North Korea keeps mum on outcome of key parliamentary session

Seoul, Sep 21 (IANS) North Korea has not, as of Sunday, disclosed the results of a plenary session of its parliament that was set to take place last week, raising views that the event could extend over a longer period than planned.

The standing committee of the North's Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) decided to convene the session on September 20, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported last month.

But neither the KCNA nor the Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper for its domestic readers, had published reports on the meeting as of 7 a.m. on Sunday.

The delay in the results raises speculations that the SPA session could take place for two days or longer, or has been rescheduled to another date, reports Yonhap news agency, quoting KCNA.

In last month's report, the KCNA said the session will address a grain management act, the review and adoption of an intellectual property rights act, and the implementation of a city management act, without providing further details on the agenda.

The meeting had also garnered attention for its possible review of a constitutional revision reflecting the country's new hostile policy toward South Korea.

During a parliamentary session in January last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered a constitutional revision to describe South Korea as "the primary hostile state" and "unchanging primary foe," though no official report of the revision has been released so far.

Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of Kim, also referred to a constitutional revision earlier this year, saying that South Korea should be permanently described as the "most hostile threat" in national law.

--IANS

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