The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is to open the seventh national congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea today. housands of Pyongyang residents have been rehearsing the parades to be presented during the event.
The congress is the first in 36 years, and the first since the country's supreme leader Kim Jong Un took power in 2011. More than 3,000 party representatives from across the country will attend.
The congress is expected to last three to four days. Issues of economic development and improving people's livelihood are expected to be high on agenda.
DPRK gears up for biggest political gathering in 36 years
Thirty six years is a long time in politics in any country. The last time the DPRK held a worker's party congress was in 1980.
Kim Jong Un, the current leader wasn't born yet and his grandfather was in power. This video shows Jong Un's father who led the DPRK until the end of 2011.
This time of course things are different -at this workers' party congress we are expecting personnel changes that reflect that allies of Kim Jong Un will be appointed to higher positions within the party and consolidate his power.
ROK fears possible nuclear test as gathering nears
The world will be watching to see if the DPRK will declare itself a nuclear power. In fact, there have been reports in South Korea, and elsewhere, that the DPRK may conduct its fifth nuclear test in tandem with the congress to show off its military might.
In January this year the DPRK carried out a nuclear test that may have been powered by a hydrogen device. If DPRK claims are true, it would amount to a big leap in its technology. It has also been testing longer range missiles and space technology.
Back in the 1980's Pyongyang still had the backing of the then Soviet Union. China, historical ally, too, but the nuclear weapons tests, which began back in 2006 further isolated the DPRK.
Imposed sanctions a big backdrop to political gathering
Several rounds of sanctions passed by the UN Security Council culminated in resolution 2270, which imposed the toughest sanctions yet on the DPRK-especially on its shipping. The UN - with China's full cooperation - toughened financial sanctions and bans on arms shipments and, of course, nuclear and missile testing .
China has vowed to impose these sanctions to the letter, but has said that the underlying security issues on the Korean peninsula need to be addressed. The DPRK feels hemmed in by the South with tens of thousands of U.S. troops on its border. Beijing has urged the international community to try and address the long term security issues facing the DPRK.
"I think the American and South Korea's rejection of the recent proposal put forward North Korea might be a lost opportunity if not a mistake," said Wang Dong, director of School of Int'l Studies, Peking Univ.
For China the resumption of long stalled six party talks on the DPRK involving both Korean states China Russia the US and Japan should be resumed but in this current environment that is unlikely.
