A lot is at stake on the approaching Ninth Celebration Congress within the Democratic Individuals’s Republic of Korea (North Korea or DPRK). This quinquennial multi-day occasion will supply insights into Kim Jong Un’s home and overseas coverage calculus over the subsequent 5 years at a crucial time domestically and externally.
At residence, Kim Jong Un faces the twin problem of protection and financial growth whereas apparently nonetheless grappling with how finest to steadiness centralization with financial items’ autonomy.[1] Overseas, Kim pledges to bolster each the nation’s standard and nuclear weapons amid a quickly evolving international order and regional safety setting, together with the modernization of the US-South Korea alliance and the evolving position of US Forces Korea.
Nonetheless, one other potential focal point is whether or not Kim Jong Un will acquire an extra state title: “DPRK president [주석; chusok],” the highest management position held by his grandfather Kim Il Sung.[2] Since September 2024, North Korea has referred to Kim Jong Un because the “head of state [국가수반; kukka suban]”—precisely mirroring the position of “DPRK president” stipulated within the 1972 and 1992 constitutions. Given North Korea’s calibrated method to the Kim chief’s titles and designations, that is virtually definitely not a coincidence.
Ought to North Korea reintroduce the “DPRK president” title within the structure and appoint Kim to that position on the Supreme Individuals’s Meeting (SPA) session following the Celebration Congress or at one other future SPA assembly, the implications might prolong past status or a ceremonial improve for a pacesetter who already heads the Celebration, state, and the army. It might have an effect on the nation’s decision-making construction, together with on protection and overseas coverage, in addition to succession planning, whether or not a marketing campaign is at present underway or anticipated sooner or later.
Rollout of “Head of State”
“Head [수반; suban]” is a broadly used time period in North Korean literature, mostly to notice that the Staff’ Celebration of Korea (WPK) is (or was) “headed” by one of many three Kim leaders, or to report on diplomatic interactions, corresponding to Kim Jong Un’s exchanges of greetings with overseas “heads of state.”
Nonetheless, state media deal with this terminology with far better warning when used as a descriptor or appellation for the Kim chief himself. In the course of the Eighth Celebration Congress in January 2021, North Korea started describing Kim Jong Un as “the nice head [위대한 수반; widaehan suban] of our Celebration, state and folks,” or its variations. The Celebration constitution, revised throughout that congress, stipulated that “the top [suban; 수반] of the WPK is the overall secretary of the WPK,” apparently offering the authorized justification for “the top” characterization.[3] North Korean media just about stopped attributing this description to Kim from early 2023 onward, with one notable exception: the introduction of Kim Jong Un because the “nice head” within the Celebration day by day Rodong Sinmun masthead in early 2023.
After a hiatus of greater than a 12 months, North Korea escalated from modifying Kim Jong Un’s identify with “the top” variations to generally utilizing the direct appellation “head of state [국가수반; kukka suban]” instead of his identify and titles. This started with a Kim Yo Jong assertion in September 2024 that talked about an intelligence organ “instantly underneath the top of state of the Democratic Individuals’s Republic of Korea.” Since then, North Korea has referred to Kim Jong Un as “head of state”—generally prefaced with “our” or “DPRK”— throughout various situation areas, starting from overseas coverage statements to information studies on Celebration, state, and army occasions. For instance, a North Korean media report on the September 2025 SPA session stated “the top of state made an essential speech” and “all of the deputies expressed full assist for and approval of the executive coverage of the top of state.”[4]
Given North Korea’s deliberate dealing with of management titles—demonstrated by its rollout of “the nice head” across the 2021 Celebration constitution revision—the usage of “head of state” seemingly has a authorized foundation as nicely. In that vein, North Korea could have modified the outline of Kim Jong Un’s title as chairman of the State Affairs Fee (SAC), the main state organ, in its structure throughout the October 2024 and/or January 2025 SPA periods. State media reported on constitutional revisions at each conferences however didn’t point out any title change, a apply they’ve used earlier than when withholding info they deemed too delicate.
Potential Interim Step Towards “DPRK President”
Article 100 of the 2023 North Korean structure—probably the most present model obtainable in open supply—stipulates:
The chairman of the DPRK SAC is the supreme chief [최고령도자; choego ryongdoja] of the DPRK, who represents the state.[5]
If there was a constitutional revision, one risk is that “the top of state” changed “the supreme chief,” so the supply would doubtlessly learn: “The chairman of the DPRK SAC is the top of state of the DPRK, who represents the state.” This might align with a broader development: the “supreme chief” formulation successfully vanished from Kim Jong Un’s appellations following the 2021 Celebration constitution revision, which changed “the supreme chief of the Celebration” with “the top of the WPK” within the WPK basic secretary provision.[6]
The “head of state” appellation seems to be a sensitive topic, on condition that it’s an identical to the North Korean structure’s description of the “DPRK president” title held by North Korea’s founding father, Kim Il Sung, from 1972 till his dying. This might nicely clarify why North Korean media would have maintained silence on any associated change in Kim Jong Un’s title.
Article 89 of North Korea’s 1972 structure stipulated:
The DPRK president is the top of state and represents the nationwide sovereignty of the DPRK.[7]
Article 105 of the 1992 structure stated:
The DPRK president is the top of state and represents the DPRK.[8]
Then again, this an identical terminology means that Kim Jong Un could also be transferring towards assuming the DPRK president title.
North Korea seems to have taken step one towards this objective in 2019—when it performed unprecedented back-to-back constitutional revisions in a single 12 months, in April and August, to grant Kim Jong Un further powers. In April, it added the “who represents the state” operate to the SAC chairman’s position. That language appeared rooted within the DPRK president’s “represents the DPRK” operate underneath the 1992 structure. North Korea didn’t disclose this main change till August, when state media reported on a second spherical of revisions. This belated allusion to Kim’s new operate, coupled with the two-stage constitutional amendments, appeared to replicate each the sensitivity and cautious technique required for elevating Kim Jong Un’s standing and position.
Context and Implications
North Korea’s introduction of the “head of state” appellation in fall 2024 comes amid a number of notable home and overseas coverage developments. Progress in Kim management propaganda, reported financial development, and North Korea’s vastly modified safety setting could have each boosted Kim Jong Un’s confidence and justified stronger management in unsure occasions, facilitating the rollout of a title related to “DPRK president.”
North Korea has steadily elevated Kim Jong Un’s management over time, with notably intensive campaigns previous the Seventh and Eighth Celebration Congresses, across the tenth anniversary of his rule, and following the collapse of the Hanoi summit in early 2019. In 2024, further milestones aligned with the “head of state” rollout, together with the looks of a solo Kim Jong Un badge and the precipitous drop in use of “the Day of the Solar”—for years a well-liked and symbolic designation for Kim Il Sung’s birthday.
Economically, Kim Jong Un claimed on the finish of 2023 that GDP grew 40 p.c in comparison with 2020 (South Korea’s Financial institution of Korea estimated 3.1 p.c development in 2023) and confirmed in June 2024 that the economic system was “attaining a optimistic development and development pace, clearly distinguishable from the previous ones.” In January 2024, he launched the “20×10 coverage for regional growth,” a serious 10-year regional growth initiative whose first 12 months was reportedly profitable.
On protection and overseas coverage, North Korea in September 2023 codified “creating nuclear weapons to the next degree” in its structure, one 12 months after the revision of its nuclear regulation and Kim Jong Un’s renunciation of denuclearization. Relations with Russia improved considerably after its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, culminating in a brand new bilateral treaty in June 2024 and Kim’s choice that fall to ship troops supporting Russia’s struggle. Notably, Kim Jong Un in December 2023 introduced a two Koreas coverage, renouncing Kim Il Sung’s seminal 1972 “Three Rules of Nationwide Reunification” and later claiming to have forged off “the fetters” via the brand new coverage.
The sensible impression of Kim Jong Un’s potential presidency stays unclear. But the title change could have implications past additional management consolidation in two methods. First, it might reshape dynamics amongst state organs, altering institutional features and roles according to presidential powers. It could additionally change the management’s decision-making construction. For instance, Kim could rely extra on the SAC given his elevated state title and fewer on Celebration conferences, or undertake different session mechanisms. In that vein, the absence of a reported WPK Political Bureau assembly since July 2024—an unusually lengthy hole for Kim Jong Un—might sign better modifications forward. These shifts might have an effect on how North Korea develops and implements insurance policies, together with these associated to protection and overseas affairs. Second, elevating Kim’s standing will virtually definitely impression succession planning, each time that begins.
Conclusion
If Kim Jong Un has been working towards the “DPRK president” title, financial progress, which lags behind protection growth, will seemingly be key to attaining it.
North Korea claimed on the 2025 year-end Celebration plenum to have attained its five-year financial plan from the Eighth Celebration Congress. But Kim has since made a string of financial appearances—even dismissing a vice cupboard premier on the spot throughout a machine advanced go to–suggesting not all the things is as much as par because the Celebration Congress approaches. This may occasionally clarify state media’s day by day propaganda surge hailing Kim Jong Un’s achievements, notably in regional growth—crucial if the plan is to additional elevate him on the Celebration Congress and subsequent SPA session. Both method, we won’t have to attend lengthy to seek out out.
