Dec. 18 (Asia Today) -- North Korean media increasingly refer to Kim Jong Un as general secretary of the ruling Workers' Party rather than chairman of the State Affairs Commission, a shift a South Korean government-affiliated research report said reflects a further consolidation of party-centered rule.
The National Institute for Strategic Studies said in a report released Thursday that the 8th Central Committee, which has functioned as North Korea's main decision-making body over the past five years, has reinforced a governance model centered on the Workers' Party as the country prepares for its 9th Party Congress, expected in early 2026.
Senior research fellow Kim In-tae wrote that the committee's efforts to regularize and institutionalize party leadership organs resemble Kim Il Sung-era governance from the 1960s through the 1980s. He said the policy decision-making structure shows a more pronounced concentration of the "single-leader system," according to the report.
Kim said the increased use of the Workers' Party title suggests the regime has further strengthened party-centered state management.
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