Key Points at N. Korean President Kim's Concluding Speech at WPK's Congress

President of North Korea Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, made a conclusion at the Eighth Congress of the WPK.

The congress, which ran for eight days in Pyongyang, is the first since 2016, and just the second since 1980.

In comments that were apparently aimed at pressuring the incoming Biden administration, Kim labeled the United States as the North's "principal enemy" and said the fate of bilateral relations would depend on whether Washington discards what Pyongyang perceives as hostile policies.

On Tuesday, Kim, cemented his power at the congress. Kim, during the congress, was also named as the ruling party's general secretary, a title formerly held by his late father and grandfather, in a move apparently aimed at further bolstering his authority.

The results of the congress highlighted how Kim is continuing to tighten state control over society as well as the economy.

The eight-day Workers’ Party congress came as Kim faces what appears to be the toughest moment of his nine-year rule.

Pandemic-related border closures and floods and typhoons that wiped out summer crops further shocked an economy already devastated by mismanagement and U.S.-led sanctions over his nuclear weapons program.

“We must further strengthen the nuclear war deterrent while doing our best to build up the most powerful military strength,” Kim said during his closing remarks at the congress, which were published by state media.

Kim said the country must “continue to give fresh spur” in making the military more elite and powerful so that it could cope with “any form of threat and emergency.

“The hostile forces will try to check our advance more frantically, and the world will watch how the political declaration and fighting program of our (party) are realized,” he said..

Kim also called for reasserting greater state control over the economy, boosting agricultural production and prioritizing the development of chemicals and metal industries in a five-year plan. Outside experts say such sectors would be crucial to North Korean hopes to revitalize industrial production that has been decimated by sanctions and halted imports of factory materials amid the pandemic.

There are signs that the North is taking dramatic steps to strengthen government control over markets, including suppressing the use of U.S. dollars and other foreign currencies.

Such measures, which are apparently aimed at forcing people to exchange their foreign currency savings for the North Korean" won", demonstrate the government's sense of urgency over its depleting foreign currency reserves.

Foreign currencies have been broadly used in both trade and private market transactions in North Korea since 2009 when a botched currency revaluation under the rule of Kim's father sparked hyperinflation and public unrest.

During the congress, Kim doubled down on his ambitions to expand the North's nuclear capabilities and announced plans to develop more sophisticated military assets, including longer-range missiles that could potentially target the American homeland, new tactical nuclear weapons, nuclear-powered submarines, spy satellites and hypersonic weapons.

It's unclear whether the North is fully capable of acquiring such systems. While the country is believed to have accumulated at least dozens of nuclear weapons, outside estimates on the exact status of its nuclear and missiles programs vary widely.

Covid 19

North Korean government used unnecessary and opaque Covid-19 restrictions in 2020 to reinforce its standing as one of the world’s most repressive countries. Under the rule of Kim, the third leader of the nearly 75-year Kim dynasty, the totalitarian government maintained a reign of fear through arbitrary imprisonment, unpaid forced labor, torture, enforced disappearance, and execution.

Sealing the borders with China and Russia, and extreme restrictions in response to Covid-19 far exceeded public health protection needs, leaving North Koreans more isolated than ever. The authorities intensified already tight restrictions on communications with the outside world, and created “buffer zones” on the northern border with orders to “unconditionally shoot” on sight anybody entering without permission..

“Kim’s government used Covid-19 restrictions as a pretext to further entrench totalitarian rule and keep North Koreans isolated from the rest of the world.,

In 2020, the North Korean government continued to prioritize developing strategic weapons over reducing poverty, allocating enormous resources that could have been used to address food security, health, and other social needs.

The country was hit by severe floods between June and September that destroyed crops, roads, and bridges, and undermined the country’s agricultural production plan. The government continued to rebuff international diplomatic engagement and repeatedly rejected offers of international aid.