N. Korea keeps 7th Workers' Party rally closed

North Korea has been frowned upon by inviting over 100 reporters to interview at the 7th Workers' Party rally but not allowing them in the rally. Describing the atmosphere hundreds of meters away from the venue was the only thing they could do. They were kept in the dark about when the rally began. North Korea did not even inform the reporters about the time and the venue of the rally until the day before the rally.

According to Japanese media including Kyodo News, NHK, and the Mainichi, North Korea let reporters take pictures of the 4.25 Cultural Center about 200 meters away from it but not enter the building. The Mainichi newspaper reported, "We set up a broadcast base in a hotel in Pyongyang, but North Korea is not letting us know about the schedule of the rally."

Reporters had to rely only on what was happening in front of the building for their report. Steven Evans of BBC reported, "I see Kim Jong Un's private bodyguards. He must be inside the building." NHK reported that in front of the building, tens of large buses and sedans were parked, which seemed to transport participants of the rally before 10 a.m. Only CNN's experienced reporters with North Korea were able to get more details: "The rally began at 9 a.m. and around 3,000 members of the party are attending."

Western reporters who accepted the invitation and spent a huge amount of money to get to the event made cynical remarks. A BBC reporter noted, "Thousands of attendees are gathered for 'what seems to be the unofficial coronation of Kim Jong-un'." NHK reported, "In the 1980 rally, delegates from 118 countries were invited, but this time, no foreign delegate's participation has been known." A CBS reporter showed to the camera an old telephone in the hotel and reported, "The hotel was built in 1980s. I am not allowed to go out without a guide. Nothing seems to have changed here."

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