Kim Jong-un promoted to chairman of North Korea's ruling Workers Party
His predecessors will keep their posthumous titles of 'eternal general secretary' and 'eternal president'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Kim Jong-un has been named chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea at a rare party congress held in Pyongyang.
The first congress of the Workers' Party in 36 years, which opened on Friday, was scheduled to promote Kim to the "top post" of the party, according to state media.
During the congress, Kim Yong-nam, head of the North's parliament, read a roster of top party positions, calling Kim Jong-un Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea for the first time.
Kim had already been head of the party, but with the title of first secretary.
His predecessors will keep their posthumous titles. Kim Jong-Il remains "eternal general secretary" and Kim Il-Sung is still "eternal president".
The congress, which began Friday, has celebrated Kim's successes on the nuclear front and promised economic developments to boost the hermit nation's standard of living.
However, the congress has mostly put Kim front and centre in the eyes of the people and the party as the country's sole leader.
On Sunday, Kim Jong-un delivered a three-hour speech to delegates to review the country's situation and progress since the last congress was held, in 1980, before Kim was born.
He announced a five-year economic plan, the first made public since the 1980s.
During the speech, he said North Korea was a responsible nuclear state and said it would not use its nuclear weapons first, unless its sovereignty was threatened.
The speech underscored Kim's dual focus on building up the country's military while trying to kick-start its economy, which has seen some growth in recent years but remains hampered by international sanctions over its nuclear program.
Additional reporting by AP
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments