North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) met this week for a two-day session, touting accomplishments in 2024, but the gathering did not mention expected constitutional revisions that would further harden the country’s stance against South Korea.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was nowhere mentioned in state media outlet KCNA in reports related to his attending the assembly. It did not disclose new policy details related to North Korea and the US, considering a new administration of the US had recently begun.
The assembly during the meeting approved the state budget for 2025, which plans to increase government spending by 103.8% compared to the previous year. It also confirmed the appointment of a new premier and aimed to accelerate North Korea’s national defense capabilities, though specific defense spending details were not provided by KCNA.
The SPA also approved a constitutional amendment that would change the name of the country’s supreme court and its top prosecutors’ office. This amendment comes after last year’s constitutional revision, which officially declared South Korea to be a “hostile state.” Officials had expected more measures that might bring North Korea to carry out more attacks.
Another report covered arrest and trial procedures for South Korea’s President, Yoon Suk Yeol in a report showing that KCNA claimed his excuses for declaring a state of martial law and portrayed a trial for his actions where the agency “babbled nonsense”.
