North Korea readies rare full party congress after five-year gap amid military tensions

North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party will hold its first full congress in five years, state media reported on Wednesday, at a time when international attention is focused on Pyongyang’s next moves amid stalled diplomacy with the United States and South Korea.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim presided over a plenary meeting of the Workers’ Party Central Committee on Tuesday, where officials began formal preparations for the upcoming party congress. They discussed key, though unspecified, issues that will shape the event and reviewed this year’s state policies. The meeting, expected to run for several days, will finalise the agenda for the congress, which is slated to take place early next year, likely in January or February.

The Workers’ Party congress, the party’s top decision-making body, was revived in 2016 after a 36-year hiatus. Analysts say Kim uses the congress to strengthen the party’s authority and consolidate his grip on power. Observers will closely watch for signals on whether the leadership intends to engage with the US or South Korea, after years of rebuffed diplomatic efforts.

Since high-profile nuclear diplomacy with US President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019 , North Korea has refused calls to resume talks. In September, Kim hinted he might return to negotiations if the United States abandons what he called its “delusional obsession with denuclearization.”

Meanwhile, South Korea’s military reported that North Korea fired several artillery rounds off its west coast on Tuesday. Experts say the launches were likely part of routine wintertime training, underscoring North Korea’s ongoing military readiness.

The congress comes against the backdrop of a shift in North Korea’s stance toward South Korea. Last year, Kim declared that Pyongyang was abandoning its long-standing goal of peaceful unification and initiated a constitutional revision to mark the South as a permanent adversary.

The outcomes of the upcoming congress are expected to shape both domestic governance and international policies. Internally, it may reinforce the party’s control and ensure political stability. Externally, it could provide signals about North Korea’s approach to diplomacy, regional security, and military posture, affecting the strategic calculations of the United States, South Korea, and neighboring countries.