Where 'Unification' Was Erased, Kim Jong-un Etched His One-Man Rule
The full text of the revised charter of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party—its de facto 'constitution'—in which all references to unification with the South have been deleted and a sole leadership system centered on State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un has been codified, was made public for the first time on the 3rd at a press briefing hosted by the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy (KRINS) in Jung-gu, central Seoul.
Rather than extolling the achievements of its former leaders, the new charter puts Chairman Kim's governing system front and center. Descriptions of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism and phrases such as "the Workers' Party of Korea forever upholds the great leaders in high esteem" have all been deleted, while the preamble now carries the new formulation that the party "is firmly united organizationally and ideologically around its leader." The General Secretary's powers were also reinforced, spelling out in detail his authority to appoint and dismiss cadres, to admit and expel party members, and to dissolve party organizations and departments.
In a report released the same day, "Analysis of the Party Charter and Its Policy Implications," the institute characterized the revision as "an overhaul of governing norms carried out as part of building the laws and institutions of the Kim Jong-un era 2.0." Kim In-tae, a principal research fellow at the institute, said it was designed to "strengthen Kim Jong-un's leadership system and prepare the groundwork for long-term rule."
The institute released the full charter text at a press briefing that day titled "Analysis of the Party Charter Revised at North Korea's Ninth Party Congress and an Assessment of the North Korean Situation," reflecting the changes adopted at the congress in February. The text confirms that policy lines toward the South—national self-determination, great national unity, and peaceful reunification—have been scrapped in their entirety. The National Intelligence Service had previously obtained the charter as revised in June 2024 and reported to the National Assembly in April that it incorporated the "two hostile states" doctrine, among other findings.
