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| ▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gives a speech marking the completion of a greenhouse farm on the bank of the Amnok River in the northwestern city of Sinuiju on Feb. 1, 2026, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap) |
NK leader-title
N. Korea may reinstate 'president' title for leader Kim: 38 North
SEOUL, Feb. 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may inherit the title of president, used by late state founder Kim Il-sung, at a parliamentary meeting following the upcoming key party congress, according to a U.S. website that monitors the North.
38 North assessed the possibility that North Korea may reinstate the "DPRK president" title for the incumbent leader on the occasion of the ninth party congress and its subsequent meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly, according to a report published on Tuesday (local time).
DPRK is the acronym of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The report focused on how North Korea has referred to Kim Jong-un as the "head of state" since September 2024, noting that this could imply a shift in the regime's structural system.
The title of "the DPRK president" was used by Kim Il-sung, the late grandfather of Kim Jong-un, from 1972 until his death in 1994. An article of the 1972 constitution stipulates that "The DPRK president is the head of state and represents the national sovereignty of the DPRK."
In 1998, North Korea revised the constitution to remove the presidency, which prompted the founder's son, Kim Jong-il, to rule the nation with the title of the chairman of the National Defense Commission.
Given North Korea's "calibrated" approach to such leadership titles, if North Korea reintroduces the president title and appoints Kim Jong-un to the role, "the implications could extend beyond prestige or a ceremonial upgrade" for Kim, 38 North said.
North Korea is gearing up for the ninth party congress that is widely expected to take place this month to outline major policies on diplomacy, defense and the economy for the next five years.
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