PYONGYANG, March 23, (V7N) – North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) has re-elected Kim Jong Un as President of State Affairs, the country’s highest policymaking post, state media reported Monday.  

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the decision reflected “the unanimous will and desire of all the Korean people.” Kim, the third-generation ruler since the state’s founding in 1948, has led the country since his father’s death in 2011.  

The SPA session marked the first state affairs activity of its 15th term.  

Ahead of the vote, 687 deputies were elected, with citizens over 17 given the choice to approve or reject the sole candidate presented by the ruling party.  

KCNA reported 99.93% approval and 99.99% turnout, figures typical of North Korea’s tightly controlled elections.  

Experts say the re-election was a highly choreographed event designed to reinforce Kim’s legitimacy. “Throughout the third-generation rule, the North has staged such events to showcase a procedure in an attempt to achieve political legitimacy,” said Lee Ho-ryung of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses.  

Photos released by KCNA showed Kim in a formal suit, seated at the centre of the stage beneath statues of his father Kim Jong Il and grandfather Kim Il Sung.  

Analysts suggest the assembly may also consider constitutional amendments, potentially codifying inter-Korean relations as those between “two hostile states.” Observers say Kim’s language in his speech—whether he emphasizes “unity” or adopts more aggressive terms like “territorial control”—will serve as a barometer of his stance toward South Korea.  

The session follows a five-yearly ruling party meeting last month, underscoring Kim’s continued consolidation of power.  

END/WD/RH