North Korea Holds Elections for Supreme People’s Assembly Deputies; 75% of Seats Replaced

On March 15, North Korea conducted elections for deputies to the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA), the country’s highest legislative body, functionally comparable to South Korea’s National Assembly. The election follows the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, which set the strategic direction for North Korea’s governance and foreign policy over the next five years, and forms part of an institutional process aimed at consolidating a “new power structure” centered on Kim Jong-un. Of the 687 deputies elected to the 15th SPA, 520 are newly appointed, reflecting a turnover rate of approximately 75 percent.

◇ Kim Jong-un Casts Vote in the Coal Mine Constituency

Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, visited the coal mine constituency on the day of the SPA election to cast his vote. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on March 16 that Chairman Kim visited the Chonsong Youth Coal Mine, part of the Sunchon District Youth Coal Mine United Enterprise in South Pyongan Province, on the eve of the election for the 15th SPA and cast his ballot at an on-site polling station.

Chairman Kim cast his ballot in favor of Jo Chol-ho, manager of the Chonsong Youth Coal Mine and a candidate for deputy.

In remarks delivered at the site, Kim emphasized that “the working class in the coal industry constitutes the core of the nation, achieving the most valuable contributions at the forefront of national development,” adding that “coal has long served, and continues to serve, as the lifeblood of our industry and the driving force behind the advancement of a self-reliant economy.”

He further stated, “As development accelerates and our national aspirations materialize, demand for coal is becoming increasingly acute. The key sectors responsible for national prosperity and revitalization depend on coal as both fuel and raw material,” referencing the decision adopted at the Ninth Party Congress to raise coal production by 1.2 times over the next five years.

Seven years earlier, during the election for the 14th SPA, Chairman Kim cast his vote at a polling station at Kim Chaek University of Technology, North Korea’s leading science and engineering institution.

In 2014, during the 13th SPA election, he voted at Kim Il-sung Political University, an institution responsible for training senior political officers in the military.

Whereas the 13th election underscored regime security and the 14th emphasized science and technology, the current election is interpreted as signaling a policy focus on revitalizing coal-based core industries, reflecting confidence in the broader economic situation.

The SPA is the highest organ of state power under the North Korean Constitution and performs legislative and budgetary functions analogous to those of South Korea’s National Assembly. However, as only one candidate is registered per electoral district and voters are effectively compelled to approve that candidate, meaningful electoral choice is not guaranteed.

◇ Voting Began Nationwide at 10:00 a.m.

North Korea’s state media, including Rodong Sinmun, provided extensive coverage of polling stations across the country on election day. The Korean Central Broadcasting Station reported that evening that “the election for deputies to the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly was successfully conducted.”

According to the broadcast, voting commenced simultaneously nationwide at 10:00 a.m. Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that “voters unable to visit polling stations due to age or illness cast their ballots through mobile ballot boxes.”

That evening, Korean Central Television aired footage of diplomatic representatives from Russia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Bulgaria stationed in North Korea, along with embassy staff and ethnic Koreans residing in China, observing a polling station in central Pyongyang.

Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers’ Party, urged citizens through editorials and related articles to “actively participate in the election with firm conviction and will, ushering in a new era of national prosperity.”

The SPA, as the highest sovereign body under the Constitution, holds legislative authority and is empowered to oversee the executive and judicial branches.

Elections for SPA deputies are typically held every five years; however, this election took place seven years after the previous one in 2019, a delay interpreted as an effort to align the electoral cycle with the Party Congress schedule.

Unlike in South Korea, where election day is a public holiday, North Korea conducts elections on Sundays. All citizens aged 18 and older are eligible to vote. Mobile ballot boxes are provided for those unable to travel to polling stations, and proxy voting is permitted.

Following revisions to the Delegate Election Law in August 2023, the previous system—under which a single candidate endorsed by the Workers’ Party received all votes—was amended to incorporate elements resembling a primary selection process.

In addition, the method of expressing opposition by crossing out a candidate’s name on the ballot has been replaced with a system in which voters deposit their ballots into either “yes” or “no” boxes.

Despite these procedural changes, only one candidate is nominated and registered per electoral district, and voters are encouraged to cast unanimous “yes” votes; accordingly, all candidates were elected without contest.

On the same day, Rodong Sinmun also published commentary aimed at encouraging voter participation.

In an article titled “The Stark Contrast Between the Two Societies as Seen Through Elections,” the newspaper asserted that “in capitalist societies, it is inconceivable for ordinary workers to stand as candidates,” adding that “broad segments of the working population are excluded from elections due to various restrictions and discriminatory practices based on property, education, gender, race, and residency.”

It further claimed that “only billionaires, their representatives, and other privileged elites are able to run as candidates.”

◇ List of 687 Elected Delegates Announced; 0.07% Cast “No” Votes

On March 17, North Korea released the results of the election along with the full list of 687 deputies elected to the 15th SPA.

SPA deputies are broadly equivalent to legislators in South Korea, and the composition of the list typically reflects the prevailing power structure, including key party and government officials as well as individuals wielding substantive influence.

Among the newly elected members, Cho Yong-won—considered a close associate of Chairman Kim Jong-un and formerly serving as Party Organization Secretary—was included for the first time, having not been part of the 14th SPA in 2019.

Given that he did not assume a Party secretary or departmental director role at the Ninth Party Congress, he is widely expected to be appointed as the next Chairman of the SPA Standing Committee, the highest position within the legislature.

Choe Ryong-hae, who previously served as Chairman of the SPA Standing Committee but stepped back from frontline duties following the Party Congress, was not included on the list of deputies.

Kim Yo-jong, Director of the Party’s General Affairs Department and sister of Kim Jong-un, was elected from the Galimgil constituency, as she was in the 14th SPA.

Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Party International Secretary Kim Song-nam also retained their seats. Jang Kum-chol, former Director of the United Front Department and reportedly assigned a key role in inter-Korean affairs at the recent Party Congress, was likewise included.

In the Panmunjom constituency, Party Secretary and military affairs official Jeong Gyong-taek was elected. Previously, this constituency was represented by Kim Yong-chol, a senior figure in inter-Korean relations, who, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Unification, was not included in the current SPA.

Overall, analysis indicates that the composition of the 15th SPA reflects a 75 percent turnover compared with the 14th, signaling a significant personnel reshuffle aligned with the consolidation of the “Kim Jong-un era.”

According to South Korea’s Ministry of Unification, approximately 520 of the 687 elected deputies are new figures, representing the highest turnover rate on record. By comparison, turnover rates in the 11th through 14th SPAs ranged from 40 to 50 percent.

KCNA reported that voter turnout reached 99.99 percent, with 99.93 percent voting in favor and 0.07 percent voting against.

North Korea has reported the presence of “no” votes since the November 2023 local People’s Assembly elections, a development widely interpreted as an effort to project the appearance of nominal electoral choice.

Notably, the 99.93 percent approval rate marks the first departure from the previously consistent 100 percent approval recorded since the inaugural SPA election in 1948. Amendments to the election law in August 2023 introduced separate “yes” and “no” ballot boxes and provisions allowing for multiple candidates, measures ostensibly aimed at enhancing electoral transparency. However, some analysts assess that the appearance of dissenting votes may also serve a performative function, reinforcing the narrative of a “transparent electoral system.”

Although SPA elections are typically held every five years, this election was conducted seven years after the previous one in 2019, likely to align with the five-year cycle of the Workers’ Party Congress, which resumed in 2016 after a 36-year hiatus.

South Korea’s Ministry of Unification has suggested that the two-year delay may have contributed to the unusually high turnover rate, alongside broader trends of generational change and Kim Jong-un’s efforts to identify and address corruption within the officialdom.

The Ministry further assessed that the personnel policy emphasizing performance and competence, highlighted at the Ninth Party Congress, was reflected in this election. During the Congress, 139 new members—55.6 percent of the total 250 full and alternate members—were appointed to the Party Central Committee.

Following the 2019 constitutional revision stipulating that the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission cannot concurrently serve as an SPA deputy, Kim Jong-un was not included among the elected deputies, consistent with the precedent set in the previous election.

◇ Ri Son-gwon, Head of Inter-Korean Affairs, Appointed Chairman of the Korean Social Democratic Party

It has been confirmed that Ri Son-gwon, a former deputy director of the Workers’ Party’s Tenth Department who has long overseen inter-Korean affairs, has been appointed chairman of the Korean Social Democratic Party (KSDP), a nominal opposition party and an “allied party” of the Workers’ Party.

On March 16, the Korean Central Broadcasting Station reported on voting by key figures in the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly elections held the previous day, identifying Ri Son-gwon with the title of Chairman of the KSP Central Committee.

It had previously been confirmed that Ri Son-gwon was replaced as director of the Party’s Tenth Bureau and withdrew from frontline duties following the Ninth Party Congress, which concluded last month.

The Tenth Bureau is an entity that was renamed from the United Front Department—the body responsible for inter-Korean affairs—after North Korea redefined inter-Korean relations as relations between two hostile states.

The KSDP, now chaired by Ri Son-gwon, is a nominal political organization that North Korea employs, alongside the Chondoist Chongu Party, to project the appearance of a multi-party system.

As an allied party aligned with the Workers’ Party’s political line, it does not function as a genuine opposition party.

In practice, the KSDP frequently serves as a counterpart to South Korean political parties, civil society organizations, and religious groups in inter-Korean exchanges, or acts as a principal vehicle for propaganda directed at the South, effectively operating as a united front organization focused on South Korea.

◇ First Session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly Scheduled for March 22

Having completed elections for deputies to the Supreme People’s Assembly, North Korea is set to reconstitute the body—its de facto equivalent of South Korea’s National Assembly—and convene its first session on March 22. The Korean Central News Agency announced in a public notice on March 17 that “The First Session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will be convened in Pyongyang on March 22, 2026.” This move constitutes a follow-up measure to the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party.

The agency indicated that the session will address “issues related to the amendment and supplementation of the Socialist Constitution.” With constitutional revisions expected to be considered during this session, attention is focused on whether steps will be taken to codify the designation of inter-Korean relations as “hostile states.”

Given the tension between North Korea’s current policy—which rejects unification and designates the South as an enemy state—and constitutional language referencing “peaceful unification” and “the nation,” the possibility of amendments has long been anticipated.

However, as North Korea did not clarify at last month’s Party Congress whether it would revise the Workers’ Party Charter regarding inter-Korean relations, uncertainty remains over the scope of any constitutional amendments, as well as whether specific provisions will be disclosed even if revisions are enacted.

The report also identified the “election of the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission” and the “elections of state leadership bodies and sectoral committees of the Supreme People’s Assembly” as agenda items for the session.

Accordingly, North Korea is expected to re-elect Kim Jong-un as Chairman of the State Affairs Commission. While there had been speculation that the country’s highest office might be redesignated from Chairman of the State Affairs Commission to “President” in advance of the Ninth Party Congress, it has now been confirmed that the current title will be retained.

In addition, personnel appointments to key state positions—including the Premier of the Cabinet and members of the State Affairs Commission—are expected. The session is also likely to address the implementation of the five-year national economic development plan unveiled at the Party Congress, as well as the settlement of the 2025 budget and deliberation over the 2026 national budget.

Attention is also focused on whether Chairman Kim Jong-un will articulate additional policy positions on relations with the United States and South Korea through speeches or other addresses during the session.

The Supreme People’s Assembly, as the legislative body, is designated under the North Korean Constitution as the “highest organ of state power.” In principle, following the conclusion of the Party Congress—held every five years—the Supreme People’s Assembly is convened to formalize the Congress’s decisions into law. In practice, however, its role is primarily serves to endorse decisions already made by the Party.

◇ North Korea’s Domestically Produced Guide Robots Deployed at Polling Stations

A notable feature of this year’s election for delegates to the Supreme People’s Assembly was the appearance of domestically developed “humanoid” guide robots.

On March 17, Choson Sinbo, the official newspaper of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, reported on educational robots named “Dojon” and “Sujae,” developed by Pyongyang Teachers’ University, and published photographs of a female-form robot dressed in a white jacket and blue skirt.

The newspaper did not clarify whether the robot’s body is merely a mannequin or, if operational, how it functions and what capabilities it possesses. It appears that the same robot has also recently been introduced to members of the diplomatic community in North Korea.

On March 15—the day of the Supreme People’s Assembly elections—the Russian Embassy in North Korea posted a photograph on Telegram showing a robot of the same design operating at a polling station set up in the library of Pyongyang Teachers’ University. The Russian Embassy stated that the robot, “resembling a young woman in traditional Korean attire, greeted voters” and provided guidance throughout the voting process.

Choson Sinbo reported that the educational robots developed by Pyongyang Teachers’ University are being actively utilized by both faculty and students. The outlet described the “Dojon” robot as one that “assists teachers in instructional activities and supports student learning,” noting that it contains detailed educational materials and provides clear explanations in response to student inquiries.

Another educational robot, “Sujae,” which supports home-based learning for children aged 1 to 10, appears to be designed to present instructional contents on a large central screen.

In addition, Choson Sinbo highlighted a “Geometry Robot,” designed to generate various shapes by combining basic geometric elements such as circles, straight lines, and cylinders, and to manipulate these components.

The newspaper emphasized that “all of these robots are highly practical in enhancing students’ motivation to learn and fostering creativity,” adding that “their use is expanding nationwide.”

Amid the accelerating convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, along with the rapid advancement of bipedal humanoid technologies worldwide, North Korea appears to be sustaining efforts to keep pace with these developments.