SEOUL, May 6 (UPI) -- Foreign media coverage of the Seventh Party Congress was banned in North Korea Friday, after Pyongyang had invited 130 reporters to the country to showcase the event.
Journalists were not allowed to enter the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang, where the congress was being held, Voice of America reported.
Many reporters waited all day for updates on a street outside the building. They had been "fooled," read one report from Japanese news agency Kyodo that also stated Pyongyang had decided reporters should cover factories as the congress took place in the afternoon.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could be using the event to bolster support for his policy of "Byongjin," a plan to simultaneously develop the economy and Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.
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The congress is expected to last for four days, but even live state television coverage of the event has not been allowed.
Japanese television network NHK reported large buses and dozens of cars were parked outside the House of Culture, but couldn't confirm whether they were actually used to transport people.
Outside the building, the red flags of the Workers' Party were hung and a newly installed gold fountain could be seen, Jiji Press reported.
The BBC reported the journalists covering the event faced heavy restrictions and tensions have occurred with North Korean government handlers.
Kim has often emphasized the improvement of living standards for the population, but is also under heavy criticism for continued abuse of human rights.
"Kim Jong Un talks a lot about improving the lives of North Koreans, but we'll only know if he's serious, if he takes action to end human rights abuses," said Human Rights Watch Asia deputy director Phil Robertson.
