North Korea re-elects Kim Jong Un as leader, touts nuclear weapons progress

SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been re-elected as General Secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party, state media reported Monday, as the regime signaled plans to further expand its nuclear arsenal.

Thousands of party delegates gathered in Pyongyang for the national congress, a high-stakes meeting held every five years to dictate the country’s diplomatic, economic, and military strategies.

Top military officials swore oaths of loyalty to Kim on Sunday following the election, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The congress is widely viewed as a primary mechanism for Kim to consolidate his grip on power.

The party specifically highlighted Kim’s push to "radically" improve the nation's nuclear capabilities to counter unnamed rivals. Official statements claimed Kim has built a revolutionary military force ready to repel any invasion and fully prepared for all forms of warfare.

Kim Jong Un’s reappointment as General Secretary serves less as a political shift and more as a formalization of absolute authority. The true significance of the move lies in the overt prioritization of North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, a strategic signal of deterrence aimed squarely at Washington and Seoul. The message is clear: Pyongyang has no intention of pivoting toward denuclearization.

The convening of this rare party congress is a calculated maneuver to establish a strategic roadmap for the next five years while consolidating domestic power. By anchoring the state’s agenda to military milestones, Kim is signaling that the "military-first" doctrine remains the regime’s primary focus, regardless of intensifying international sanctions or diplomatic pressure.

Domestically, the congress functions as a choreographed display of stability intended to fortify the loyalty of the party and military elite. The public oaths of allegiance by high-ranking generals are critical rituals of subordination, institutionalizing the military's submission to the Supreme Leader. Internationally, the proceedings reaffirm that North Korea’s core security policy remains immutable. While rhetoric regarding "readiness for all forms of war" is a staple of Pyongyang’s brinkmanship, delivering such a proclamation from the platform of a national congress lends it significant weight. It reflects a regime deeply confident in its defensive posture and its ability to withstand external coercion.