 The third session of the 13th Supreme People’s Assembly convenes at Mansudae Assembly Hall in April of last year. Image: Rodong Sinmun |
The fourth session of the 13th Supreme
People’s Assembly was held on June 29, attracting attention about what sort of
matters were discussed. It is generally believed that personnel appointments,
administrative matters, and other measures introduced at the 7th Workers’ Party
Congress were further pursued and enacted at the Assembly.
The Supreme People’s Assembly is North
Korea’s premiere legislating body, and was created in 1948. The body can be
loosely compared to a Congress or National Assembly, but is not a democratic
institution. The laws that are put forward come directly from Kim Jong Un’s
directives or the Korean Workers’ Party.
North Korea formally claims to be a
“Republic,” and the representatives in the Assembly are nominally considered to
facilitate the will of the people as elected officials. However, the true
decision making process reflects the power dynamics undergirding the
institution, meaning that Kim Jong Un and the Party have their say.
Kim Jong Un uses this assembly of “yes men”
to implement and advertise his policies on a domestic and international level.
In doing so, the Kim regime strives to strengthen solidarity and present a
united front.
One question drawing in a particularly
large amount of attention is whether we will witness any fulfillment of the
plans detailed in the Five Year Economic and Development Plan that Kim Jong Un
announced at the 7th Party Congress. “There is definitely a possibility that we
will see specific directives come from the national level that attempt to
fulfill the economic development goals announced as part of the Five Year
Plan,” said Jo Bong Hyeon, chief researcher at the IBK Economic Research
Institute in a telephone conversation with Daily NK on June 28. “There will
likely be discussion about policy, personnel, and systemic issues related to
the plan.”
Lee Seok Ki, a senior researcher for the
Korean Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade, said, “When we consider
the fact that North Korea has been unable to fulfill its economic goals in the
past, it is very unlikely that we’ll see officials predict specific percentage
figures. Because it was announced that the country’s ‘strategic problems’ would
be addressed, there is also the possibility that an overhaul of power
generation facilities will be emphasized.”
Some are cautioning that observers should
exercise caution so that they do not read too much into any economic measures
that might be taken up at the Supreme People’s Assembly. The items produced at
the Assembly are merely suggestions. The fundamental structure of the North
Korean regime will remain as it is. Serious improvement in the economic sector
is still far off.
“We should absolutely be paying attention
to what kind of measures get put forward, but we also need to avoid being
overly optimistic about the prospects for said measures,” said Kim Kwang In,
the head of Korea Advancement Solidarity. “For a lesson in just how wide the
gap is between North Korea’s economic policies and its realities, all we need
to do is look at the state of the country’s 19 Special Economic Zones.”
“The North Korean authorities lack the
strength to pull the country’s economy out of the weeds as this time,” Kim
added. “North Korea is in urgent need of outside assistance, but the authorities
are resisting change. How can the country possibly develop and grow if it
doesn’t demonstrate any willingness to change?”
Most observers are forecasting that the
regime will consolidate and concentrate power in the hands of Kim Jong Un by
re-organizing national organizations and giving Kim Jong Un a new title. The
progress made at the 7th Party Congress certainly attests to that trend. There
is a need for the Supreme People’s Assembly to ratify and reaffirm this
progress.
“The Supreme People’s Assembly will support
and re-affirm the absolute nature of Kim Jong Un’s position as leader.
Organizational shake-ups and personnel appointments will take up the majority
of the remaining time. Just as Kim was promoted to Chairman of the Workers’ Party at the 7th Party Congress, there will likely be a similar promotion at
the Assembly*,” said Jeon Hyeon Jun, director of the Northeast Asia Peace and
Cooperation Institute.
Kim Jin Mu, of the Korean Institute for
Defense Analysis, said, “We should be paying attention to whether the National
Defense Committee* continues to exist or not, and whether or not Kim Jong Un’s
title as First Chairman of the National Defense Committee continues to exist.
One of the Assembly’s main functions is constitutional reform, so we should
look to see if changes in the Party rules get reflected through alterations to
the constitution.”
Jeong Seong Jang, Unification Strategy
Research Center Chief at the Sejong Institute, said, “There is a high
possibility that Kim Jong Un will revive the Central People’s Committee, which
previously served as the central power institution under Kim Il Sung. Kim Jong
Un will likely place himself as the head. The existing National Defense
Committee might be included as a subsidiary of the Central People’s Committee.”
Because Kim Jong Un is stressing the “Byungjin
Line” of simultaneous economic and military growth and power, this style of
organization – elevating the Central People’s Committee over the National
Defense Committee – is more in line with his leadership principles.
There have also been suggestions that North
Korea will use the Supreme People’s Assembly to emphasize its status as a
nuclear power and propose dialogue with foreign powers. In the recent weeks,
North Korea has celebrated the launch of its Musudan missile and brought up the
idea of signing a peace agreement. Through these actions, North Korea has
attempted to change its place in the international pecking order.
*After the original article was
produced, it was announced that Kim Jong Un was promoted to Chairman of a new
state body called the Commission on State Affairs; the new State Affairs Commission is to replace the National Defense Commission.
