North Korea's Constitutional Revision ViewedThrough the Lens of Changing Guiding Ideologies
- May 21
- 16 min read
North Korea, at the 1st Session of the 15th Supreme People's Assembly held this past March 23, carried out a constitutional revision that comprehensively reflects "People-First Principle" — the core political ideology of the Kim Jong Un era. The defining features of this revised Constitution are being analyzed from multiple perspectives, including the substantial strengthening of the State Affairs Commission Chairman's authority and the codification of nuclear command authority in terms of power structure, as well as the legalization of the "two-state theory" through the introduction of a new territorial clause and the deletion of unification-related provisions.
North Korea defines its Constitution as "the basic law of the state that comprehensively regulates the principles of national and social life including political, economic, and cultural life, and provides the direction and standards for the formulation of all other legal norms and regulations." In the case of North Korea, owing to the characteristics of its party-state system, the Constitution legally establishes the state and social system and the principles of state activity in accordance with the guiding thought and line of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), and presents the direction of national development.
A constitution, being the product of a country's historical experience and political activity, is revised in accordance with changes in the character of the times, in policy, and in social values. North Korea's Constitution has likewise undergone 19 revisions ("amendments and supplementations,") — from the first Constitution enacted with the establishment of the regime to the present revision — in line with shifts in guiding thought and changes in state organs. To grasp the significance of this constitutional revision within North Korean society, it is first necessary to examine how changes in guiding ideology have been reflected in the Constitution.
The first North Korean Constitution, enacted in 1948, did not explicitly stipulate a guiding ideology. It merely declared that sovereignty resided in the people, and that the country was a "people's democratic state" in which sovereignty was exercised through the local people's committees and the Supreme People's Assembly.
North Korea first inscribed a guiding ideology into its Constitution in the "Socialist Constitution" revised in 1972. At that time, Article 4 stipulated that the country "takes as the guideline of its activities the Juche Idea of the Workers' Party of Korea, which is a creative application of Marxism-Leninism to the realities of our country." Subsequently, in the revised Constitution of 1992, "Marxism-Leninism" was removed, and only the independently formulated "Juche Idea" was set forth as the guiding directive.
At the time of the constitutional revision in 2009, Article 3 stipulated that the country "takes the Juche Idea and the Songun (Military-First) Idea as the guiding directives of its activities," thus adding the "Songun Idea" as a guiding ideology, while the expression "Songun revolutionary line" was also incorporated. Although the constitutional revision in 1998 — four years after the death of President Kim Il Sung — elevated the status of the National Defense Commission to the "supreme military leadership organ of state sovereignty," the elevation of the "Songun Idea" to the rank of guiding ideology took place only after "Songun-ization of the entire Party" and "Songun-ization of the entire society" had been carried out.
After the inauguration of the Kim Jong Un system, North Korea formalized "Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism", and the Rules of the Workers' Party of Korea were amended to inscribe the "Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ization of the entire society" as the ultimate objective of the Party, replacing the previous formulation of "Juche-ization of the entire society." Nevertheless, at the time of the constitutional revision in 2012, Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism was not yet incorporated as a guiding ideology in the Constitution.
It was only seven years later that North Korea, in place of the terms "Juche Idea" and "Songun Idea," inserted into the constitutional provisions the formulation that the state "takes Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism as the sole guiding directive for state construction and activities," thereby elevating it to the official supreme ideology of the state.
In the Constitution revised this past March as well, the provision that "the Democratic People's Republic of Korea takes the great Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism as the sole guiding directive for state construction and activities, and takes the Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ization of the entire society as the overall direction and overall objective of state construction" was maintained, preserving Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism as the guiding ideology.
Viewed through the history of constitutional revision, North Korea's guiding ideology has evolved as follows: "Juche Idea as a creative application of Marxism-Leninism" → Juche Idea (Kim Il Sung-ism) → Juche Idea and Songun Idea → Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism. Each time the guiding thought changed, a large-scale constitutional revision was carried out.
What deserves particular attention here is the fact that the "Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism" currently inscribed in the Party Rules and the Constitution is in effect being supplanted by "Kim Jong Un Thought". Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism is not, however, identical to Kim Jong Un Thought. North Korea defines "Kim Jong Un Thought" as a body of thought that "comprehensively inherits Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism and deepens and develops it to a new higher stage."
Nevertheless, North Korea asserts that the two are identical in their essence. WPK General Secretary Kim Jong Un, in his speech at the 4th Conference of Party Cell Secretaries on January 29, 2013, defined that "the essence of Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism is the People-First Principle." North Korea characterizes Kim Jong Un Thought as "a thought of People-First Principle and a thought of devoted service to the people, which, taking the ideology of the People-First Principle as its overarching premise, elucidates a people-centered revolutionary philosophy, revolutionary theory, and method of leadership."
In that the essence of Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism as defined by General Secretary Kim and the essence of Kim Jong Un Thought as conceptualized by North Korea coincide in being the People-First Principle, the two are in agreement. The position taken, however, is that Kim Jong Un Thought constitutes the contemporary and practical extension of Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism. The essence of Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism is the Juche Idea, and the body of thought that inherits the philosophical principles, socio-historical principles, and guiding principles of this Juche Idea as they are, while incorporating the principles and rules deepened and developed in the course of resolving the tasks of the era, is precisely Kim Jong Un Thought.
The overarching objective of the Party and the state that North Korea sets forth is likewise presented in parallel form. The Party Rules and the Constitution put forward the "Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ization of the entire Party and society." On the rostrum of the 9th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, the slogan "Let us bring about the Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ization of the entire Party and the whole society" was also displayed. However, since the 8th Party Congress in 2021, "Kim Jong Un Thought" has been officially formalized, and the slogan "Let us monochromatize the entire Party and the whole society with the revolutionary thought of Comrade Kim Jong Un" has appeared frequently in North Korean media. North Korea itself explains that Kim Jong Un Thought "has become the political ideology and political method of the Party and the government, as well as its strategic tactics and practical platform." Theoreticians in North Korea's philosophical community and at the Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism Research Institute of the Academy of Social Sciences are likewise conceptualizing not Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism but Kim Jong Un Thought as a system of thought-theory-method.
Viewed from this perspective, this revised Constitution may be evaluated as a comprehensive embodiment of Kim Jong Un Thought. This is clearly manifested in the revised or newly added content of the preamble of the revised Constitution. In particular, provisions reflecting the People-First Principle have been added in large numbers.
First, in the provisions defining the character of the state, the phrase "people-centered socialist state" was added alongside the existing stipulation that the state "represents the interests of the Korean people." In addition, the preamble newly includes the statement that "the establishment of the unique leadership system of the leader, the adherence to the revolutionary line of independence, and the thorough implementation of the People-First Principle shall constitute the fundamental principles of state construction and activities," together with the content that "the Democratic People's Republic of Korea places the demands and interests of the popular masses above all else and treats them as absolute, and considers the enhancement of the welfare of the people as the supreme principle of its activities."
The existing provision that "the State shall perfect the socialist legal system and strengthen socialist legal life" was also revised and supplemented to read: "shall improve and perfect the legal system and strengthen legal life, so that the law protects the people and the people abide by the law."
Such provisions also connect with the fact that, in his policy speech at the 1st Session of the 15th Supreme People's Assembly, General Secretary Kim Jong Un presented "national prosperity and the enhancement of the welfare of the people" as a major task of the government. In his policy speech, he emphasized: "We must identify and prevent the spaces in which phenomena contrary to the people's character — such as bureaucratism and bureaucratic high-handedness — may emerge, and must establish all-round countermeasures," and further: "We must continuously improve the sectoral laws and regulations from the standpoint of thoroughly guaranteeing the rights and welfare of the people."
In particular, he emphasized: "The results of national development and economic growth must above all be manifested in the elevation of the people's standard of living, and the fact that the people live well is itself the strength of the state — this is the consistent absolute standard and the principle of activity of the Republic's government." That is to say, the standard of evaluation should be the improvement of the people's lives, rather than the attainment of economic indicators or numerical economic growth rates as in the past.
In this manner, both the revised constitutional preamble and the General Secretary's policy speech are underpinned by the People-First Principle, and this discursive structure may be evaluated as reflecting Kim Jong Un Thought. It is anticipated, however, that within a short timeframe, Kim Jong Un Thought will not be elevated to the terminology of "Kim Jong Un-ism" (김정은주의) and inscribed in parallel with Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism in the Party Rules or the Constitution.
The fact that the constitutional revision was carried out fully two years later than General Secretary Kim's order for constitutional revision when he put forward the "two-state theory" at the end of 2023 may have stemmed in part from considerations regarding unification-related phrasing and territorial clauses, but is also likely to have been attributable in part to internal debate over how to reflect Kim Jong Un Thought in the constitutional text.
The mere preparation of constitutional text grounded in the People-First Principle does not necessarily mean that it will be applied to reality as such. Nevertheless, although General Secretary Kim indirectly noted in his March policy speech that "the times are developing and the masses demand mature leadership," the fact that the regime must now profess "the welfare of the people and selfless devoted service" appears to clearly demonstrate that the political consciousness of North Korean residents is growing.
Source: “Reading North Korea” column by Jung Chang-hyun (News1)
Jung Chang-hyun Director of the Peace Economy Institute
He completed his graduate studies in Korean history at Seoul National University. He served as a senior reporter at the Institute of Contemporary History of JoongAng Ilbo. He also served as an adjunct professor at Kookmin University and University of North Korean Studies, and as an advisory committee member of the National Archives of Korea.
Source-Based Key Facts Summary Analysis
1. Executive Summary
[Per source] North Korea, at the 1st Session of the 15th Supreme People's Assembly held on March 23, carried out a constitutional revision that comprehensively reflects "People-First Principle", the core political ideology of the Kim Jong Un era. (Source: column ¶1)
[Per source] The defining features of this revised Constitution include: (1) substantial strengthening of the State Affairs Commission Chairman's authority; (2) codification of nuclear command authority; (3) legalization of the "two-state theory" through the introduction of a new territorial clause and the deletion of unification-related provisions. (Source: ¶1)
[Per source] Since its first enactment in 1948, the North Korean Constitution has been revised ("amended and supplemented") a total of 19 times — including the present revision — each in conjunction with shifts in guiding thought and changes in state organs. (Source: ¶3)
[Per source / Column's analytical interpretation] The column evaluates the present revised Constitution as "a comprehensive embodiment of Kim Jong Un Thought," grounding this evaluation in the large-scale addition of People-First Principle clauses in the constitutional preamble. (Source: ¶15)
2. Key Facts from the Source Column (Source-Attributed)
The facts below are extracted directly from the source column. The right-most column indicates the paragraph location in the original text for traceability.
Category | Fact | Source |
Date / Meeting | Constitutional revision carried out on March 23 at the 1st Session of the 15th Supreme People's Assembly. | ¶1 |
Core Ideology of the Revision | Comprehensive reflection of "People-First Principle," the core political ideology of the Kim Jong Un era. | ¶1 |
Principal Features of the Revision | (1) Substantial strengthening of the State Affairs Commission Chairman's authority; (2) codification of nuclear command authority; (3) legalization of the "two-state theory" via new territorial clause + deletion of unification-related provisions. | ¶1 |
DPRK's Definition of the Constitution | "The basic law of the state that comprehensively regulates the principles of national and social life including political, economic, and cultural life, and provides the direction and standards for the formulation of all other legal norms and regulations." | ¶2 |
Total Number of Revisions | Nineteen (19) revisions ("amendments and supplementations") from 1948 enactment through the present revision. | ¶3 |
First Constitution (1948) | No guiding ideology explicitly stipulated. Only the declaration of being a "people's democratic state" exists. | ¶4 |
Socialist Constitution (1972) | Article 4 stipulates "the Juche Idea of the Workers' Party of Korea, which is a creative application of Marxism-Leninism to the realities of our country" as the guideline of activities (first explicit inscription). | ¶5 |
1992 Revision | "Marxism-Leninism" deleted. Independently formulated "Juche Idea" alone retained as guiding directive. | ¶5 |
1998 Revision | Status of the National Defense Commission elevated to "supreme military leadership organ of state sovereignty" (four years after the death of President Kim Il Sung). | ¶6 |
2009 Revision | Article 3 stipulates "the Juche Idea and the Songun Idea as the guiding directives of activities" (addition of Songun Idea as guiding ideology). Expression "Songun revolutionary line" included. | ¶6 |
2012 Revision | Although the Party Rules inscribed "Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ization of the entire society," Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism was not incorporated into the Constitution as a guiding ideology. | ¶7 |
(2012 + 7 years) Revision | In place of "Juche Idea" and "Songun Idea," the provision "takes Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism as the sole guiding directive for state construction and activities" was inserted into the constitutional text. | ¶8 |
Present (March) Revision | Maintains the provision: "The DPRK takes the great Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism as the sole guiding directive for state construction and activities, and takes the Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ization of the entire society as the overall direction and overall objective of state construction." | ¶9 |
Kim Jong Un Statement (Jan. 29, 2013) | Speech at the 4th Conference of Party Cell Secretaries: defines that "the essence of Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism is the People-First Principle." | ¶12 |
8th Party Congress (2021) | "Kim Jong Un Thought" officially formalized. Slogans such as "Let us monochromatize the entire Party and the whole society with the revolutionary thought of Comrade Kim Jong Un" appear frequently in North Korean media. | ¶14 |
9th Party Congress | Slogan "Let us bring about the Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ization of the entire Party and the whole society" displayed on the rostrum. | ¶14 |
Kim Jong Un Directive (end of 2023) | Ordered constitutional revision while putting forward the "two-state theory." The present revision occurred two full years later. | ¶21 |
3. Evolution of North Korea's Guiding Ideology (per ¶10)
Stage | Guiding Ideology | Constitutional Reference / Timing |
1 | Juche Idea as a creative application of Marxism-Leninism | 1972 Socialist Constitution, Article 4 |
2 | Juche Idea (Kim Il Sung-ism) | 1992 revision (Marxism-Leninism deleted) |
3 | Juche Idea + Songun Idea | 2009 revision (Songun Idea added as guiding ideology) |
4 | Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism | 2012 + 7 years (inscribed in Constitution as sole guiding directive) |
4. Principal Additions and Modifications to the Constitutional Preamble (¶16-17)
Provision Category | Content (direct quotation from source) |
Definition of State Character | The phrase "people-centered socialist state" was added alongside the existing stipulation that the state "represents the interests of the Korean people." |
Fundamental Principles of State Construction and Activities | "The establishment of the unique leadership system of the leader, the adherence to the revolutionary line of independence, and the thorough implementation of the People-First Principle shall constitute the fundamental principles of state construction and activities." |
Supreme Principle of Activities | "The DPRK places the demands and interests of the popular masses above all else and treats them as absolute, and considers the enhancement of the welfare of the people as the supreme principle of its activities." |
Modification of Legal-Life Provision | Previous: "The State shall perfect the socialist legal system and strengthen socialist legal life." → Revised: "shall improve and perfect the legal system and strengthen legal life, so that the law protects the people and the people abide by the law." |
5. Key Statements from General Secretary Kim Jong Un's Policy Speech (¶18-19)
Topic | Statement (direct quotation) |
Major Task of the Government | Presented "national prosperity and the enhancement of the welfare of the people" as a major task. |
Warning Against Bureaucratism and Factionalism | "We must identify and prevent the spaces in which phenomena contrary to the people's character — such as bureaucratism and bureaucratic high-handedness — may emerge, and must establish all-round countermeasures." |
Direction of Legal-Regulatory Improvement | "We must continuously improve the sectoral laws and regulations from the standpoint of thoroughly guaranteeing the rights and welfare of the people." |
Shift in the Standard of National Strength | "The results of national development and economic growth must above all be manifested in the elevation of the people's standard of living, and the fact that the people live well is itself the strength of the state — this is the consistent absolute standard and the principle of activity of the Republic's government." |
Recognition of the Times | "The times are developing and the masses demand mature leadership" (indirectly noted). |
6. The Column's Analysis of Kim Jong Un Thought's Status
Issue | Column's Description (per source) | Source |
Relationship: KIS-KJI-ism ↔ Kim Jong Un Thought | Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism is in effect being supplanted by Kim Jong Un Thought. The two are not, however, identical. | ¶11 |
DPRK's Definition of Kim Jong Un Thought | "A body of thought that comprehensively inherits Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism and deepens and develops it to a new higher stage." | ¶11 |
Identity in Essence | The two coincide in their essence — the People-First Principle. However, Kim Jong Un Thought is positioned as the contemporary and practical extension of the prior doctrine. | ¶13 |
Overarching Objective of Party and State | The Party Rules and Constitution still inscribe "Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ization of the entire Party and society." However, since the 8th Party Congress in 2021, "Kim Jong Un Thought" has been officially formalized. | ¶14 |
DPRK's Own Explanation | Kim Jong Un Thought "has become the political ideology and political method of the Party and the government, as well as its strategic tactics and practical platform." | ¶14 |
Conceptualization by Theoreticians | Theoreticians in North Korea's philosophical community and at the Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism Research Institute of the Academy of Social Sciences are conceptualizing not Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism but Kim Jong Un Thought as a system of thought-theory-method. | ¶14 |
Short-Term Prospect | The column anticipates that within a short timeframe, Kim Jong Un Thought will not be elevated to the terminology of "Kim Jong Un-ism" and inscribed in parallel with Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism in the Party Rules or the Constitution. | ¶20 |
7. The Column's Analysis of the Two-Year Delay (¶21)
[Per source] Although General Secretary Kim Jong Un ordered constitutional revision when putting forward the "two-state theory" at the end of 2023, the actual revision was carried out two full years later.
[Column's interpretation] The column identifies two factors as having contributed to the delay:
• (1) Internal considerations regarding unification-related phrasing and territorial clauses.
• (2) Internal debate over how to reflect Kim Jong Un Thought in the constitutional text.
8. Fact / Institutional Definition / Analytical Opinion Demarcation
Category | Corresponding Elements in the Source Column |
FACT (Verifiable) | Date of revision (March 23) and name of meeting (1st Session of the 15th SPA); the total of 19 revisions; the content of constitutional provisions for each of the 1948, 1972, 1992, 1998, 2009, and 2012 revisions; Kim Jong Un's speech at the 4th Conference of Party Cell Secretaries on January 29, 2013; the timing of the 8th Party Congress in 2021; direct quotations of constitutional preamble additions; direct quotations from Kim Jong Un's policy speech; the fact that constitutional revision was ordered at the end of 2023. |
INSTITUTIONAL DEFINITION (DPRK self-formulated) | The DPRK's definition of the character of the Constitution (¶2); the DPRK's definition of the character of Kim Jong Un Thought (¶11-12); the DPRK's own explanation of the status of Kim Jong Un Thought (¶14). |
ANALYTICAL OPINION (Columnist's analysis) | The evaluation that "this revised Constitution may be evaluated as a comprehensive embodiment of Kim Jong Un Thought" (¶15); the assertion that Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism is "in effect being supplanted by Kim Jong Un Thought" (¶11); the analysis of the factors behind the two-year delay in constitutional revision (¶21); the projection that "Kim Jong Un-ism" will not be elevated in the short term (¶20); the evaluation that the political consciousness of North Korean residents is growing (¶22). |
9. Key Takeaways — Faithful to the Source Column
# | Takeaway |
1 | [¶1, ¶15] The central keyword of this constitutional revision is the "People-First Principle," and the column evaluates this as a comprehensive embodiment of Kim Jong Un Thought. |
2 | [¶3, ¶10] The North Korean Constitution has been revised 19 times since 1948, and the column emphasizes the pattern that large-scale revisions have been carried out at each shift in guiding thought. |
3 | [¶7-8] Although Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism was inscribed in the Party Rules in 2012, its constitutional inscription was achieved only seven years later — that is, there exists a time lag between entry into the Party Rules and entry into the Constitution. |
4 | [¶11-14] Kim Jong Un Thought was officially formalized following the 8th Party Congress in 2021, yet the current Party Rules and Constitution still inscribe "Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-ism" — a dual structure exists. |
5 | [¶16-17] The preamble of the present Constitution introduces new provisions including "people-centered socialist state," "unique leadership system of the leader," "thorough implementation of the People-First Principle," and "the enhancement of the welfare of the people as the supreme principle." |
6 | [¶17] The legal-life provision was modified to read "so that the law protects the people and the people abide by the law," representing a shift in expression from a state-supremacy framing to a people-protection perspective. |
7 | [¶19] Kim Jong Un's policy speech explicitly articulated a shift in the standard of evaluation — from a focus on economic indicators to a focus on the improvement of people's livelihoods — with the expression "the fact that the people live well is itself the strength of the state." |
8 | [¶21] The approximately two-year lag between the end-of-2023 directive for constitutional revision and the actual revision is attributed in the column to (1) review of unification/territorial clauses, and (2) internal debate over the manner of reflecting Kim Jong Un Thought. |
9 | [¶22] The column ultimately evaluates that the political consciousness of North Korean residents is growing — to the point that the regime must now profess "the welfare of the people and selfless devoted service." |
10. Editorial and Translation Principles
• This analysis is based exclusively on the facts, citations, and interpretations explicitly contained in Jung Chang-hyun's source column. No external sources or external inferences have been introduced.
• Each fact and citation item is tagged with the paragraph location in the source column (¶ number) to ensure traceability.
• Fact / Institutional Definition (DPRK self-formulated) / Analytical Opinion (Columnist's analysis) are explicitly demarcated in three categories in §8.
• Proper nouns follow internationally recognized English transliteration (Workers' Party of Korea, Supreme People's Assembly, National Defense Commission, Academy of Social Sciences, Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un).
• Relative temporal expressions such as "this past March" or "seven years later" are preserved as they appear in the source rather than being converted to absolute dates.
• "NK Insights" is the English column section name in accordance with the established English nomenclature of the nkcontent.org platform.
— End of Comprehensive Report —
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