South Korea's news agency has published excerpts from North Korea's amended constitution.
It seems to bolster the position of leader Kim Jong-il amid speculation about his health and growing pressure about the North's nuclear programme.
The constitution was changed in April this year but this is the first time its wording has been seen outside the country.
Political change and shifts in power inside North Korea are guarded secrets.
So it has taken months for details to emerge in the South about changes to the country's constitution.
There is particular interest in the terms used to describe Kim Jong-il, amid months of speculation about his health and possible successor.
For the first time, the constitution refers to him implicitly as "supreme leader". read more
