North Korea has drawn attention by announcing plans to remove the term socialism from its constitution through the Supreme People’s Assembly, its equivalent of a legislature, and to introduce a new police system. Analysts suggest that this move, reported on Tuesday, indicates an effort to shed its identity as a socialist state and present itself as a normal country.
The ruling Workers’ Party’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on the first session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly held on Monday. According to the report, North Korea changed the existing title of its constitution from Constitution of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Socialism to Constitution of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. This deliberate removal of the word socialism is interpreted as an attempt to emphasize North Korea’s existence as a state rather than its identity as a socialist regime.
Notably, renaming the socialist constitution, which first appeared during Kim Il Sung’s presidency in 1972, signifies a departure from the institutional legacy of previous leaders and underscores the dawn of a new era under Kim Jong Un.
Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, noted that North Korea was the only country in the world with a constitution that included the term socialism. He analyzed that by adopting a title similar to those of typical sovereign nations, North Korea may be signaling its intent to expand diplomatic relations with more countries without restrictions.
On the previous day, General Secretary Kim revealed during a speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly that he plans to introduce a new police system soon. This move also appears aimed at aligning with the image of a normal state.
Kim emphasized the necessity of introducing the police system to ensure internal state security and social stability. He stated that it is essential to complete legal regulations and further solidify the country’s legal and social systems. Kim indicated that the relevant matters would be formally reviewed at a future Supreme People’s Assembly session.
He also remarked that the term police itself is not a bad thing. Establishing a specialized police system to conduct public order maintenance at a higher level is both natural and beneficial. This statement seems aimed at allaying any psychological resistance or apprehension from residents, as the term police has traditionally been associated with Western countries. Analysts interpret this as evidence that the introduction of a police system is a significant and unconventional step for North Korea.
Kim further suggested that introducing the police system would clarify the operational boundaries among domestic law enforcement agencies, ensuring smooth cooperation and facilitating collaboration with police organizations in other countries.
Historically, North Korea’s Ministry of State Security, Ministry of Social Security, and Social Security Forces have assumed police roles. The Ministry of State Security serves as a secret police agency focused on internal and external intelligence, political surveillance, counterintelligence, and the protection of the supreme leader, while the Ministry of Social Security centers on maintaining social order and monitoring residents. The emergence of a police organization is expected to bring changes to the roles and structures of these agencies.
Additionally, North Korea took this opportunity to rename the Ministry of State Security to the Ministry of State Information. This change seems aimed at projecting a more professional and modern intelligence agency image in the international community, similar to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Senior researcher Hong noted that previously, North Korea tended to view the police system as a construct of the capitalist world. Despite this negative perception, Kim’s direct mention of the system’s introduction during his speech indicates an intention to apply the conventional image of a police force as part of normalizing the state.
