North Korea’s new rules delay leadership track for Kim’s daughter | NK News
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September 25, 2026Sep 25, 2026

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North Korea’s new rules delay leadership track for Kim’s daughter

The party revisions represent a near-complete restructuring of North Korea’s governing norms around leader Kim Jong Un

North Korea has raised the minimum age for joining the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) from 18 to 20, according to a new analysis of the party’s updated rulebook, a change that could delay any formal leadership role for Kim Jong Un’s daughter.

The change was among several revisions adopted at the Ninth Party Congress in February to strengthen the party’s organization and institutionalize Kim’s “monolithic” leadership, according to a report published Thursday by the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS), a think tank affiliated with South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS). 

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