Developments in North Korean politics and foreign policy following the Party Congress.
On May 6-9, the ruling Workers' Party of Korea held its Seventh Congress, 36 years after the sixth in 1980. Kim Jong-un gained a new title as Party chairman; hitherto he was 'first secretary'. Stage-managed in typical Pyongyang fashion, the Congress reaffirmed pursuit of both nuclear weapons and economic development. A new five-year plan was announced, but no details were given, nor any hint of market reforms.
Kim Jong-un's position as leader is now both fully formalised and more firmly secured.
The Party's leading role has been reaffirmed, while the military's power is being reined in.
Despite some promotions of new blood, North Korea remains a gerontocracy (Kim aside).
Nuclear defiance apart, few concrete policy clues were offered in any direction.
