Feature: Pyongyang in festive mood ahead of all-important ruling party congress

Pyongyang, the capital city of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), has been enveloped in joyful atmosphere ahead of a national congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).

Thousands of Pyongyang residents are still busy making final rehearsals for the parades to be presented during the conference that will open on Friday and presumably last three to four days.

Students, farmers and workers have trained day and night for nearly a month at Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang for the parades. Traffic was often cut to facilitate the rehearsals.

Huge and massive slogans are seen everywhere in the streets to greet the party congress. Among them are two of the most popular political slogans: "Let Us Greet the Party's 7th Congress With High Enthusiasm and Great Fruits of Labor!" and "To Open up the Golden Time for Building a Thriving Country."

The party flag, which features a sickle to represent farmers, a hammer for workers and a writing brush for intellectuals, is flown on various buildings.

Pyongyang has described the upcoming congress as "a glorious meeting of victors," which will be attended by more than 3,000 party representatives from across the country.

The meeting is the first of its kind in 36 years and the first since the country's supreme leader Kim Jong Un took power in 2011. The previous conference was held during the years of Kim Il Sung, the young Kim's grandfather. The young Kim's father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il, had never held a party congress in the 18 years in power.

A nationwide "70-day Battle" campaign was launched in late February to mobilize party members and the public to work harder and show loyalty to the party and its central leadership.

During this campaign, working hours were extended and the people were encouraged to deliver more achievements for the "heyday for building a thriving country." To facilitate the commuters who have to work longer than before, the running time of Pyongyang's metro has also been extended by one hour between mid-March and the end of May.

Under the DPRK's arrangement, about 110 foreign journalists have arrived in Pyongyang and made a tour to the revolutionary sites and symbolic places of interests in the city, such as the newly renovated Mangyongdae Children's Palace.

Rodong Sinmun, the party's mouthpiece, on Wednesday issued a lengthy essay entitled "Go Along the Revolutionary Road Until Forever" to promote the party congress. All major newspapers have published stories almost every day of the DPRK's development achievements under the leadership of the ruling party.

By now, a number of factories are reported to have met their production targets for the first half or the whole year.

Pyongyang announced in late October last year that the party will convene a rare congress in early May of 2016.

The congress was highlighted by observers not only as a decision-making occasion when the ruling party mulls new economic policies, sets up medium- and long-term development plans, but also a chance for the DPRK to strengthen the army and people's loyalty to the leadership.

It is expected that issues like how to improve people's livelihood and reshuffle the central leadership will be high on the agenda of this congress.

To boast Kim Jong Un's theoretical accomplishment, the conference is predicated by some foreign media to emphasize his idea of "Line of Byungjin," which envisions the concurrent development of nuclear weapons and national economy.

Observers are also closely following the DPRK's next step in face of economic challenges, stricter UN sanctions and deteriorating ties with South Korea. But one thing is for sure: the congress will further consolidate Kim's absolute authority and the party's rule. Endi