The National Intelligence Service said on the 7th that North Korea's constitutional revision "made clear the two states of the South and the North." It added, however, that "hostility toward the South has eased considerably."
On this day, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) briefed ruling and opposition lawmakers on North Korea's new constitution at a full meeting of the Intelligence Committee. Park Seon-won of the Democratic Party of Korea, the ruling party secretary on the Intelligence Committee, and Lee Seong-gwon of the People Power Party, the opposition party secretary, relayed the NIS briefing to the media.
Earlier, North Korea carried out a constitutional amendment that created a new clause defining only the northern part of the Korean Peninsula as its territory. It is a new constitution reflecting Kim Jong-un's "two states" line.
In its report, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said, "The new constitution does not include language identifying the Republic of Korea as a target to be pacified in wartime or as the main enemy," adding, "This constitutional amendment clearly severs ties with the Republic of Korea, but rather than signaling an offensive posture against the Republic of Korea, it places emphasis on maintaining the status quo and managing the situation."
It added that while there is a reference that it "will not tolerate violations of the inviolability" of areas bordering the Republic of Korea, there was no hostile language toward the South at all.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) assessed that the revision greatly strengthened Kim Jong-un's powers. The NIS reported, "By strengthening the authority of the chairperson of the State Affairs Commission, it solidified Kim Jong-un's one-person leadership system," adding, "It deleted the achievements of the predecessors in general, removed the names Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, and replaced them with 'the leader.'"
It continued, "Marking the 15th year of Kim Jong-un's rule, by revising the constitution, the basic framework of governance, he enhanced his own authority, granted himself broad powers, and with checks removed, one-man rule has been further cemented."
Through this constitutional amendment, the chairperson obtained the power to appoint and dismiss the chair of the Supreme People's Assembly and the premier of the Cabinet, and the core governing discourse of the Kim Jong-un system, the people-first principle, was also stipulated.
With this constitutional revision, North Korea also made clear it will not give up nuclear weapons. The revised constitution includes a new clause stating, "The command authority over the nuclear forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea belongs to the chairperson of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."
On this, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said, "We view the stipulation of command over nuclear forces in the constitution as a clear external declaration that North Korea will not abandon its nuclear weapons," adding, "Various checks and functions over the chairperson of the State Affairs Commission have all been removed, and for the first time on paper the authority to use nuclear weapons is specified as belonging to the chairperson of the State Affairs Commission, while command over all armed forces has also been strengthened."