Kim Jong-un Elected as Party General Secretary... Late-Night Military Parade Activity Detected

Proclamation of the 'Sole Ruling System' at the 8th Party Congress

On the 10th, the 1st plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea was held in the headquarters meeting room of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, according to a report by Korean Central News Agency on the 11th.

Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, has been promoted to General Secretary of the Workers' Party. Kim Yo-jong, the First Deputy Director, who was expected to see a rise in status, was removed from her position as a candidate member of the Political Bureau.

North Korea's state media, Korean Central News Agency, reported on the 11th about the sixth day of the 8th Party Congress held the previous day, stating, "It has been decided to highly promote Comrade Kim Jong-un to General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea." Accordingly, Kim's official party title has changed from 'First Secretary' at the beginning of his rule, to 'Chairman' in 2016, and now to 'General Secretary.' Kim's appointment as General Secretary is interpreted as the beginning of the 'Kim Jong-un sole leadership system.'

On the other hand, Kim Yo-jong, Kim's younger sister who led last year's collapse of inter-Korean relations, was removed from her previous position as a candidate member of the Political Bureau. She also did not appear on the list of department directors. Although there are speculations about her political standing weakening due to last year's 'mistakes,' the prevailing view is that she cannot be considered ousted because she is part of the 'Baekdu bloodline,' regardless of her title.

Meanwhile, there were signs that North Korea held a military parade at Kim Il-sung Square late at night on the 10th. The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, "South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies are closely tracking this activity, including the possibility that it was the main event or a rehearsal."

Despite the harsh weather with temperatures dropping below minus 16 degrees Celsius in Pyongyang, the parade was carried out, which is seen as a political event aimed at rallying the North Korean people's spirits amid economic crisis, natural disasters, and rising prices.

However, the scale appears to have been reduced. North Korea mobilized about 12,000 personnel for last October's parade, but this year it is reported to have been around 9,000. It is believed that the parade was conducted on a scale just enough to demonstrate presence ahead of the inauguration of the Biden administration in the United States.

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