North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been re-elected as General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, the party's highest position. The re-election was justified by claims that he elevated North Korea to "the pinnacle of self-respect and self-reliance" through nuclear weapons development.
The Korean Central News Agency reported on the 23rd that this resolution was adopted at the fourth-day session of the 9th Party Congress held on the 22nd. The congress made "a momentous decision to elect the head of the Workers' Party of Korea," with participants "fully supporting and endorsing the solemn proposal to once again elect Comrade Kim Jong Un to the highest position of the Workers' Party of Korea."
The Workers' Party of Korea's charter stipulates that the General Secretary, who "represents the party and organizes and leads the entire party," shall be elected at the Party Congress held every five years.
Kim's highest party title has changed several times since he came to power: from First Secretary in his early years, to Chairman at the 7th Party Congress in 2016, and then to General Secretary at the 8th Party Congress in 2021.
The resolution stated that Chairman Kim "built revolutionary armed forces fully prepared to proactively respond to any invasion threat and ready for any form of war." It added that "the nation's war deterrence capability centered on nuclear forces has been dramatically enhanced despite the stern challenges of history."