French daily Le Monde says a recent revision to North Korea’s Constitution might be related to the succession of current leader Kim Jong-il.

The North’s Supreme People’s Assembly recently approved a revision to the constitution but has not made a revised version available to the public.

The French newspaper noted that the late founder of North Korea, Kim Il-sung, handed down state power to his son Kim Jong-il in accordance with a 1992 revision to the constitution.

The North Korean Assembly’s appointment of Jang Song-thaek, the North Korean leader’s brother-in-law, as a member of the National Defense Commission last week was seen by Le Monde as a move to consolidate leadership in the communist country.

Jang is also the chief of the administrative department of the Korean Workers' Party.

The paper said Jang began to exercise a bigger influence on state affairs after the North Korean leader’s health worsened.

It was added that the most possible scenario is that North Korea will implement a collective leadership system with one of Kim’s three sons becoming the successor.