Intelligence Service reported that Kim, who had been under 'governing stress,' is delegating power to close aides and practicing 'delegated governance.'

On the 25th, Kim held the 17th expanded Political Bureau meeting of the 7th term at the Party Central Committee headquarters and stated, "Thoroughly preventing casualties caused by the typhoon and minimizing crop damage is a critically important issue that our Party, responsible for the fate of the people, cannot neglect even for a moment," according to North Korea's state media, the Korean Central News Agency, on the 26th.

Typhoon No. 8, 'Bavi,' which is moving northward toward the Korean Peninsula, is expected to affect the entire North Korean territory on the 26th and 27th. Kim emphasized, "A concentrated propaganda campaign should be carried out to ensure that officials, party members, and workers accurately recognize the importance of typhoon damage prevention work and crisis response methods, and immediate measures should be devised in all sectors of the people's economy to prevent typhoon damage in advance." He particularly instructed minimizing crop damage, calling it "an important task that determines the success or failure of the year's farming."

Additionally, Kim addressed "some shortcomings observed in the national emergency epidemic prevention work" and ordered, "Strengthen and maintain the epidemic prevention posture continuously and vigorously devise active measures at the whole-party and whole-society levels to fundamentally eliminate a series of defects."

Since the beginning of this year, Kim has directly presided over seven Political Bureau and Administrative Bureau meetings, including twice each in February, April, June, July, and August, responding swiftly to various crises.

This move is interpreted as an effort to stabilize public sentiment amid prolonged sanctions against North Korea, worsening economic difficulties, and overlapping natural disasters. On the 14th, Kim also emphasized at a Party Political Bureau meeting that the Party must "live up to the expectations of the people without shame." He unusually visited flood damage sites in Hwanghae Province and instructed that his share of reserve grain and supplies be provided to flood victims.

The meeting was attended by members of the Party Central Committee Administrative Bureau, Political Bureau members, and candidate members, while responsible officials of the Party Central Committee departments and other relevant sector members sat in the audience.

Photos released by the Workers' Party organ, Rodong Sinmun, show Standing Political Bureau members Choe Ryong-hae, First Vice Chairman of the State Affairs Commission; Pak Pong-ju, Vice Chairman of the State Affairs Commission; Ri Pyong-chol, Vice Chairman of the Party Central Military Commission; and Premier Kim Tok-hun seated nearby. Political Bureau members Ri Il-hwan, Choe Hui, Kim Yong-chol, Kim Hyong-jun, Party Vice Chairmen, and Kim Su-gil, Director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, were also noticeable. In the audience were Hyon Song-wol, Deputy Director of the Party Propaganda and Agitation Department, among others.

Following the expanded Political Bureau meeting, Kim immediately held the 5th Administrative Bureau meeting of the 7th term.

At the Administrative Bureau meeting, practical issues regarding the decision made at the mid-month plenary session to convene the 8th Party Congress in January next year were discussed. The Party Congress Preparatory Committee was organized, and the work system, divisions, and subgroups' work assignments were finalized.

Meanwhile, on the 20th, the National Intelligence Service stated that Kim is practicing delegated governance by transferring authority to some close aides, including his younger sister Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the North Korean Workers' Party. This sparked renewed speculation about Kim's health issues and drew criticism that the National Intelligence Service used inappropriate terminology.

On the 25th, Lee In-young, Minister of Unification, appeared before the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee and said, "It is an overstatement to interpret that First Deputy Director Kim has established her status as the second-in-command and exercises full authority." He added, "There is a trend of change in North Korean society from a one-person-centered governance system to a party-centered one," and "It is a matter of specific role-sharing and strengthening responsibility in areas such as the military, economy, and inter-Korean relations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.