North Korea may revise Constitution in April: NIS

National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon, center, participates in a meeting of the National Assembly's intelligence committee to brief about the spy agency's activities and North Korea, Friday. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun

By Park Ji-won

South Korea is preparing for North Korea's possible amendment of its Constitution to make its leader Kim Jong-un the official head of state, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said during a National Assembly briefing, Friday.

Rep. Lee Eun-jae of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) quoted the spy agency as saying, “Considering that Kim didn't take a parliamentary job during the election for Supreme People's Assembly members on March 10, the NIS is monitoring various possibilities such as a constitutional amendment during a meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly scheduled to be held on April 11.”

The remarks came amid speculation that the North may change its governing structure to be led by one leader, as the present dual structure has made it difficult for Kim to be recognized as the head of state on diplomatic occasions. Kim's main titles were chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Kim had run for Constituency No. 11 on Mount Paektu in the 2014 election and received 100 percent support. However, he didn't make a bid in the March election.

“The NIS said the North stopped the operation of a five-megawatt nuclear reactor at the Yongbyon complex late last year but appears to still be operating its uranium enrichment facility,” Rep. Kim Min-ki of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said.

“The NIS said North Korea started the restoration of the Tongchang-ri missile launch site before holding the North Korea-U.S. summit in February and has almost completed its work. The NIS added the site is under maintenance.”