The February issue examines North Korea’s strategic direction across political, diplomatic, economic, military, and social domains ahead of the 9th Party Congress, while assessing developments in North KoreaChina relations amid intensifying USChina rivalry. The issue considers how the Congress may further consolidate the Kim Jong-uncentered Party-state structure under the “Five Lines of Party Building for the New Era.” It explores North Korea’s external posture as a closed revisionist regime deepening alignment with China and Russia while maintaining equidistance diplomacy and self-reliance, alongside continued nuclear development and military modernization. It also reviews the prospect of a new five-year plan emphasizing light industry, regional development, and rural initiatives despite persistent structural constraints, and assesses social trends under tightened ideological control. Finally, the issue evaluates the trajectory of North KoreaChina ties in a shifting strategic environment, highlighting implications for South Korea’s diplomatic approach in an increasingly multipolar order.