The Party Congress, the highest decision-making body in North Korea, revised the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) rules in January with potentially major ramifications for the country.

The WPK rules are one of the most important texts in North Korea’s political system: The Party is the most authoritative governing body in the DPRK under the Kim family regime and the Party rules stipulate the country’s goals and priorities, ideologies, regulations and punishments, leadership concepts and organizational structures, which Party officials at all levels must learn and abide by.

While North Korean state media