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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivers a speech at the Party Founding Museum in Pyongyang on Oct. 8, ahead of the 80th anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea. / Source: Yonhap News

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to build a “socialist paradise” and praised his nation’s resilience under foreign pressure during a grand celebration in Pyongyang marking the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, state media reported Friday.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim delivered a commemorative speech on Oct. 9 at the May Day Stadium on Rungna Island, one day before the official anniversary. The event was attended by citizens and foreign dignitaries.

“There is no other country in the world that has had to simultaneously defend and rebuild itself under such constant and vicious pressure, interference and invasion threats from outside forces,” Kim declared, lauding North Korea’s endurance through decades of hardship.

Reflecting on the nation’s history since the party’s founding, Kim said, “In the 1990s, amid global political turmoil, we had to defend our ideology and system, and in the new century, we advanced both economic construction and nuclear armament in the face of the U.S. imperialists’ growing nuclear threat.”

He emphasized that North Korea continues to confront “the ferocious political and military pressure of hostile nations” with “unwavering strength,” adding that “the international prestige of our republic, as a loyal member of the socialist camp and a stronghold of independence and justice, grows stronger every day.”

Kim concluded his address with a pledge to improve living standards: “If we keep fighting with the same spirit for a few more years, we can transform our lives with our own hands. We will make our nation richer, more beautiful, and the finest socialist paradise on earth.”

The celebration featured fireworks, mass gymnastics, and an artistic performance titled ‘Long Live the Workers’ Party of Korea’, marking the first mass performance of its kind since 2020.

Among the guests were Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, and Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam. Li sat to Kim’s right on the podium, with To Lam on his left and Medvedev beside the Vietnamese leader.

Though speculation had arisen that a military parade might be held on the night of Oct. 9 or early Oct. 10 due to forecasted rain, no such event took place. Analysts now expect the parade to be held later Friday night.