Where is North Korea heading? Major political rule changes may tell us



Columns Where is North Korea heading? Major political rule changes may tell us No mention of Kims, coolness toward unification and revival of communism offer guideposts for next several years Andrei Lankov June 24, 2021 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON NK News (file photo) \| North Koreans fiercely waving their country's flag in 2019 By far the most serious revision in the new Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) rules is the creation of the “first secretary” position, along with other measures that appear to prepare for the death or incapacitation of Kim Jong Un. But the new statutes also contain a number of other meaningful revisions that warrant consideration, including the elimination of any mention of the Kim family, the softening of Pyongyang’s rhetoric toward Seoul and the reappearance of “communism” as a part of the official state ideology. By far the most serious revision in the new Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) rules is the creation of the “first secretary” position, along with other measures that appear to prepare for the death or incapacitation of Kim Jong Un. But the new statutes also contain a number of other meaningful revisions that warrant consideration, including the elimination of any mention of the Kim family, the softening of Pyongyang’s rhetoric toward Seoul and the reappearance of “communism” as a part of the official state ideology. Become a member for less than $4 per week. Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

Columns

Where is North Korea heading? Major political rule changes may tell us

No mention of Kims, coolness toward unification and revival of communism offer guideposts for next several years

Andrei Lankov June 24, 2021

Where is North Korea heading? Major political rule changes may tell us

NK News (file photo) | North Koreans fiercely waving their country's flag in 2019

By far the most serious revision in the new Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) rules is the creation of the “first secretary” position, along with other measures that appear to prepare for the death or incapacitation of Kim Jong Un.

But the new statutes also contain a number of other meaningful revisions that warrant consideration, including the elimination of any mention of the Kim family, the softening of Pyongyang’s rhetoric toward Seoul and the reappearance of “communism” as a part of the official state ideology.