North Korea has officially codified its wartime party operations in its Labor Party charter for the first time since its founding. During wartime, the Politburo will be authorized to make key decisions in place of the Central Committee's plenary sessions, and election procedures necessary for the composition of party leadership bodies will be waived. Kim Jong Un, the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, has been granted the authority to directly appoint and dismiss key officials, as well as to decide on the admission and expulsion of party members and the dissolution of party organizations.
On September 3, the Korea National Strategy Institute held a press conference at the Dalgaebi House in Jung-gu, revealing an analysis of the revised party charter, which was amended during the 9th Party Congress in February. The preamble of the revised charter has been reduced from 28 paragraphs to 26, and 20 of the 60 articles in the main text have been modified.
The most notable change is the introduction of provisions related to wartime operations. This is the first time North Korea has specifically defined wartime party operations in its Labor Party charter.
Article 15 of the revised charter states that newly appointed officials in specific regions and units will be registered as candidates for party leadership positions and elected at plenary sessions, but it also specifies that “elections will not be held during wartime, and they will operate as members of the party leadership.” This allows the party organization to function without a separate election process in emergencies.
New wartime powers for the Politburo have also been established. Article 27 specifies that the Politburo can “discuss and decide on important issues presented to the party in accordance with the delegation of the Central Committee plenary session during wartime.”
The institute interprets this as a measure to fill the gap left by the Central Committee plenary session in emergencies, allowing for a defense and military command system centered around the Politburo to facilitate quicker decision-making than in peacetime.
Kim Il-ki, head of the Peaceful Coexistence Strategy Center at the institute, stated, “This can be seen as formalizing the practices the party has followed during wartime in the Labor Party charter, effectively reflecting a Politburo-centered defense and military command system that replaces the Central Committee in emergencies.”
The charter has completely removed references to the party's policies toward South Korea and unification. Previously, in June 2024, North Korea had deleted related content during a Central Committee plenary session, and this revision has finalized that removal. However, the institute noted that North Korea did not directly include terms like “hostile countries” or “combatants” in the party charter or constitution, suggesting that it may be leaving room for future state-to-state relations or dialogue.
Kim Jong Un's powers have also been significantly clarified. The revised charter allows him to directly convene and preside over Politburo meetings and the Politburo Standing Committee, as well as to appoint and dismiss important party officials. He has also been granted the authority to directly admit citizens as party members or candidate members and to expel party members who commit serious errors.
The institute remarked, “This is the first time in the history of party charters that the powers and status of the General Secretary have been so specifically defined,” indicating that it institutionalizes a governance structure supporting Kim Jong Un's unique leadership system.
Conversely, the symbolism of previous leaders has been further diminished. Following the 2021 revision, which largely removed the achievements and symbolism of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, this revision has also deleted related paragraphs that remained in the preamble. Instead, it added the phrase “the Workers' Party of Korea is centered around its leader” and the ‘five principles of party building’ for the Kim Jong Un era.
Kim In-tae, the chief researcher at the institute, stated, “By completely eliminating the remaining symbolism of previous leaders, it has unequivocally established the character of the Labor Party charter as that of Kim Jong Un,” adding that “the core of the revision is the strengthening of Kim Jong Un's leadership system and preparation for long-term rule.”
The revised party charter has raised the age for party membership from 18 to 20. This marks the first increase in the age limit since North Korea lowered it from 20 to 18 during the 3rd Party Congress in 1956 to expand party membership after the war. The institute noted that since the actual age at which North Korean residents typically join the party is generally in their 20s, this adjustment reflects reality, although linking it directly to Kim Jong Un's daughter, Kim Ju-ae, as a successor is considered speculative.
Meanwhile, the institute anticipates that North Korea is likely to demand measures beyond merely reducing U.S.-South Korea joint exercises in any potential dialogue with the U.S. Choi Yong-hwan, a deputy researcher at the institute, stated, “North Korea believes its negotiating power has increased compared to 2018-2019, so it will likely seek to exclude denuclearization from the starting point of negotiations and obtain maximum concessions.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.