The sixth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) at the April 25
House of Culture, in Pyongyang, between 10 and 14 October 1980
The last congress was held way back in October 1980 under North Korea's founding leader and party supremo Kim Il-Sung.
North Korea announced today it would convene a congress of its ruling
Workers' Party for the first time in 35 years, reviving a forum last
gathered under the rule of current leader Kim Jong-Un's grandfather, Kim
Il-Sung.
The congress only the seventh since the official founding of the party in 1945 will be held in May 2016
The congress only the seventh since the official founding of the party in 1945 will be held in May 2016
Kim Il-Sung's son and successor Kim Jong-Il never called a congress and
next year's gathering will also be the first for third generation Kim
dynasty leader Kim Jong-Un.
The decision is clearly partly attributable to the fact that this year is the 70th anniversary of the ruling party's founding a milestone marked with a massive military parade and multiple celebrations in Pyongyang earlier this month.
The Worker's Party was originally conceived, under Soviet patronage, as a classic communist entity guided by Marxist-Leninist ideology.
But as the leadership of Kim Il-Sung spawned a personality cult that went into overdrive in the late 1960s, it was redefined as the party of the leader, and has remained so ever since.
After Kim Il-Sung's death in 1994, Kim Jong-Il instituted a "military first" policy that saw a shift in influence from party officials to the generals.
When Kim Jong-Un, took over following his father's death in 2011, the party regained some lost ground as he replaced scores of powerful military commanders and forged alliances with influential party officials.
The decision is clearly partly attributable to the fact that this year is the 70th anniversary of the ruling party's founding a milestone marked with a massive military parade and multiple celebrations in Pyongyang earlier this month.
The Worker's Party was originally conceived, under Soviet patronage, as a classic communist entity guided by Marxist-Leninist ideology.
But as the leadership of Kim Il-Sung spawned a personality cult that went into overdrive in the late 1960s, it was redefined as the party of the leader, and has remained so ever since.
After Kim Il-Sung's death in 1994, Kim Jong-Il instituted a "military first" policy that saw a shift in influence from party officials to the generals.
When Kim Jong-Un, took over following his father's death in 2011, the party regained some lost ground as he replaced scores of powerful military commanders and forged alliances with influential party officials.
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