DPRK's 8th Party Congress opens with top leader's address

PYONGYANG - The eighth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) opened here on Tuesday, with top DPRK leader Kim Jong-un delivering an opening address, reported official media on Wednesday.

The congress was convened in order to comprehensively and strictly review the work of the party's central committee, clearly reconfirm the exact orientation and duty in its struggle for winning a bigger victory in the socialist cause and take measures for substantial improvement, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

Kim delivered a report on the work of the party's seventh central committee on the first day of the eighth congress, it said.

According to the report, the congress will "discuss and decide on a fresh line of struggle and strategic and tactical policies for making a radical leap forward in the development of the Party and socialist construction".

Members of the leadership body of the party's seventh central committee and delegates elected by the party's organizations at all levels attended the congress.

The congress elected its presidium and secretariat, and elected Kim to the presidium, the report said. According to its agenda, the congress will review the work of the party's central committee and the Central Audit Commission, and elect the party's central leadership body.

This Party Congress, which may run for several days, is the second one under Kim. The seventh Party Congress was convened in May 2016.