N. Korea′s women′s union stresses ideological education at 1st congress in 5 years

▲ Delegates from North Korean women's union organizations take part in the eighth Congress of the Socialist Women's Union, a wing of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party of Korea, in Pyongyang, in this undated photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on July 15, 2026. The meeting lasted from July 13-14, according to the KCNA. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

NK women union-congress

N. Korea's women's union stresses ideological education at 1st congress in 5 years

SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) -- A major North Korean women's union has convened its first congress in five years and underscored the importance of ideological education to strengthen regime unity, according to state media Wednesday.

The Socialist Women's Union of Korea (SWUK) held its eighth congress in Pyongyang on Monday and Tuesday, seeking to bolster regime unity while laying out tasks for the next five years, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The women's union is one of the four largest labor organizations under the guidance of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and is mainly aimed at instilling party ideology in the people.

In a congratulatory message, the WPK central committee urged the women's union to "safeguard" the socialist ideology and culture against "reactionary" capitalism.

"The members of the SWUK should thoroughly reject reactionary capitalist ideology and lifestyles and wage a staunch struggle to defend our socialist ideology and culture," it said, noting that the women's group should emphasize patriotic, class and moral education as its key tasks.

The party also highlighted the roles of workers' groups in North Korea, including the SWUK, in leading the regime's drive for transformation for prosperity, according to the KCNA.

The meeting was attended by Jo Yong-won, secretary of the party's central committee, along with other party secretaries Jong Kyong-thaek and Ju Chang-il. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was not present for the event.

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