1st LD Writethru: DPRK wraps up ruling party congress

The ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has wrapped up its 7th Congress which lasted four days and top leader Kim Jong Un delivered a closing speech, the country's state television reported Monday.

Kim gave thanks to the representatives at the congress, all party members, military officers and people for electing him the chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), and pledged to spare no efforts to struggle for the final success of the Juche revolutionary cause.

Kim Jong Un was elected chairman of the WPK at the 7th Congress of the ruling party. He had already been the head of the party, but with the title of the first secretary of the party.

The announcement was made by Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly.

Kim became the supreme commander of the Korean People's Army in December 2011 and the first chairman of the National Defense Commission in April, 2012. He is also holding the title of chairman of the Central Military Commission of the party.

Meanwhile, Choe Ryong Hae and Pak Pong Ju have been elected to the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee, raising the number of the committee members from three to five, according to an announcement made by Kim Yong Nam in the afternoon.

Previously, the members of the committee included Kim Jong Un, Kim Yong Nam and Hwang Pyong So, director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army.

Nineteen members and nine alternate members were declared as members of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee.

The meeting also elected nine vice chairmen of the central committee of the WPK, including Choe Ryong Hae and Kim Ki Nam, who used to be the secretaries of the Secretariat.

The vice chairmen constitute a newly-created institution under the party's central committee.

Changes were made to the party's organization of core leadership. The congress did not announce the secretaries of the central committee, while some who had been secretaries of the Secretariat were given new posts as vice chairmen of the party's central committee.

Kim Yong Nam also announced 11 members of the central military commission and the members of the central review committee of the ruling party.

The editor-in-chief of the party's mouthpiece, Rodong Sinmun, was also appointed.

Kim Yong Nam also announced the names of chairman and vice chairman of the central inspection committee of the party.

The ruling party's 7th Congress opened Friday, the first time in 36 years and the first party congress since Kim Jong Un took power in late 2011.

Kim Jong Un delivered a three-hour work report of the Central Committee of the party and stressed that the DPRK will in the long run hold fast to the strategic line of "Byungjin," or the parallel development of nuclear weapons and national economy as long as the nuclear threat posed by imperialists continues.

Kim in his speech again claimed the DPRK to be a nuclear weapons state, which was never acknowledged by the international society. He said the DPRK will strive for world denuclearization and faithfully fulfill obligations of nuclear non-proliferation as a responsible nuclear weapons state.

Massive parades and a torch march are expected to take place Tuesday in Pyongyang to celebrate the success of the congress. Enditem