DPRK's ruling party to convene conference

PYONGYANG - The ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will hold a conference to glorify late top leader Kim Jong -il and rally around his successor Kim Jong-un, the official KCNA news agency reported Monday.

The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea on Saturday announced its decision to hold a conference in mid-April to "glorify the sacred revolutionary life and feats of Kim Jong-il for all ages and accomplish the Juche cause, the Songun revolutionary cause, rallying closely around Kim Jong-un," said the KCNA.

Juche, or self-reliance, is DPRK's official guiding ideology while the Songun policy prioritizes military needs over those of civilians.

The April conference would be the fourth in the party's history. The previous three conferences were held respectively in 1958, 1966 and 2010. At the September 2010 conference, Kim Jong-un, a son of Kim Jong-il, was elected vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the party.

Kim Jong-il passed away in December 2011.