The authority of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been further consolidated under amendments to the ruling Workers' Party statutes, according to a study published Thursday by Seoul's Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS).
The INSS, affiliated with South Korea's National Intelligence Service, analyzed decisions made during a party congress held in February in the isolated state. The revisions strengthen Kim's institutional control by removing remaining references to the achievements of his grandfather Kim Il Sung and father Kim Jong Il, while emphasizing his central role. Kim, 42, serves as the party's general secretary, a position whose powers were expanded to allow direct appointments, membership decisions and dissolution of party organizations without reliance on other bodies.
The changes also enhance centralized oversight of government and military affairs. Under the updated rules, the Politburo may make critical decisions during wartime to avoid delays from convening the full committee. The revisions reaffirm North Korea's abandonment of its long-standing policy toward reunification with South Korea, a stance formalized in 2024 under the doctrine of 'two hostile states.'
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula remain high more than seven decades after the 1953 armistice that ended active fighting in the Korean War, as no peace treaty has been signed. North Korea has faced United Nations sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear weapons and missile programs. South Korea maintains a military alliance with the United States, while Kim has cultivated close ties with Russia and China, including support for Moscow's war in Ukraine.
