Kim Jong Un reappointed to top state post as North Korea opens key assembly session

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been reappointed president of state affairs, according to state media, as the country opened the first session of its new Supreme People’s Assembly in Pyongyang.

The session, held a day earlier, is expected to take up a series of major state matters, including revisions and additions to the socialist constitution, as well as the selection of the chair of the State Affairs Commission and other senior leadership positions. The Supreme People’s Assembly, North Korea’s legislature, typically meets to formalise decisions already taken by the ruling Workers’ Party.

The gathering is also set to review the national five-year economic plan announced during the ninth party congress in February.

Particular attention has focused on whether the assembly will amend the constitution to formally reflect Kim’s increasingly confrontational line towards South Korea. In recent years, Pyongyang has moved away from its long-held rhetoric of peaceful reunification, with Kim instead recasting the South as an adversarial state.

Another notable development was the absence of Kim Yo Jong from the list of members of the State Affairs Commission published by state media. Kim’s sister, one of the regime’s most influential figures, had served on the body since 2021.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry said it was examining why she was no longer listed. Analysts, however, suggested the omission should not automatically be read as a sign of diminished influence. Some said it may instead point to a redistribution of roles, with Kim Yo Jong continuing to exercise significant authority through her senior position within the Workers’ Party.