Pyongyang: North Korea will hold the first session of its new Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) to deliberate on the election of state leadership and revision to the constitution, state media reported Tuesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the upcoming session follows the elections held last Sunday to select deputies for a new term of the SPA, which came after the Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea last month. The session will address the election of the president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the elections of state leadership, sub-committees of the SPA, and modifications to the Socialist Constitution.
The meeting will also discuss the implementation of the five-year national economic development plan adopted at the congress and the state budget for 2026. Key points of interest for the session include whether North Korea will codify its policy of defining the two Koreas as "two countries hostile to each other" in the constitution, and whether leader Kim Jong-un will issue further messages regarding the country's external relations.
The session is expected to reelect Kim as the country's top leader and possibly reshuffle the Cabinet and other essential government posts. Although there has been speculation regarding Kim assuming the title of president, the parliamentary meeting is anticipated to confirm his title as chief of the State Affairs Commission.
North Korea routinely convenes a SPA session following a party congress to legislate laws necessary for implementing congress decisions. The SPA is often seen as a rubber-stamp parliament that largely upholds the ruling party's resolutions.
The KCNA released a list of the 687 deputies elected to the 15th SPA, including party secretary Jo Yong-won, known as one of Kim's closest aides and expected to be elected as chairman of the SPA standing committee. Former SPA standing committee chairman Choe Ryong-hae was relieved of his post during last month's congress and excluded from the new-term parliament.
The list also features Kim's influential sister, Kim Yo-jong, former inter-Korean relations point man Ri Son-gwon, Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, and party secretary Jong Kyong-thaek, who oversees the military. Compared to the previous 14th SPA term, over 70 percent of the deputies were replaced in the latest elections, indicating a significant personnel reshuffle potentially aimed at reinforcing Kim's rule. The KCNA reported that workers, farmers, intellectuals, servicepersons, and officials were elected as SPA deputies in Sunday's elections, describing them as state political activists with important missions in implementing congress decisions.
The news agency noted that the turnout reached 99.99 percent, with 99.93 percent voting for the candidates, while 0.07 percent voted against them, portraying a propaganda message about voters' right to object, although the elections are largely seen as a formality and non-secret.