Seoul, February 27 – North Korean leader Kim Jong-un used the latest party congress as an opportunity to consolidate his power base for a long-term hold, effectively marking the beginning of his own era, Seoul's unification ministry said on Friday.
In an assessment of North Korea's ninth party congress, which concluded its seven-day run on Wednesday, the ministry said that in his 15th year in office, the incumbent leader declared "the Kim Jong-un era in full measure."
At the first party congress in five years, Kim was re-elected as the general secretary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) to strengthen the country's nuclear deterrence under his leadership. The days-long party congress, held only every five years, offers a rare glimpse into the workings of a nation where even mundane details are shrouded in secrecy.
Regarding the grounds for this assessment, the ministry cited the omission of expressions of deference towards the 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 boasting about Kim Jong-un's achievements, which the North claimed surpassed those of his predecessors.
Meanwhile, the unification ministry said that North Korea replaced about half of the party officials in the central leadership at the party congress, assessing this move as a personnel reshuffle aimed at prioritizing officials' performance.
The WPK elected 139 members and 111 alternate members of its central committee at the party gathering. Of the 250 members, 139 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, Yonhap news agency reported.
However, since assuming power in 2011, Kim has emphasized the need to also strengthen the impoverished nation's economy.
