North Korea held the first session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly in Pyongyang on Sunday, reappointing Kim Jong Un as chairman of the State Affairs Commission, Korean Central Television reported on Monday. (KCTV-Yonhap)
North Korea held the first session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly in Pyongyang on Sunday, reappointing Kim Jong Un as chairman of the State Affairs Commission, Korean Central Television reported on Monday. (KCTV-Yonhap)

[Key Points] Kim tightens grip, North Korea turns hardline on South

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's reappointment as the president of the State Affairs Commission reaffirms his grip on power and hints at reshaping the country's governing structure and its stance toward South Korea, experts said Monday.

The decision came during the first session of the Supreme People’s Assembly, the country’s rubber-stamp legislature, which convened a day earlier in Pyongyang following last month’s ruling Workers’ Party Congress, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

"The SPA reelected comrade Kim Jong-un as president of state affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the first session, the first state affairs activity of its 15th term" the KCNA said, referring to North Korea's official name.

"The first session of the 15th Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea conducted the important and responsible work for electing the head of state on March 22," the KCNA said in a separate article.

The reappointment marks Kim’s third consecutive term since the State Affairs Commission was established in 2016 as North Korea’s highest policy-guidance body, underscoring his continued consolidation of power at the apex of the country’s party-state system.

But beyond the formalities, analysts say the latest reshuffle reflects a deeper transformation underway within North Korea’s political system — one that elevates Kim’s personal authority while institutionalizing a more confrontational approach toward South Korea.

One of the most striking changes lies in how Kim’s position is described.

“The title referring to the chairman of the State Affairs Commission has changed from ‘supreme leader’ to 'top post of the republic' and ‘head of state,’” said Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification.

While the earlier term emphasized hierarchy and personal supremacy, the new language underscores a more formalized, institutional role, according to Hong.

“‘Supreme leader’ is a more abstract, hierarchical expression,” Hong said. “But the new terms emphasize a formal institutional role and corresponding responsibilities.”

At the same time, references to Kim’s predecessors — long a staple of North Korean propaganda — have notably disappeared.

“In previous reports, phrases like ‘Kim Il-sung-Kim Jong-il-ism’ highlighted continuity with past leaders,” Hong said. “But these references are absent this time.”

The shift, analysts say, reflects a move toward a personalized ideological system centered on Kim himself, rather than on inherited doctrine.

The personnel changes accompanying Kim’s reappointment further underscore a strategic recalibration.

The State Affairs Commission expanded from 11 to 13 members, with several high-profile figures removed — including Kim Yo-jong, the leader’s powerful sister, who had served on the body since 2021.

While her absence drew attention, analysts cautioned against interpreting it as a loss of influence.

“Members of the commission are typically drawn from officials representing major state sectors,” Hong said. “Her removal reflects an effort to align membership with institutional representation and responsibility.”

More broadly, figures associated with inter-Korean affairs were largely excluded, while party officials overseeing organization and cadre management were elevated — suggesting a shift away from engagement with Seoul and toward internal consolidation.

The inclusion of key party department heads indicates an effort to strengthen the commission’s role as a top-level executive body implementing party decisions, Hong said.

At the center of the assembly’s agenda is a potential revision of the constitution — one that could formally codify Kim’s declaration that the two Koreas are “two states hostile to each other.”

The North began explicitly framing the South as a hostile state in late 2023, signaling Kim Jong-un’s abandonment of Pyongyang’s long-standing goal of peaceful reunification.

“In recent years, North Korea has emphasized achievements such as legalizing its status as a nuclear weapons state,” said Yang Moo-jin, a professor emeritus at the University of North Korean Studies. “Going forward, the focus is expected to shift toward institutionalizing the ‘two states’ doctrine.”

Such a move would mark a fundamental break from decades of official policy, which had at least rhetorically maintained the goal of peaceful reunification.

Experts say constitutional changes could include removing references to reunification and replacing them with more assertive language emphasizing sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“It remains uncertain whether the ‘two-state’ framework will be formally codified,” Yang said. “But all possibilities — from explicit inclusion to partial adjustment — remain on the table.”

Yang also suggested the changes may also be aimed at projecting a more conventional state structure internationally.

“The restructuring may aim to project an image of a ‘normal state’ externally, by enhancing institutional structure and governance functions,” Yang said.

Despite the sweeping signals, key questions remain unanswered — particularly regarding how much of the constitutional revision will be publicly disclosed.

“The second-day session is expected to address amendments to the socialist constitution,” Yang said. “But it remains unclear how much of these changes will be revealed through state media.”


mkjung@heraldcorp.com