Kim Jong Un Reelected as North Korea’s Ruling Party General Secretary

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been reelected as the general secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, state media reported Monday, February 23, 2026. The reelection took place on the fourth day of a party congress, with delegates praising Kim’s efforts to bolster the country’s nuclear arsenal.

Party Congress Praises Nuclear Buildup

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the decision to reelect Kim was made “with the unshakable will and unanimous desire of all the delegates” to the congress . This congress, the first since 2021 and only the fourth in 45 years, lauded Kim for transforming the North Korean military into a formidable force.

According to KCNA, the military is now “capable of coping with any threat of aggression on their own initiative and fully prepared for any form of war” .

Recent Developments

The reelection comes after Kim Jong Un opened the Ninth Party Congress on February 19, 2026, citing economic achievements over the past five years . The party congress meetings concluded on Sunday, February 22, 2026 .

Independent journalists were not granted access to cover the events, and the content distributed by the North Korean government cannot be independently verified .