2019 Revisions

NK Assembly

The year 2019 saw two distinct rounds of constitutional amendments that finally completed Kim Jong Un’s transition from a "successor" to a fully formalized "Head of State."

April 2019: Clarifying the Supreme Leader

The first revision of 2019 was designed to fix the long-standing legal ambiguity regarding who actually represented North Korea to the rest of the world.

  • The Representative of the State: Article 100 was revised to explicitly state that the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission (SAC) is the "supreme leader who represents the State."
  • A Move Toward Sovereignty: Previously, the President of the SPA Presidium (a legislative official) performed the ceremonial duties of a Head of State, such as receiving foreign credentials. This amendment transferred that representative authority directly to Kim Jong Un.
  • Legislative Authority: The revision also gave the SAC Chairman the power to issue "decrees," which carry the weight of supreme law, further subordinating the legislature to the executive.

August 2019: The Final Legal Consolidation

Only months later, a second set of amendments was passed to "polish" the legal text and remove any remaining contradictions from the April update.

  • Prohibition of Dual Roles: The August revision added a clause stating that the Chairman of the SAC could not simultaneously be a deputy to the Supreme People’s Assembly. This followed the international norm where a Head of State stands "above" the legislature rather than being a member of it.
  • The Commander-in-Chief: It solidified his role as the "Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces," shifting the title slightly from "Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army" to a more comprehensive state-military title.
  • Diplomatic Protocol: These changes paved the way for Kim Jong Un to be addressed as "President" in English-language state media (starting in 2021), placing him on equal diplomatic footing with other world leaders during his high-profile summits with the U.S. and South Korea.