It’s Party Time In North Korea, Will It Conclude With No One Getting Executed?

Kim Jong-un’s big political convention in North Korea has begun, hopefully for the attendees no one gets dragged off and executed before it is over:

North Korea kicked off its rare party congress at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang, the first in 36 years, according to foreign media reports. The North’s state media has yet to publish any reports on the gathering.

The event is the first party congress since October 1980 and also the first under the current leader, who assumed power in late 2011 following the sudden death of his father, Kim Jong-il.

“North Korea appears to seek to establish the socialist party-centered system and further consolidate the Kim Jong-un regime through the party congress,” Jeong Joon-hee, a spokesman at Seoul’s unification ministry, said at a regular press briefing on Wednesday.

The party congress, which may last for three to four days, starts with an opening speech by the North’s young leader, which will serve as a gauge for his policy directions. North Korea’s state media has not yet made public its leader’s keynote address.

Later in the day, the WPK’s central committee will hold a session to review accomplishments and discuss future plans. On the final day of the event, it is expected to elect new members to the party central committee. [Yonhap]

You can read the rest at the link, but really the only thing of interest I expect to see come out of this is if Kim Yo-jong is promoted to a higher position within the Kim regime.