Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea 조선로동당 중앙위원회
8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea
Seal used by the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (c.1982)
Overview
Type	Highest decision-making organ when Congress is not in session.
Elected by	Congress
Length of term	Five years
Term limits	None
History
Established	by 1st Congress on 30 August 1946; 78 years ago (1946-08-30)
First convocation	31 August 1946
Leadership
General Secretary	Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Party
Executive organ	Politburo
Administrative organ	Secretariat
Military organ	Central Military Commission
Members
Total	139
Alternates
Total	111
Elections
Last election	8th Congress (2021)
Meeting place
The Central Committee Building in Pyongyang, North Korea
Constitution
Rules of the Workers' Party of Korea

The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea is a very important group within the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), which is the main political party in North Korea. Think of it as the top leadership team when the bigger party meetings, called "national meetings," are not happening.

Its members are usually chosen by the party's main congress. However, in reality, the Central Committee can often add or remove members on its own during its special meetings, called "plenary sessions."

The very first Central Committee was chosen in 1946 and had 43 members. Over time, this number has grown a lot. For example, by 2017, there were 235 members. The idea of having "alternate members" (who don't vote) was introduced later on.

The Central Committee usually meets at least once a year for a plenary session. These meetings are a key place for discussing important policy ideas. The committee works based on the idea of a "Monolithic Ideological System" and the "Great Leader theory," which means everyone follows the ideas of the top leader.

Throughout history, the Central Committee's role has changed. In the beginning, it was a place where different groups within the party could discuss and compete. But later, it mostly followed official rules. The most important decisions about who gets what job are usually made by the Kim family and the Politburo, not directly by the Central Committee. Still, the Central Committee's meetings are where new policies are officially put into action and announced to the public. Their decisions are shared as "resolutions" or "decisions."

History of the Central Committee

The Central Committee was first set up at the 1st Congress in 1946, with 43 members. Since then, the number of members has increased at every congress.

From 1948 to 1961, the committee met about 2.4 times a year, similar to the Central Committee in the Soviet Union at that time. These meetings often lasted only one day. The real power of the Central Committee wasn't just in its meetings, but in its working groups, called the "apparatus." This apparatus was controlled by the Politburo, not the Central Committee itself, and it acted as the government of North Korea under Kim Il Sung.

There was a long period, from 1993 to 2010, when the Central Committee did not hold any plenary sessions.

There was also a 37-year gap between the 6th Congress and the 7th Congress. During the time of Kim Jong Il, the Central Committee and its working groups became less powerful, and many positions were left empty.

However, starting in 2005, Kim Jong Il began to make efforts to strengthen the party again. He appointed important officials to new roles. For example, Pak Nam Gi became the head of the Planning and Finance Department, and Jang Song-thaek became the head of the Administrative Department. Jang Song-thaek was also put back in charge of security matters through the Organization and Guidance Department.

In September 2010, a special meeting called the 3rd Conference of Representatives updated the members of the Central Committee. However, only the party congress has the power to give the committee a completely new term.

How the Central Committee Works

Choosing Members

The party's rules say that the size of the Central Committee is decided by the congress leaders. The Central Committee can also update its own members if needed. Candidates can be suggested by local party groups, but the Central Committee, especially through its Organization and Guidance Department, makes the final decision.

Plenary Sessions

When the main party congresses or conferences are not happening, the Central Committee is the most important WPK group. It's not a full-time body, and according to the WPK rules, it should meet at least once a year. The Politburo is responsible for calling these plenary sessions.

During a plenary session, the Central Committee discusses and decides on "important issues for the party." It also has the power to choose members for other important groups like the Politburo, the Executive Policy Bureau, the Central Military Commission, and the Control Commission. It also chooses the WPK vice-chairmen and the heads of various departments. In the past, it could even choose the party's top leader. It can also promote alternate (non-voting) members to full (voting) members and appoint new members during its sessions.

Main Decision-Making Groups

Politburo

The Politburo, which used to be called the Political Committee, was the main decision-making group of the WPK before the Presidium was created. The Politburo has full members (who can vote) and candidate members (who cannot vote). It is the highest WPK decision-making body when it holds meetings.

Before the 3rd Conference, the Central Committee would elect the Politburo right after a congress. Even though party rules say the Politburo should meet at least once a month, it doesn't seem to happen that often. Members of the Politburo can also work in other party or government roles at the same time.

Some people believe the Politburo works much like the Soviet Union's Politburo did under Stalin. This means members act more like the party leader's personal helpers than as actual policymakers. This wasn't always the case; before Kim Il Sung removed his political rivals, the Politburo was a place where different policy ideas were truly discussed. After Kim Il Sung gained full control, the Politburo mostly just approved decisions already made by the leader. Important members have sometimes disappeared without explanation. Under Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, Politburo members often depended on the party leader for their positions.

Presidium

The Presidium was created in 1980. It is the highest decision-making group within the WPK when neither the Politburo nor the Central Committee is meeting. After O Jin-u passed away in 1995, Kim Jong Il was the only living member of the Presidium. The other four original members (Kim Il Sung, Kim Il, O Jin-u, and Ri Jong-ok) had all died while in office.

Between O Jin-u's death and the 3rd Conference, there were no reports that Kim Jong Il or the party leadership planned to change the Presidium's members. Some experts believe that the Presidium was not really an active group during that time.

Secretariat

The Secretariat, in its current form, was set up at the 8th Congress. However, its history goes back to 1966. It works similarly to how the Soviet Union's Secretariat operated during the time of Stalin. The WPK General Secretary is the head of the Secretariat, and other members are called "Secretary of the WPK Central Committee." This group is in charge of making sure party policies are followed and supervising other party organizations.

Central Military Commission

The Central Military Commission (CMC) was created in 1962. A change to the WPK rules in 1982 made the CMC equal in power to the Central Committee, allowing it to choose the WPK leader, among other things. However, some observers think that at the 3rd Conference, the CMC became answerable to the Central Committee again.

According to Article 27 of the WPK rules, the CMC is the highest party group for military matters. It leads the Korean People's Army (KPA), which is North Korea's military. It is also responsible for developing and buying weapons and military equipment for the army. The WPK General Secretary is automatically the Chairman of the CMC.

Control Commission

The Control Commission, which used to be called the Inspection Commission, was chosen by the Central Committee's first plenary session after a party congress. Its job was to manage party membership and deal with problems where party members broke rules. This included investigating things like misconduct, disloyalty to the party, and other rule violations. Lower-level party groups and individual members could ask the commission for help directly. This commission was removed on January 10, 2021, and its duties were given to the Central Auditing Commission.

Party Departments

The Central Committee has several departments that handle different areas. Even though there were many changes under Kim Jong Il, some departments stayed mostly the same. These include departments for internal party matters and organization, like the Organization and Guidance, Propaganda and Agitation, and Cadre Affairs departments.

Other departments, especially those dealing with the economy or relations with South Korea, were changed often. For example, the Administrative Department was brought back in 2006 after being part of the Organization and Guidance Department since the 1990s. The United Front Department, which handles relations with South Korea, also saw many changes.

In 2002–2003, the Economic Planning and Agricultural Policy departments were removed to give the government more control over the economy. More changes happened in 2009. For example, the Munitions Industry Department was renamed the "Machine Building Industry Department" in 2010 to avoid international sanctions on North Korea's defense industry. It went back to its old name in 2017.

By the 3rd Conference, it was known that some department heads had retired. In August 2020, a new legal affairs department was created. The 8th Congress in January 2021 also showed that an economic policy office and a Discipline Inspection Department now exist.

Rodong Sinmun Newspaper

The Rodong Sinmun is the official newspaper of the WPK Central Committee. It acts as the party's main voice. Its job is to "help change society and people as the party's ideas demand, keep the whole party and people strongly united around Kim Jong-il, and work to ensure the party's political and idea-based unity." The editor-in-chief of the newspaper is chosen by the Central Committee during a plenary session.

See also

In Spanish: Comité Central del Partido de los Trabajadores de Corea para niños

• Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
• Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party