North Korea is holding its most important political gathering in a generation, where Kim Jong-un will confirm his status as leader. The country’s first full Congress in decades is being closely watched for any shift in policies or changes in political leadership.
Mr Kim is expected to reassert his nuclear ambitions, amid speculation he will soon conduct a fifth nuclear test. Foreign media have been invited but are not allowed inside the venue. It is the seventh meeting of North Korea’s Worker’s Party and the first since 1980, and is being held inside the April 25 House of Culture.
The agenda and duration of the event is not known but experts say Kim Jong-un is likely to declare his so-called “byongjin” policy, which is the simultaneous push towards economic development and nuclear capability. It could also see a new generation of leaders put in place.
The meeting will elect a new central committee, which appoints a Politburo – the central decision-making body of the Communist party – and many say loyalists to the current leader will be rewarded with high profile posts.