North Korea has launched a plenary meeting of its ruling Workers' Party of Korea as it prepares for a key party congress. Presided over by leader Kim Jong-un, the session reviews this year's party and state policies and addresses preparations for the ninth congress. The meeting gains added significance ahead of the event expected in February.
North Korea convened the enlarged 13th plenary meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea's Eighth Central Committee on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the session was presided over by leader Kim Jong-un and attended by key central committee members, government ministry officials, and observers. The meeting approved five agenda items for discussion, including a review of this year's party and state policy implementation and major issues related to preparations for the party's ninth congress.
Such year-end plenary meetings typically last several days, assessing the year's policy execution and outlining future directions. This year's gathering holds extra weight as it precedes the ninth party congress, which South Korean intelligence expects in February 2026. At the congress, North Korea is likely to unveil a new five-year national economic development plan and possibly its foreign policy stance. The previous eighth congress occurred in 2021.
Photos released by KCNA on Wednesday showed Ri Il-hwan, the party secretary for propaganda who had vanished from state media for about a year, attending the meeting at the podium. His reappearance suggests reinstatement after speculations of suspension. The images depict Kim Jong-un at the center of the first row, flanked by Premier Pak Thae-song, parliamentary standing committee chairman Choe Ryong-hae, and party secretary for organization Jo Yong-won. The agenda may also cover organizational, personnel, or other internal matters.
