Kim Jong-un Reappointed as State Affairs President as North Korea Codifies Hostile Two-State Policy

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un secures reappointment as state president while the Supreme People's Assembly reviews plans to formalize hostile South Korea policy.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 23, 2026, 10:51 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from AsiaOne

Legislative Reinforcement of Supreme Authority

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has secured a formal reappointment as President of State Affairs, according to reports from the state-run Korean Central News Agency on Monday. The decision was reached during the opening session of the Supreme People’s Assembly, the nation’s primary legislative body. While the reappointment was largely expected given Kim's absolute grip on power, the timing underscores a period of significant structural transition within the government. This session serves as the legal mechanism to translate the high-level strategic decisions made during February's Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party into binding state law, further consolidating Kim’s role at the apex of the administrative hierarchy.

Constitutional Revisions Targeting Inter-Korean Relations

A primary focus of the current assembly session involves the deliberation of amendments and supplements to the socialist constitution. International observers are closely monitoring whether Pyongyang will officially strip references to "peaceful reunification" from its founding document. This follows Kim Jong-un’s recent and radical policy shift, which redefined South Korea not as a partner for future integration, but as a "hostile state" in a state of permanent belligerence. By encoding this "two-state" policy into the constitution, Kim is effectively dismantling decades of North Korean geopolitical orthodoxy in favor of a more aggressive and isolationist stance toward Seoul.

Strategic Reshuffling of the State Affairs Commission

The composition of the State Affairs Commission, North Korea’s highest leadership body, saw notable changes during this session. Most significantly, Kim Yo-jong, the leader’s influential sister, was absent from the newly released roster of commission members, a position she has held since 2021. While her removal from this specific administrative body initially prompted internal review by South Korea’s Unification Ministry, regional analysts suggest the move does not indicate a fall from grace. Instead, the absence is viewed as a calculated redistribution of roles, allowing her to focus on high-level party-centered coordination and policy implementation within the ruling Workers' Party.