ABSTRACT
The North Korean Constitution exists essentially as a political manifesto with a bulk of programmatic provisions rather than as a document written to ensure justice for the people. The first Constitution of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was inaugurated in 1948, modeled after the 1936 Stalinist Constitution of the former Soviet Union. The second Constitution of the DPRK was inaugurated in 1972 after a profound transformation of North Korean society. All of these events came at a very bad time for North Korea, as preparation for the succession of power from the aging Kim II Sung to his son Kim Jong II required greater time for the latter to consolidate his power. The 1992 amendment separated the highest military leadership from the authority of the president and conferred it on the Chairman of the National Defense Commission.
