Sangmi Cha 3 minute read North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a conference of cell secretaries of the ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang, in this undated photo released on April 9, 2021 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA/via REUTERS. North Korea's ruling party has amended its rules to create a de facto second-in-command under leader Kim Jong Un as he looks to revamp domestic politics, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said on Tuesday. Citing an unidentified source familiar with North Korea, the agency said the holder of the new post of "first secretary" would chair meetings on behalf of Kim Jong Un.