JAKARTA - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been re-elected as General Secretary of the ruling Workers' Party, according to a report by state media KCNA.
It was set on the fourth day of the Labor Party Congress held every five years on Sunday, which was not surprising given that the Kim family has led Pyongyang since the late 1940s.
The government-run KCNA said that under Kim's leadership, North Korea had "significantly improved" its "war deterrence", "with nuclear power as its axis", reported the BBC (23/2).
Despite having long been under international sanctions, North Korea continues to build its nuclear capabilities, regularly testing banned intercontinental missiles. However, the regime's secrecy makes it difficult to assess how much progress the military has made.
Kim, who took control of the regime after his father's death in 2011, has invested heavily in a nuclear weapons program, making Pyongyang a much bigger challenge for the West, and especially the US.
He is expected to announce the next phase of the country's weapons program during the congress, which is now in its fourth day. Before it began, North Korea showed off what it called a series of nuclear-capable rocket launchers.
With some 5,000 party members in attendance, the congress offered a rare glimpse into the political power structure in North Korea, which remains quite opaque even for the most discerning observers.
The meetings are considered the most important political events and provide insight into the country's priorities, ranging from foreign policy to its nuclear ambitions.
Although Kim remains at the helm of North Korea, the party's congress presidium, or executive committee, has been overhauled since the last meeting in 2021. More than half of its 39 members have been replaced, according to state media.
In a speech opening last week's congress, Kim pledged to improve the country's economy and people's living standards, which he described as "heavy and urgent historic tasks".
And all eyes are on whether his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, will attend.
Earlier this month, South Korea's intelligence agency said Kim had chosen Ju Ae as his successor. Kim Ju Ae, believed to be 13, has become a more prominent figure at official events - inspecting missiles and attending Beijing military parades with her father.
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