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North Korea readies for its biggest political show in years

A North Korean traffic police woman directs vehicles at a street junction while behind her the sidewalk is decorated with flags of the ruling party, the Workers' Party on Thursday, May 5, 2016, in Pyongyang, North Korea. Members of North Korea's ruling party have gathered in Pyongyang ahead of their biggest political conference in decades. Foreign experts say North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un will likely use the meeting to place his loyalists into key positions, strengthen his push to upgrade his country's nuclear arsenal and cement his grip on power. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
A North Korean traffic police woman directs vehicles at a street junction while behind her the sidewalk is decorated with flags of the ruling party, the Workers' Party on Thursday, May 5, 2016, in Pyongyang, North Korea. Members of North Korea's ruling party have gathered in Pyongyang ahead of their biggest political conference in decades. Foreign experts say North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un will likely use the meeting to place his loyalists into key positions, strengthen his push to upgrade his country's nuclear arsenal and cement his grip on power. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E) A North Korean traffic police woman directs vehicles at a street junction while behind her the sidewalk is decorated with flags of the ruling party, the Workers' Party on Thursday, May 5, 2016, in Pyongyang, North Korea. Members of North Korea's ruling party have gathered in Pyongyang ahead of their biggest political conference in decades. Foreign experts say North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un will likely use the meeting to place his loyalists into key positions, strengthen his push to upgrade his country's nuclear arsenal and cement his grip on power. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

By Associated Press 4 min read

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) – Its capital has been duly spruced up, the masses prepped for their rallies and leader Kim Jong Un appears to be set to take center stage Friday when North Korea pulls back the curtain on what promises to be the country’s biggest political show in years, if not decades: the first full congress of its ruling party since 1980.

What exactly is in store is anyone’s guess. North Korea has announced little more than the start date.

But one thing is for sure: the congress is shaping up to be a major opportunity for North Korea’s young and still largely enigmatic leader to step out of the shadows of his father and grandfather and move more toward setting his own personal tone of leadership.

North Korea has allowed in droves of foreign media to make sure it gets a global audience for what the government clearly intends to be a showcase of national unity and stability under Kim, despite the increased criticism and tough new sanctions it is facing over its nuclear and missile programs.

To put its best face in front of the cameras, residents of the capital, Pyongyang, have been busy for months painting walls, fixing roads and rehearsing for mass rallies in mandatory demonstrations of loyalty.