North Korea party to give Kim Jong Un top title at congress

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korea's ruling party is preparing to bestow its top title on leader Kim Jong Un, another clear sign that the third heir to North Korea's dynasty of Kims is firmly in control despite his country's deepening international isolation over one of his key ambitions, to keep developing more and better nuclear weapons.

Along with being high political theater filled with pomp and ceremony — the congress is being held in a lavishly decorated hall decked out with bright red banners and flags bearing the party's hammer, sickle and pen symbol — the gathering is a major milestone for the young North Korean leader, who was not yet born when the previous congress was held in 1980.

The analysis said that overall activity at the site is low, but vehicles have been spotted at what is believed to be the Command Center, located approximately 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) south of the test site.

Since assuming power after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in 2011, Kim has pushed a "byongjin" guns-and-butter policy of developing North Korea's nuclear weapons while also building its domestic economy.