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SEOUL, April 20 (UPI) -- Kim Jong Un was selected to represent the Seventh Party Congress by Workers' Party representatives in Pyongyang, a week after he was chosen to represent the military at the event. "Representatives of the Workers' Party in Pyongyang convened at the People's Palace of Culture on April 19 and 20," stated North Korean news agency KCNA.
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The move to select Kim was unanimous, state media reported.
Kim Su Gil, the secretary in charge of the Pyongyang committee, said the decision was made as an "expression of unconditional trust and high-minded loyalty" from party members.
Pyongyang state media has announced mass rallies and large-scale preparations are under way, but a South Korean unification ministry official had told press that there haven't been signs of massive celebrations or events.
North Korea could be reducing the scale of celebrations in the wake of tighter sanctions against the country, and the state is mandating ordinary North Koreans to donate funds for the event while cracking down on their use of mobile phones.
Pyongyang's diplomatic isolation has increased as Kim has fallen out of favor with the Chinese leadership, but North Korea is expected to be one of 150 governments that will sign a climate pact in New York on Friday.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong arrived in New York Wednesday, Yonhap reported.
The opportunity to meet with the world's top diplomats, however, may not culminate in a bilateral meeting between Ri and John Kerry.
U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters Wednesday there are no plans for the secretary of state to meet with Ri.
North Korea is to be evaluated by its actions and the country must show a change of attitude toward denuclearization first, Kirby said.
