On Aug. 19, the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea met for its sixth Plenary Meeting since 2016, where leaders decided to hold a party congress sometime in Jan. 2021, months before it was required by party statutes.

In the meeting, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un referred to a new five-year economic plan for the DPRK. State media also revealed several demotions among top leadership, dropped clues about the departments newly appointed directors are heading and underscored the trend of strengthening party institutions.

The party congress, which normally used as an opportunity to show off