Seoul: South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it has detected signs of parade preparations at venues such as the Mirim Airfield and the Kim Il Sung Square where similar activities took place in the past. "It is yet unclear whether a military parade will take place. So far, preparations seemed to be taking place on the civilian level," JCS spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun said in a press briefing.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the congress, a once-every-five-years meeting, is the highest decision-making body in North Korea and sets five-year plans for economic, defense, diplomatic, and other policies. The North has not announced the date of the upcoming congress. South Korea's government predicts it will likely be held in early or mid-February.

On January 24, the North reported that meetings of the party's city and county organizations had been convened, marking preliminary steps for the party congress. A party congress typically convenes two to three weeks after such city- and county-level party meetings are reported.

38 North pointed to the North's recent series of ceremonies marking the completion of economic projects, saying, "If there are more economic projects to showcase or weapons to test before the Party Congress commences, the event could take longer to open."