Rodong Shinmun has once again implied that the Chosun Workers’ Party Delegates’ Conference is on the brink of coming to pass, trumpeting in today’s editorial, entitled, “Let’s brighten without end the Party construction of the great Comrade Kim Jong Il!” that, “Now, the historical Delegates’ Conference and 65th Founding Day of the Party are approaching…”
Meanwhile, Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun and Radio Free Asia (RFA) have both published reports pointing to days this week; the 15th and 14th respectively.
Yomiuri Shimbun cited a source as saying, “Delegates from the provinces are on standby in Pyongyang after registering themselves as delegates by the 13th. According to information from Pyongyang, it is prepared and will be held on the 15th.”
RFA reported a different Chongjin source as saying, “Delegates in Pyongyang have reported by phone that the Delegates’ Conference will be held on the 14th.”
Meanwhile, Director of the National Intelligence Service Won Sei Hoon told a meeting of the Intelligence Committee of the National Assembly yesterday, “Since North Korea stated ‘early September,’ I assume that it will likely be held this week.”
Regardless, unlike in South Korea, where the same term carries the meaning “10 days”, according to “Chosun Language Dictionary” published by the Social Sciences Publishing Company of North Korea in 2004, the same term means “’the first half of the month” in North Korea, leaving little room for maneuver if the event is to be held within the stated period.
