Ahead of the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea: Expectations, Speculation, and Forecasts

On February 7, 2026, the 27th meeting of the Politburo of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) was held. It unanimously adopted a resolution to open the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang in the second half of February 2026.

Predictions that aren’t predictions

The upcoming congress, it seems, will not be a formal event. The previous congress was held at the very beginning of 2021, while the current one has been postponed until February. Judging by the political activity of Chairman of State Affairs Kim Jong-un, the congress will not begin until all administrative and economic projects scheduled for completion within the five-year plan are ceremoniously launched. Then the congress will truly be able to seriously take stock of what has been accomplished.

Domestic Political Context: Congress of the Victors

In this context, some Russian political scientists, including the author, expect the congress to be somewhat more open in terms of open discussion of problems. Generally, such events are already held quite openly, but a number of Kim Jong-un’s recent speeches indicate that topics previously discussed in private are now being aired publicly. Kim speaks calmly about structural problems and may even suggest live on air that the Deputy Prime Minister “resign of his own accord.” Therefore, it is quite likely that the level of discussion at the next congress will also increase.

What’s important here is this: this isn’t about transparency for the sake of transparency. Apparently, North Korea has indeed successfully accomplished the vast majority of its assigned tasks, and this allows Kim Jong-un, on the one hand, to honestly declare victory, and on the other, to conduct a major debriefing devoted to the shortcomings that emerged during this process and how they should be overcome.

Personnel and Ideological Changes

In this context, the author expects great things from the congress, specifically in terms of internal work with party members. In his........

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