▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) is reelected as the general secretary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea on Feb. 22, 2026, the fourth day of the party congress in this image, captured from footage of North Korea's state-run TV network the following day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) is reelected as the general secretary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea on Feb. 22, 2026, the fourth day of the party congress in this image, captured from footage of North Korea's state-run TV network the following day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) NK party congress-assessment

(LEAD) N. Korea's Kim uses party congress to consolidate his long-term grip on power: Seoul

(ATTN: REWRITES lead; ADDS more details throughout, photo)

SEOUL, Feb. 27 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has used the latest party congress as an occasion for consolidating his base for a long-term grip on power, effectively declaring his own era in earnest, Seoul's unification ministry said Friday.

In an assessment of North Korea's ninth party congress that concluded its seven-day run Wednesday, the ministry said in his 15th year in office, the incumbent leader declared "the full-fledged Kim Jong-un era."

At the first party congress in five years, Kim was reelected as the general secretary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) for reinforcing the country's nuclear deterrence under his leadership.

As for the grounds for such an evaluation, the ministry cited the omission of "deference" expressions toward late state founder Kim Il-sung and late former leader Kim Jong-il in Kim Jong-un's opening speech.

The ministry also mentioned North Korea's touting of Kim Jong-un's achievements that the North said surpassed those of his predecessors.

Meanwhile, the unification ministry said North Korea replaced about half of the party officials in the central leadership at the party congress, assessing the move as a personnel reshuffle based on merit and performance.

The WPK elected 139 members and 111 alternate members of its central committee at the party gathering. Of the 250 members, 139 officials were newly elected.

Choe Ryong-hae, the 76-year-old chairman of the North Korean parliament who once served as the top military leader, was excluded from being a member of the WPK central committee, along with other senior officials, signaling a major generational shift in leadership.

The unification ministry said North Korea appears to have overhauled the standing committee of the WPK politburo and the secretariat in an effort to strengthen the party's control of society.

North Korea is also presumed to have restored a secretary in charge of international affairs and created two secretaries handling labor organizations and construction as it expanded the party secretariat into the 11-member body from the seven-member one.

Party secretary Jong Kyong-thaek is expected to assume the post of vice chairman of the Central Military Commission to succeed Pak Jong-chon, according to the ministry.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]