Report of Online Meeting About the 9th Congress of the Worker Party of Korea held on 14.03.2026.

 

The Korean Friendship Association of the UK (KFA UK ) and the British Group For the Study of the Juche Idea held an online meeting (via Jitsi meet) on the 14th of March at 1500 hours GMT about the 9th Congress of the Workers Party of Korea .

Participating in the meeting were members of KFA UK and the British Group for the Study of the Juche Idea from London ,Scotland ,Staffordshire and the north West as well as guests from KFA Germany  .Apologies for non attendance were received from KFA UK West of England .

Dr Dermot Hudson chairman of KFA UK and chairman of the British Group For the Study of the  Juche Idea explained the 9th Congress of the Workers Party of Korea was a large scale political event unseen in other parts of the world involving thousands of delegates and observers.

In  his presentation Dr Hudson said that in the past five years since the 8th Congress of the Workers Party of Korea great achievements have been made in all fields particularly the construction of 50,000 new homes in Pyongyang and 110,000 new homes in the countryside . At the same time the DPRK’s national defence capacity has been enhanced and international relations expanded .

At the congress an outline of work for the next five days was given .Particular stress is being put on health care .

The DPRK will continue to adhere to basic lines . Dr Hudson explained that “

“ The WPK will adhere to its tried and tested line of prioritising ideological work  . Indeed in his concluding speech respected comrade KIM JONG UN strongly emphasised the line of the three revolutions -ideological , cultural and technical -saying that  "These three revolutions are our Party’s general line in building socialism." . The three revolutions including the ideological revolution will be stepped up during the forthcoming period. Thus there is no change in the basic line of the WPK for building socialism . There is no backsliding.”

The chairman of KFA Germany said that “ The 9th Party Congress decided to further strengthen the DPRK's nuclear capabilities and key industries. I am convinced that under the leadership of respected Comrade KIM JONG UN, the Workers' Party of Korea will continue achieving miracles and improving the lives of the people in Korea.”

The head of KFA Hessen (Germany ) gave greetings to the Congress.

Questions and discussion followed about the structure of the Congress, fraternal messages and the international relations of the WPK.

Some practical tasks for KFA UK work were decided.

The head of Staffordshire KFA UK and secretary general of the British Group For the Study of the Juche Idea said that the DPRK is a the most advanced socialist country therefore  defence of the DPRK should be No 1 priority for socialist, anti-imperialists and progressives .

The meeting concluded at 16.10 hours GMT

Report of Central Election Committee

Pyongyang, March 16 (KCNA) -- The central election committee for the election of deputies to the 15th Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea issued the following report on March 15:

The election of deputies to the 15th Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is going on under the Law on the Elections of Deputies to the People's Assemblies at All Levels, amid the positive and unparalleled enthusiasm of all the voters to demonstrate the advantages and solidity of our state power with the people-first principle as its inherent political climate.

As of 18:00, voting was ended at all constituencies across the country and 99.99 percent of the electors registered on the voter rolls attended it.

 Overseas citizens of the DPRK staying in the homeland, too, took part in voting at their wishes.

 Those voters, troubled by aging or illness, cast their votes into mobile ballot boxes.

 The count of votes for the candidates for deputies to the SPA registered at relevant constituencies is being carried out at the constituency committees across the country. -0-

www.kcna.kp (2026.03.16.)

Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Votes in Election of SPA Deputies and Encourages Workers at Chonsong Youth Coal Mine

Pyongyang, March 16 (KCNA) -- The election of deputies to the 15th Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK took place at all the constituencies across the country on March 15 when the whole country was overflowing with the people's joy and excitement of greeting the historic day which would serve as an occasion to further consolidate the people-centered socialist system of Korean style and provide a powerful sovereign guarantee for the comprehensive development of the state.

Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, visited the Chonsong Youth Coal Mine under the Sunchon Area Youth Coal-mining Complex to vote at the polling station of the Sub-constituency No. 48 under the Constituency No. 150 for the election of SPA deputies.

When the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un arrived at the polling station, the coal miners and residents there broke into enthusiastic cheers, representing their boundless emotion and delight of being honored to have him, whom they longed to see even in their dreams, at their constituency on the meaningful election day which would serve as an occasion to consolidate the supreme power of the DPRK as firm as a rock with the hands of the people according to their will.

Kim Jong Un proceeded to the polling station, extending warm gratitude to the coal miners for having increased coal production to positively contribute to the development of the national economy with pure loyalty and gem-like patriotism to the Party and the revolution, the country and the people.

He was courteously greeted by Ri Kyong Chol, chief secretary of the South Phyongan Provincial Committee of the WPK, and leading officials of the Sunchon Area Youth Coal-mining Complex and the Chonsong Youth Coal Mine.

Accompanying him were Kim Jae Ryong, Ri Il Hwan, Kim Tok Hun and Kim Yo Jong, senior officials of the Party and the government.

Kim Jong Un received a voting card from the chairperson of the election committee and voted for Jo Chol Ho, manager of the Chonsong Youth Coal Mine under the Sunchon Area Youth Coal-mining Complex who is a SPA deputy candidate.

He met and had a conversation with Jo. He warmly encouraged Jo, hoping that Jo would faithfully discharge his responsibility and duty as a genuine representative of the people, a person directly engaged in sovereign activities and a political activist, deeply mindful that the trust and expectation of the coal miners and residents there mean the earnest requests of the country and the people.

Then he made a historic important speech to the voters of the coal mine.

All the participants were deeply moved by the passionate speech of Kim Jong Un who most highly appreciated the pure conscience and unknown efforts of the coal miners on behalf of the country and the times and unfolded a bright blueprint for transforming the coal mines across the country.

When Kim Jong Un finished his speech, they raised enthusiastic cheers, representing their boundless thanks to the outstanding leader of our revolution, the benevolent father of the people.

He learned about the conditions and production of the coal mine.

Underscoring again the importance of the coal industry's mission and role in ensuring the stable and sustained development of the national economy, he said that to shore up the coal front is a keystone of strategic significance not only in fulfilling the new five-year plan but also in developing the country in a forward-looking way.

He said that just as it is necessary to raise good crops for the living of the people, it is needed to increase the coal production for the running of a state. He stressed that the Party and the state should attach importance to the production of coal, the food of industry, and increase the state investment to it. He added that to build the Chonsong Youth Coal Mine into a standard one, where the mechanization and informatization of the work inside its pits are realized, is a starting point of the long-term project to transform the material and technical foundations of all the coal mines across the country and the working conditions of coal miners.

Whenever he looked back upon the arduous journey of our victorious struggle, he first thought of the unknown efforts of coal miners and always felt thankful for them, he said, adding that we should spare nothing for the coal miners. And he affirmed that it is the firm determination of the Party Central Committee to turn all the coal-mining villages into modern and cultural villages and towns during its ninth term, just like the Komdok area which has been ideally transformed in recent years, and that short-, medium- and long-term strategy for realizing it will be discussed at an earlier date.

That day, Kim Jong Un had a significant photo session with coal miners, labor innovators and officials of the Chonsong Youth Coal Mine in commemoration of his visit to it.

At the end of the photo session, the participants again broke into enthusiastic cheers, looking up to Kim Jong Un, which shook the mountains of the Chonsong area.

Warmly encouraging the coal miners full of great excitement, Kim Jong Un expressed expectation and belief that the workers of the coal mine would glorify the first year of implementing the decisions of the Party Congress with proud successes in increased production in redoubled and uplifted spirit filled with fresh confidence and optimism.

The workers of the Chonsong Youth Coal Mine, deeply moved by strong passion and affection, warm love and trust of the great father, firmly pledged to demonstrate their absolute support for the decisions of the Ninth Congress of the WPK through patriotic efforts for increased coal production and reliably guarantee the prosperity and development of the DPRK, bearing deeper in mind the honorable sense of obligation of defending the outpost for the development of the self-supporting economy.

Kim Jong Un's visit to the Chonsong Youth Coal Mine marked a historic occasion that finally broke with the technical and cultural backwardness in the coal industry and declared a fresh start for civilization and modernization, and an important political occasion that injected great vitality into the dynamic advance of the DPRK towards the comprehensive development. -0-

www.kcna.kp (2026.03.16.)

조선중

Comrade Kim Jong Un's Speech to Workers and Officials of Chonsong Youth Coal Mine

 

Pyongyang, March 16 (KCNA) -- The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un voted in the election of deputies to the Supreme People's Assembly at the Chonsong Youth Coal Mine and made a speech to the workers and officials of the coal mine.

The full text of his speech is as follows:

Dear voters,

Workers and officials of the Chonsong Youth Coal Mine, who are working with devotion for the country’s prosperity at an outpost of our self-supporting economy,

Comrades,

Today, here at the Chonsong Youth Coal Mine under the Sunchon Area Youth Coal-mining Complex, one of the leading coal mines in our country, I voted for a representative to the supreme power organ of our state.

I feel very pleased to have voted for a working-class candidate on the day of election to the Supreme People’s Assembly, the 15th of its kind in the history of our Republic, and to be seeing you, coal miners, whom I have always respected in my mind.

I would like to avail myself of this opportunity to extend warm encouragement to the workers and officials of the Chonsong Youth Coal Mine, who are reliably defending a part of the coal-mining front with a pure heart of faithfully and sincerely supporting the Party and the state and through an indomitable labour struggle.

I also express my gratitude to all the voters across the country, who are taking an active part in the election of the Deputies with a faith and pride in our socialist cause, with the awareness of being masters of state power and with patriotic enthusiasm.

I am in firm belief that, through today’s election, our people’s power will be consolidated as firm as a rock once again with the genuine representatives of the people and the functions and role of our Republic’s government further enhanced as required by the new stage of transformation.

Comrades,

Today is a significant day when the coal miners of Chonsong elect their representative who will take part in administering state affairs.

Every citizen of our Republic exercises the right to vote, but I don’t think it is easy for everyone to go to the polls with great pride and honour.

In our country advancing the socialist cause while blazing a new path of history, the working class is the most powerful force of creation and transformation and the vanguard that leads the whole society by dint of steadfast revolutionary spirit and noble traits.

Among them, the workers in the coal-mining sector are the hard core of the country performing the most valuable feats in the vanguard of state building.

The achievements the coal miners here in Chonsong made through a devoted struggle also formed part of the cornerstones of the steps of eye-opening advance and development our state ascended in the especially difficult and arduous last decade.

By writing an admirable chronicle of struggle in every decade of the revolution in defending the lifeline of the national economy and the rejuvenation and prosperity of the country, they have made uninterrupted innovations in coal production, rising up more vigorously without hesitation even in the face of hardships in the recent years.

It is impossible to describe their painstaking efforts with a few words.

I cannot but feel deep reverence for them to think that there is the path of patriotism the most beautiful and purest persons follow all their life under this ground people tread on casually and that the traces of unyielding efforts are unmistakable at every bend of the path.

There are a lot of families of patriotic miners working here at this colliery for three generations. Without genuine affection for this country, they could not have worked in such deep pits generation after generation–a job which other people find it hard to engage in.

As they are honest citizens who live for the good of their country with such faith and conscience, our coal miners are all the more valuable and trustworthy.

I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to you again for your patriotic heart of devoting your precious sweat and enthusiasm unsparingly to the buildup of the lifeline of our self-supporting economy and to the stronger pulse of our era, as well as for your heroic struggle for, and exploits in, supporting our Party and state with devoted efforts at deep underground pits.

Availing myself of this opportunity, I also extend warm greetings to the miners’ wives and mothers who are making sincere, devoted efforts for the country’s coal production, sharing mind with their husbands and children, and also to the retired meritorious miners.

Comrades,

Coal is, as ever, the food for our industry and driving force for the development of our self-supporting economy.

The faster our progress gets and the faster our ideals turn into reality, the more urgent the need for coal is.

The fuel and raw materials for the backbone industries that serve as an engine of our state in pursuing prosperity and rejuvenation come just from coal.

For this reason, the Ninth Party Congress held recently set it as the struggle target of the coal-mining industry for the coming five years to boost its output 1.2 times what it is now.

As the Chonsong Youth Coal Mine has dug mountains of coal with great patriotic enthusiasm from each of the pits sharing their lifeline with the capital city of Pyongyang all the time, I believe that the mine will play the active role of a powerful engine in the lead of the struggle to attain the target of the new five-year plan by displaying such daring fighting morale and mettle.

You have been heroic and innovative, and I hope you will continue to exalt your great honour as eternal pacesetters and paragons of the coal-mining industry.

Comrades,

The Party Congress decided it as a major strategic task during the new long-term plan to build dwellings for coal miners, facelift the coal-mining areas and technically upgrade the coal-mining industry.

In the era, when the whole country is undergoing transformation and making progress, it is an important task which brooks no further delay and slackness and which our Party and state have to carry out without fail.

Along with another resolute revolution to eliminate the backward appearance of the coal-miners’ villages far removed from the country’s prestige and the requirements of the times, the most advanced new life and new culture of the working class will take its undisputed position in the centre of our times.

Comrades,

It is unavoidable for us to face challenges and obstacles in the way of our advance, but the citizens of our Republic who love their state and system and cherish steadfast faith in socialism and indomitable revolutionary spirit will always achieve successful results on the strength of their concerted efforts and unity.

Respected comrade coal miners in Chonsong,

The Party Central Committee firmly believes in you.

Let us achieve our beautiful and sacred ideals without fail, giving full play to the dignity and courage, wisdom and bravery of the heroic working class.

Let us make more passionate, innovative and persistent efforts to glorify ours as a country which will be powerful and prosperous for ever.

I wish all the coal miners of the Chonsong Youth Coal Mine good health and their families delight and happiness. -0-

www.kcna.kp (2026.03.16.)

Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Plants Trees in Saeppyol Street on Tree-planting Day

Pyongyang, March 15 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, planted trees at the pondside park in Saeppyol Street on March 14, the tree-planting day.

Present at the tree planting were major leading cadres of the Party and the government, families of the martyrs of the overseas military operations who moved into their new houses in Saeppyol Street, officials of the Party and power organs in Hwasong District and students of revolutionary schools.

The participants were filled with great excitement and joy as they were to plant trees in the presence of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un in Saeppyol Street, a new street in the capital city where all the people across the country pay their respect and which represents the honor of our generation and pride of our state.

Ri Il Hwan, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau and secretary of the Central Committee of the WPK, made a speech on tree planting.

He said today's tree-planting ceremony, held along with the start of the spring in 2026, is a manifestation of the sincerity to always remember the true patriots who added a new page to the history of the DPRK's glorious dignity and to add luster to the desire of the martyrs who wished their beloved motherland eternal prosperity with youthfulness, and an expression of the noble will to spruce up the country more beautifully and improve the environment of the capital city more wonderfully.

Noting that the unanimous intention and mind cherished in the hearts of all the people are to be planted together with trees, he added that it represents the sincerest love and thanks to the heroes and the patriotic mission and mind, fervent and invariable like theirs.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, together with other participants, planted for a long time the trees which will become new witnesses to the prospering capital city, saying that the true image of our generation following the noble spirit of heroic soldiers and reliably carrying forward the tradition of invincibility should be reflected, along with the history of the country growing stronger, in every tree that will grow with the souls of the martyrs of the overseas military operations, adding beauty to the landscape of Saeppyol Street full of joy of moving into new houses.

He said that the martyrs of the overseas military operations were the ardent ones who loved their native places, parents, wives and children more warmly than any others, and the ones strong in their ideological and mental power who turned the flavor and beautiful memory of the hometown, provided by a handful of earth they each had taken in the homeland, into their indomitable heroism under a shower of fire on the alien battlefields.

He hoped that the noble spirit of the martyrs would deeply permeate this land to build a solid pillar of patriotism in the hearts of all the people and help train all the coming generations to be the most righteous human beings.

Patriotism is the source of enthusiasm giving birth to the unlimited miraculous might and the driving force for creation and changes, he said, adding we will surely build a prosperous and strong country, the most powerful one in the world, by dint of great patriotism.

The participants lavished their sincerity on tree planting, cherishing the noble intention of the great father as the immutable truth and true value of patriotism.

The meaningful tree planting in Saeppyol Street, which took place in the presence of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, was an event of great significance that added vitality to the capital city and the great country to be eternally thriving and implanted true patriotism in the minds of the people. -0-

www.kcna.kp (2026.03.15.)

KPA Long-range Artillery Sub-unit in Western Area Conducts Firepower Strike Drill

Pyongyang, March 15 (KCNA) -- A long-range artillery sub-unit of the Korean People's Army in the western area conducted a firepower strike drill on March 14.

The drill involved twelve 600mm-calibre ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies.

Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, observed the firepower strike drill on the spot.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un stated briefly that the drill was aimed at making the army do what it should do.

He said that the drill would expose the forces hostile to the DPRK, the enemies within the 420-km striking range, to uneasiness, making a signaling wave stronger than the aimed, and give them a deep understanding of the destructive power of tactical nuclear weapon.

He affirmed that the drill is a regular one for checking the DPRK's defensive posture and war deterrence and such drill will be frequently conducted in the future, too.

He authorized Full General Jang Chang Ha, general director of the Missile Administration accompanying him, to command the drill, and came out to the launching position to give an instruction on the firing method.

At the central command post, Jang Chang Ha gave an order to open fire.

Making the deafening sound rending the air, multiple rocket companies opened fire in waves.

The launched rockets battered the island target in the East Sea of Korea about 364.4 km away with the accuracy of 100 percent, proving once again the destructive capability of their concentration strike and the system's military value once again.

After overseeing the firing drill, he spoke highly of the soldiers of the artillery sub-unit for being prepared for deftly handling the state-of-the-art multiple rocket launcher system. Then he once again praised the combat performance of the 600mm-calibre ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers, saying:

"It is indeed a very deadly yet attractive weapon.

Worldwide, there exists no tactical weapon that surpasses the performance of this weapon system.

This will be so in the coming few years.

Certainly, however, we will never mark time till that time, being content with this.

I always hold our defence scientists in respect and appreciate them for developing such a weapon system.

As I have already stated, our powerful attacking capability is, in effect, for defending ourselves.

It is because the most powerful attacking capability precisely means a reliable defence capability.

It is, in the true sense of the word, a means of deterring war.

But in case such deterrents of a defensive nature do not prevent foreign forces from launching an armed provocation or invading our state to jeopardize the security of its sovereignty, they will immediately be used for their second mission, i.e., as a means of massive, destructive strike.

As I have said several times, if this weapon is used, the opponent's military infrastructure within its striking range can never survive.

Our Party and the government of the Republic will maintain durable peace by means of powerful military capabilities.

Peace is something that should be defended rather than desired."

Kim Jong Un stressed the need for all units of the army at different levels to organize and wage high-intensity practical maneuvers under the simulated conditions of an actual war, true to the Party's policy of bringing about a radical turn in training, and maintain their full response posture to thoroughly frustrate any provocation by the enemies with overwhelmingly strong power. -0-

www.kcna.kp (2026.03.15.)

Report of Central Election Committee

Pyongyang, March 13 (KCNA) -- The central election committee for the election of deputies to the 15th Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea issued the following report on March 13:

All constituencies across the country made public their registered candidates for the election of deputies to the 15th Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK at a time when a new journey toward greater transformation has started in hearty response to the grand struggle programme set forth by the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea.

The registration of candidates for deputies was decided at the meetings of voters for examining the qualifications of candidates for deputies to the SPA according to the Law of the DPRK on the Elections of Deputies to the People's Assemblies at All Levels.

The meetings were attended by working people in relevant constituencies and officials of institutions, enterprises and organizations who can represent the will of the voters. They fully exercised the responsibility and rights granted by the voters.

The participants in the meetings fairly examined and appreciated whether the nominated candidates for deputies to the SPA have qualifications as representatives of the people and expressed support for the citizens who are enjoying deep trust of the masses for having made devoted efforts for the development of the country and the interests of the people with transparent loyalty to the leader, strong Party spirit, revolutionary spirit and popular spirit.

The constituency committees for the election of deputies to the 15th Supreme People's Assembly registered citizens who received a majority votes among the nominated candidates as candidates for deputies to be elected in relevant constituencies.

The constituency committees made public candidates for deputies registered at all polling booths and are introducing them. -0-

www.kcna.kp (2026.03.13.)