Kim Jong-un Regime's Legal Changes of North Korea and Judicial Preparations
Authors:   Korea Society of Unification & North Korean Law Studies(North Korean Law Society), Park Jeong Won 
Published: February 2025

Inter-Korean relations are at a disconnected point. The suspension of the Geumgangsan Mountain tourism project and the closure of the Kaesong Industrial Complex are well-known. Kim Jong-un mainly concluded relations with South Korea and declared the establishment of a new territorial clause in the socialist constitution to strengthen North Korea's nationality. In spite of the growing conflict and conflict between the two Koreas, exchanges and cooperation between the two Koreas are essential on the premise of peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula. Through a method of establishing a necessary legal system while forming a cooperative system between the two Koreas and solving legal problems that occurred in the process, it has become recognized that the function and role of judiciary increases as inter-Korean relations deepen. In the future, if the establishment and promotion of a unification policy and the developmental opportunity for inter-Korean relations are re-created, issues for preparation for unification requested from the judicial aspect can be reviewed.
The Kim Jong-un regime of North Korea is promoting a wide range of legal reforms by strengthening socialist legislative projects and advocating the theory of a socialist legalized state. Amendments of the socialist constitution is also included. It is a kind of legal institutionalization of state administration and shows the form of 'rule by law'. Of course, it is different from the principles of our democratic legal system and the rule of law. Behind the legal reform of North Korea, above all, the goal of strengthening and protecting the regime is interposed. First of all, despite concerns from the international community, the nuclear armament policy is being legislated and the advancement of nuclear armament is progressing. Above all, nuclear is used as a bastion for the protection of the North Korean regime. Moreover, it is strengthening normative control over North Koreans. We are making excessive laws to forcibly prevent the transfer of our free culture and ideas. The Reactionary Ideology and Culture Act, the Youth Culture Guarantee Act, and the Pyongyang Culture Language Protection Act are promoting to control youth culture and block access to information.
In addition, Kim Jong-un is boldly revising the economic guidance guidelines and economic management principles that dominated North Korea while reorganizing the system for economic rehabilitation through improvement measures in the economic sector. On the one hand, it shows the confidence of power to change the teachings of its predecessor, while on the other hand, it intends to achieve regime stability by reducing complaints from North Koreans. As much as North Korean legislation has changed, it will support changes in internal and external policies. A detailed analysis of the legal reform under the Kim Jong-un regime is a basic preparation for the unified judicial law. In particular, since changes in the North Korean judicial system and the introduction of a new system are basic research objects to find judicial countermeasures for us in terms of principles and systems, a close analysis should follow.
Additionally, it is crucial for the Unification Act to secure the legitimacy of the legislation requested in the process of inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation, as well as the basis for judgment for legal resolution of legal disputes that have arisen. Additionally, we must find a way that works for us by finding implications and lessons for legal issues and arguments for resolving them in the process of unification between East and West Germany. Although there may be areas where political judgment and action are required by the Japanese cause, an attitude toward judicial response and active resolution of legal issues arising from the improvement of inter-Korean relations and the promotion of unification policies is required.