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North Korea Codifies Nuclear Statehood and Hostile ‘Two-State’ Relations at 9th Party Congress

During the seven-day WPK conclave, Kim Jong Un introduced the “Haekpangasoe” system while reaffirming his will to beef up nuclear capabilities in a new five-year military development plan.

In this photo provided by North Korean state media, Kim Jong Un gives a speech at the concluding session of the Ninth Party Congress, Feb. 24, 2026.

The Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), which concluded its final session on February 25, fundamentally reordered the geopolitical framework of the Korean Peninsula. Through a comprehensive review of the party’s strategic direction, Kim Jong Un, the autocratic leader of North Korea, formalized the permanent severance of ties with South Korea and institutionalized a high-tech nuclear doctrine for the newly elected WPK leadership. 

The Ninth Congress – held for seven days from February 19 to 25 – served as a definitive proclamation that North Korea has moved beyond the era of nuclear aspiration, cementing its status as a permanent nuclear-armed state with an operationalized arsenal.

A pivotal outcome of the Congress was the formalization of “Haekpangasoe,” translated literally as “nuclear trigger.” In the report on the Ninth Congress released by Korean Central News Agency, North Korea’s state media outlet, Haekpangasoe represented an integrated nuclear crisis response system designed to ensure that the national nuclear shield could be operated promptly and accurately at any moment. 

By utilizing the term “trigger,” Pyongyang signaled a shift toward a more automated and responsive command-and-control structure, aimed at ensuring sensitive responsiveness to perceived threats. The technological upgrading of North Korea’s nuclear force effectively shifted the mission of the nuclear deterrent to include pre-emptive strike capabilities as stipulated by national law.

The report also detailed a new long-term national defense plan involving the introduction of AI-driven unmanned weapons and special assets for neutralizing enemy satellites. The mass deployment of 600 mm and new-type 240 mm multiple rocket launchers was designated as the primary means for deterring targets within the territory of South Korea. According to Pyongyang, its military modernization effort is a strategic necessity to neutralize the pressure from the United States and its regional allies.

Beyond military doctrine, the Ninth Congress laid out the “2026-2030 National Economic Development Five-Year Plan,” with a focus on total self-reliance and agricultural stability. The WPK set an ambitious annual grain production target of 9.5 million tons by 2030, supported by the planned reclamation of 300,000 hectares of tideland. This emphasis on food sovereignty is not merely a domestic policy but a prerequisite for the regime’s “two-state” stance. By aiming for agricultural autarky, Pyongyang seeks to eliminate any need for South Korean humanitarian aid, thereby reinforcing its permanent severance from Seoul. 

In the industrial sector, the goal to increase steel and chemical fiber production by 150 percent further demonstrates a strategic shift toward a siege economy capable of withstanding prolonged isolation. Simultaneously, North Korea reinforced its ideological fortress by intensifying the Anti-Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Law, specifically targeting the younger generation to insulate them from South Korean cultural influence and ensure absolute loyalty to the new two-state narrative.

The Ninth Congress marked the final and legal termination of 80 years of inter-Korean relations. Pyongyang officially defined South Korea as the “out-and-out first hostile state” and the “immutable principal enemy,” a move that effectively discarded long-standing policies based on ethnic solidarity or the pursuit of national reunification. North Korea also confirmed that all channels and spaces of contact in the southern border areas were physically blocked and were being militarily fortified. The shift toward a hostile “two-state” relationship led to the dissolution of various state organs and agencies in North Korea that had been tasked with inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation.

The North’s........

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