The US is monitoring North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, who may be reinstated as “President” after North Korea officially began using the term “Head of State,” signaling a structural change in power.
On 4 February 2026, the US website 38 North, which closely follows North Korean political developments, reported that North Korea might revive the position of “President” and officially appoint Kim Jong Un as president following the 9th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea. This congress is expected to set key diplomatic, security, and economic policies for the next five years, alongside the upcoming meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly.
The 38 North report noted that since September 2024, North Korea has officially referred to Kim Jong Un as “Head of State,” which could signal a political restructuring within the country.
The position of “President of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea” was previously held by Kim Il Sung, the country's founder and Kim Jong Un's grandfather, from 1972 until his death in 1994. The 1972 constitution clearly stated that the president was the head of state and the representative of national sovereignty. However, in 1998, North Korea amended the constitution to remove the presidential position, after which Kim Jong Il, son of Kim Il Sung, led the country as the supreme leader and chairman of the National Defense Commission.
Experts suggest that if North Korea revives the presidential post and officially appoints Kim Jong Un, the change may not merely be symbolic or honorary but could also indicate a new configuration of state power.
Source: Yonhap