Kim Jong Un's Reappointment Hailed as Supreme Triumph

North Korea's most powerful man just kept the same job, and "the entire people across the country were moved by endless excitement and exaltation"—or so claimed state media. Kim Jong Un's reappointment as general secretary of the ruling Workers' Party prompted a glowing editorial in the Rodong Sinmun that hailed him as "the greatest person in the world" who has delivered "unimaginable achievements" in the past five years that would have taken others centuries, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The paper credited Kim with securing "absolute" top-tier military might and claimed he personally directed three "miracles" in the city of Sinuiju, reports the Korea JoongAng Daily: personally directing a major flood rescue, rebuilding the affected area, and finishing a modern greenhouse farm. The Journal notes the over-the-top praise underscores how central the leader's personality cult remains to controlling a country beset by malnutrition, poverty, and reported human-rights abuses. The party congress that renewed Kim's title is the first since 2021 and is expected to set fresh five-year goals for the economy and military. Per the editorial, under Kim "our future is infinitely bright and promising."