North Korea ruling party revisions bolster Kim Jong Un's control, report says

North Korea's revision of rules governing the Workers' Party lays the groundwork for more centralised control under the reclusive state's leader Kim Jong Un, a South Korean security institute report said on Thursday.



The revisions, adopted at the ruling Workers' Party of Korea's Ninth Congress in February, strengthened Kim's authority and further institutionalised party control over the state and military, said the Institute for National Security Strategy, which is affiliated with South Korea's National Intelligence Service.



The rules give the party's general secretary, a post held by Kim, explicit powers to convene and chair Politburo and Politburo Standing Committee meetings, appoint and dismiss key officials, admit or expel party members, and dissolve party organisations and departments.



The provisions allow Kim to exercise more direct control without relying on collective party decision-making bodies, the report said.



Other changes were aimed at regularising party operations and tightening central oversight of government and military affairs.