Government of North Korea facts for kids
Emblem of North Korea
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| Formation | 9 September 1948 |
|---|---|
| Legislature | Supreme People's Assembly |
| Communist Party | |
| Party | Workers' Party of Korea |
| General Secretary | Kim Jong-un |
| Government | |
| Executive | State Affairs Commission Cabinet |
| President of State Affairs | Kim Jong-un |
| Cabinet Premier | Kim Tok-hun |
| Assembly Standing Committee Chairman | Choe Ryong-hae |
| Military | Korean People's Army |
| Supreme Commander | Kim Jong-un |
The government of North Korea is made up of three main parts: the administrative, legislative, and judicial branches. However, these parts do not work independently. Instead, they all follow the lead of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).
Contents
How North Korea's Government Works
The leader of North Korea, currently Kim Jong-un, works with different groups and organizations. These groups can influence decisions, suggest new ideas, and even sometimes push back against the leader's plans. They help set the overall direction for North Korea's policies, both inside the country and with other nations.
The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) officially approves the government. The Premier leads the Cabinet and chooses other important officials. The ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) has been in charge of the government since North Korea was formed in 1948.
The Cabinet now oversees local economies and administration. This means it helps manage how things are run in different areas of the country. The Cabinet's power has grown over time, becoming as important as the Workers' Party of Korea and the military.
Local government groups, called the Provisional People's Committees (LPC), are now under the Cabinet's control. This means they are supposed to be more independent from the local political party.
The Justice System
North Korea's justice system is led by the Supreme Court of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. This court has a Chief Justice and two People's Assessors, who are like judges. Their time in office matches that of the members of the Supreme People's Assembly. All courts in North Korea are set up in a similar way.
The justice system is supposed to answer to the Supreme People's Assembly. When the Assembly is not meeting, it answers to the Presidium of the SPA. However, outside experts and people who have left North Korea say that security forces often get involved in court cases. This means that the outcome of many cases is decided beforehand.
North Korea's current constitution was approved in 1998. It says that North Korea is a socialist state that represents all Korean people. The legal system is mainly used to support the power of the government.
The Workers' Party of Korea
The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is organized around special ideas like the Monolithic Ideological System and the Great Leader theory. These ideas were created by Kim Yong-ju and Kim Jong-il.
The highest meeting of the WPK is called the Congress. The last one was held in May 2016. Even though the WPK is similar to other communist parties in how it's set up, informal politics often plays a bigger role. Important groups within the party, like the Central Committee and the Politburo, have less power than their official rules suggest. Kim Jong-un is the current General Secretary of the WPK.
The WPK sees itself as protecting the country's revolutionary path. It focuses on sovereignty (being independent) and nationalism (pride in one's country). It also believes in a socialist way of life.
- General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea: Kim Jong-un
- Chairman of the Central Military Commission: Kim Jong-un
State Affairs Commission
In 2016, the Constitution of North Korea was updated. The National Defence Commission was replaced by the State Affairs Commission. This change made Kim Jong-un the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, officially making him the head of state.
- Minister of People's Security: Choe Pu-il
- Minister of People's Armed Forces: Pak Yong-sik
Important Leaders in North Korea
State Affairs Commission of DPRK
Here are some of the members of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea:
- President: Kim Jong-un
- First Vice President: Choe Ryong-hae
- Members of the commission include:
- Kim Tok-hun, Premier
- Ri Il-hwan, WPK Vice Chairman for Propaganda
- General of the Army Ri Yong-gil, Minister of the People's Armed Forces
- Ri Son-gwon, WPK Vice Chairman for International Relations
- Kim Yong-chol, WPK Vice Chairman for United Front Work
- Jong Kyong-thaek, Minister of State Security
- Ri Pyong-chol, Vice Chairman of the CMC, top advisor to Kim Jong-un
- General of the Army Ri Yong-gil, Minister of Public Security
- Kim Yong-jae, External Economic Relations (Foreign Trade)
- Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Department Director of the Publicity and Information Department
Presidium of the SPA of the DPRK
The Presidium of the SPA includes:
- President: Choe Ryong-hae
- Vice presidents: Yang Hyong-sop and Kim Yong-dae
- Honorary vice-president: Kim Yong-ju, and Choe Yong-rim (since April 2013)
- Secretary general of the Presidium: Hong Son-ok (since April 2013)
Supreme People's Assembly
The leaders of the Supreme People's Assembly are:
- Chairman: Pak Thae-song
- Vice-chairpersons: An Tong-chun and Ri Hye-jong (April 2014)
Cabinet
Some of the ministers in the Cabinet of North Korea are:
- Premier: Kim Jae-ryong (April 2019)
- Vice Premiers: Ro Tu-chol (from April 2009), Ri Mu-yong (April 2014), Kim Yong Jin (April 2014), Ri Chol-man (since April 2012), Kim Tok-hun (April 2014)
- Minister of Foreign Affairs: Ri Son-gwon (21 January 2020)
- Minister of Finance: Choe Kwang-jin
WPK Central Committee
The 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea has many important members, including:
- Presidium of the Political Bureau: Kim Jong-un, Choe Ryong-hae, Pak Pong-ju, Kim Yong-nam (to April 2019), Hwang Pyong-so (to 2018)
- General Secretary of the WPK: Kim Jong-un
- Chairman of the Central Military Commission: Kim Jong-un
