North Korea Constitution Change: Kim Jong-il now "Supreme Leader"

by Scott Wu | September 29, 2009 at 01:10 pm

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North Korea changed its constitution back in April, but changes were not known to the world until Monday. The several notable points in the constitution are the following:

The chairman of the National Defense Commission (NDC) is the "supreme leader of the state", referring to Kim Jong-il
Places more weight on military-first policy
Supports "socialism" while eliminating the word "communism", as advocated by Kim Jong-il's late father Kim Il-sung
"Respects and protects" human rights of its citizen

Here is a copy of North Korean Constitution in Korean.

The constitution changes had little effect on Kim Jong-il's government. His rubber stamp government re-elected him as chairman of the National Defense Commission in April. Kim already has absolute control over the government; constitution only solidifies his power on paper.

“After he overcame his health crisis, Kim Jong-il revised the Constitution to show that he was in control and was the person the United States must deal with,” said Kim Yong-hyun, a North Korea analyst at Dongguk University in Seoul. “By mentioning human rights and giving up communism, which sounded hollow to his people after the collapse of the Eastern bloc, he is also trying to show that he is a flexible leader sensitive to the changing world order.”

While the new constitution says it respects its citizen's human rights, the rights are not carried out in practice.

For example, it guarantees freedom of assembly, but Pyongyang can send to political prison anyone who gathers without permission of authorities. The regime guarantees freedom of religion, but jails those who tries to exercise the right. Privacy is a right, but the government's large internal spy network keeps tabs on almost all citizens.

Experts suspect the constitution's "priority to the military" acts as a defense against declining economy. Kim could argue heavy military spending and economic decline are justified to guard itself against the United States.

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