[Anchor]
Let's talk more about North Korea with reporter Kim Ayeong.
Reporter Kim, is it true that North Korea has been confirmed to have removed 'unification' from the Workers' Party Rules?
[Reporter]
North Korea is a single-party state led by the Workers' Party, and the society is governed by the party.
Therefore, the Party Rules can be said to be a normative document even higher than the constitution.
The full text of the revised Workers' Party Rules was recently made public through the Institute for National Security Strategy, a state-run think tank.
We can verify the revisions made following North Korea's presentation of the hostile two-state policy in December 2023, followed by revisions in June of the following year and at the 9th Party Congress in February of this year.
Expressions related to unification and the nation, such as "northern half," " nationwide scope," and "peaceful unification of the fatherland," have been entirely removed.
Content urging the withdrawal of U.S. forces in South Korea and the rejection of foreign forces has also disappeared.
North Korea previously viewed South Korea as subordinate to the United States and thus a target to be liberated by them, but these contents are interpreted as having been dropped as South Korea was set as a separate, two-state relationship.
Provisions regarding wartime situations appeared for the first time.
This is evaluated as having laid the legal basis for the party's decision-making system in the event of an emergency.
[Anchor]
On the other hand, it is said that Chairman Kim Jong-un's authority has been strengthened. Where and how has it changed?
[Reporter]
Most of the passages in the preamble praising the achievements of his predecessors, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, have been deleted.
Conversely, the authority of General Secretary Kim Jong-un has been specified in detail.
Not only the power to convene meetings and appoint or dismiss officials, but also the authority over party member admission and expulsion, and the power to dissolve departments have been added.
It is specified in such great detail that authority is even granted over the admission and expulsion of ordinary party members.
It is already true that Kim Jong-un's authority in North Korea is powerful and that it is a one-man rule system.
Amending the Party Rules appears to be, on one hand, an effort to adjust norms to fit their reality.
Another aspect, according to experts, is that it lays the groundwork for long-term succession.
In other words, considering that the top leader's position might be handed over to someone else in the future, it is possible that the general secretary's powers have been specifically outlined.
The position of "First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party," which corresponds to the number two figure as the "deputy to the general secretary," remains intact in the Party Rules.
The First Secretary position was newly established five years ago at the 8th Party Congress.
North Korea has not yet officially mentioned who has been appointed to this position.
(Video Editing: Cho Muhwan)
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