North Korea’s parliament met for a two-day session from Jan. 17, and state media announced the appointment of eight people to important parliamentary positions. 

The Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) now has a new speaker and first deputy speaker after the posts were left vacant for nearly two years, while other appointments were mostly standard promotions of officials moving up the ladder. 

Notably, Kim Yong Chol appeared at the SPA without a golden Central Committee pin, indicating a demotion from his previous position as full member of the politburo and Central Committee (CC). Kim Yo