Delay in North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly: Pondering Foreign Policy Messaging?

[Anchor]

We will discuss more North Korea-related issues with reporter Kim Ayeong.

Reporter Kim, is the schedule for North Korea's equivalent of our National Assembly continuing to face delays?

[Reporter]

This concerns North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly.

While it does not function in the exact same manner as ours, to help viewers understand, it serves as the legislative body in North Korea—essentially functioning as its parliament.

Why is attention focused on North Korea's parliamentary schedule? Just as a president delivers a policy address before the National Assembly, General Secretary Kim Jong Un frequently attends and delivers a speech here.

This is because it has served as an occasion to unveil key external messages, such as those directed toward the United States or South Korea.

The assembly is typically convened once in the first half of the year and once in the second half, serving as a window to verify how major policy decisions have taken shape.

Looking at the records of the past five years since 2021, all but one were held in September, drawing keen interest in what message might emerge once this session is convened. However, even the schedule for convening the assembly has not yet been announced.

Unlike South Korean lawmakers who stay in Seoul, North Korean deputies reside across various regions, so summoning them all to Pyongyang tends to require more time just to coordinate the schedule.

[Anchor]

If this session is held later on, what message should we be watching for?

[Reporter]

One of the reasons attention is now focused on what General Secretary Kim Jong Un might say is related to the recent climate in North Korea–U.S. relations.

President Trump has repeatedly signaled a willingness to engage in dialogue, sending conciliatory messages to North Korea whenever the topic arises.

He also remarked, "I will meet within this year," but no definitive response has come from North Korea.

If General Secretary Kim Jong Un delivers a policy address, it would provide a forum to articulate his stance toward the United States. This invites interpretations that deliberations may be dragging on or that internal message coordination has not yet concluded.

In his address at the Supreme People's Assembly in September last year, Kim took the stance that if the United States abandons its demand for denuclearization and acknowledges reality, there is no reason they cannot sit face-to-face.

However, the possibility of skipping the speech altogether cannot be entirely ruled out.

In that case, choosing to maintain silence could also be seen as an intentional move.

(Video by Kim Jin-won)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.