The North Korean media has announced news of the 4th Chosun Workers’ Party Delegates’ Conference, which is to be held in mid-April, 2012.
It will be the first such major official Party conference since the 3rd Delegates’ Conference on September 28th, 2010, the event at which Kim Jong Eun was officially revealed as the successor to the late Kim Jong Il.
Workers’ Party publication Rodong Shinmun, citing the decision of the Politburo of the Party Central Committee, stated today, “Honoring for all time the sacred revolutionary life of comrade Kim Jong Il and his immortal revolutionary achievements whilst also uniting around comrade Kim Jong Eun so as to complete the work of Juche and the military-first revolution, we will convene a Party Delegates’ Conference in mid-April, Juche 101(2012).”
The conference is presumed to have been timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, which falls on April 15th. While it is unclear what the North Korean authorities are planning to achieve through the event, it is probable that it will be used to further elevate Kim Jong Eun in the ranks of the Party, possibly by endowing him with the title of Party General-Secretary.
