North Korea's state media made no mention of leader Kim Jong-un's birthday on January 8, instead emphasizing preparations for the upcoming party congress. The Rodong Sinmun urged officials to heighten discipline and loyalty, signaling a critical period ahead of the ninth congress expected in early 2026. Separately, a party magazine has highlighted the need for designating a successor, fueling speculation about Kim's daughter Ju-ae.
North Korea's state media completely ignored leader Kim Jong-un's birthday on January 8, shifting focus entirely to preparations for the ninth Workers' Party congress. The Rodong Sinmun's front-page article on Thursday headlined, "Officials need to honorably face the party congress with proud achievements from their devoted service to the people," calling for strengthened work discipline and loyalty to the regime. It described official positions as ones "the party has assigned to them to carry a heavier burden for the people and to take on more tasks," stressing that true service means "correctly capturing the wishes and intentions of the party and becoming a genuine loyalist."
The congress, the first since 2021, is slated for January or February 2026 to outline long-term policies on diplomacy, the economy, and other areas. The newspaper labeled the lead-up period a "highly important time" for scrutinizing officials' party loyalty and revolutionary inclination, urging a "strong struggle against the tendency to avoid undertaking projects out of fear ... or to cling to their posts by pretending to work." The Korean Central News Agency reported that a national planning committee and a regional development policy committee are thoroughly preparing this year's assigned projects, including efforts to narrow urban-rural gaps.
The silence on Kim's birthday, first publicly revealed in 2014 during Dennis Rodman's visit, may stem from his mother Ko Yong-hui's background—she was a Japanese-Korean dancer not officially married to Kim Jong-il, a status seen as low in North Korea. Unlike the national holidays for Kim Il-sung's (April 15, "Day of the Sun") and Kim Jong-il's birthdays, Kim Jong-un's is not officially celebrated. Since 2024, references to the "Day of the Sun" have decreased, and pins featuring only Kim Jong-un's portrait have been introduced. In January 2024, loyalty oaths were reportedly shifted to Kim's birthday.
Adding to the context, a March 2025 issue of the party magazine "Geunroja" (Workers) emphasized designating a successor to inherit the leader's status and role, central to leadership transitions. It advocated selecting based on public respect, party will, and establishing leadership while the head is alive, while nurturing loyalty and combating dissent—citing Kim Jong-il's grooming of Kim Jong-un. Published just before daughter Ju-ae's public reappearance in April 2025, it has sparked speculation of her as heir. On New Year's Day 2026, Ju-ae visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun with her father for the first time, though state media still calls her his "beloved daughter" without naming a successor.
