Premier of North Korea facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Premier of the Cabinet of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Flag of North Korea
Emblem of North Korea
Incumbent Pak Thae-song since 29 December 2024
Cabinet of North Korea
Member of	Cabinet
Nominator	Supreme People's Assembly
Appointer	Supreme People's Assembly
Term length	Five years, renewable
Inaugural holder	Kim Il Sung
Formation	9 September 1948; 77 years ago (1948-09-09)
Deputy	Vice Premier

The Premier of North Korea is a very important leader in North Korea. This person is officially called the Premier of the Cabinet of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. They act as the head of government, which means they lead the country's daily operations. The Premier is also the main leader of the North Korean Cabinet, a group of top officials.

The role of Premier began in 1948. Kim Il Sung was the very first Premier. For a long time, this was the most powerful job in the country. Later, in 1972, a new position called the State President was created. Many of the Premier's powers then moved to the President.

The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) officially chooses the Premier. This assembly also approves other Cabinet members suggested by the Premier. The Premier's job is to organize and guide the Cabinet. They represent the government of North Korea and attend important meetings. The current Premier is Pak Thae-song, who started on December 29, 2024.

The Premier's Role Over Time

When North Korea was founded in 1948, the Premier was the most important leader. This person was the head of the government. Kim Il Sung was the first Premier and held this job for 24 years, until 1972. During this time, another person, the Chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly, had a more ceremonial role as the head of state.

In 1972, a new constitution changed things. It created the job of President. This new President became the top leader, taking over many of the Premier's powers. Kim Il Sung himself became the first President. After this change, the Premier led a group called the Administration Council. However, a lot of the power went to the Central People's Committee, which the President led. Kim Il, a close friend of Kim Il Sung, became the first Premier after these changes.

After Kim Il Sung passed away, the President's job was left empty. This was because Kim Il Sung was declared the "Eternal President". His son, Kim Jong Il, then worked to reorganize the government. In 1998, the constitution was updated again. It got rid of the Central People's Committee and the Administration Council. Instead, the Cabinet was brought back, and the Premier once again led it.

What the Premier Does

The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) chooses the Premier. This assembly can also remove the Premier from their position. The Premier suggests other people to join the Cabinet, like vice premiers and ministers. The SPA then approves these choices. When a new Premier starts, they make a promise to be loyal to the country.

The Premier's main job is to lead and manage the Cabinet. They represent the government of North Korea. They also go to all the important meetings of the Cabinet. The Cabinet's role is to carry out the plans and decisions made by the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. This means the Premier and Cabinet mostly put existing policies into action, rather than creating new ones.

For a time, the Premier was one of three main leaders in the government. The other two were the Chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly and the President of the State Affairs Commission. Each had different responsibilities. The Premier focused on matters inside the country and led the government. However, the President of the State Affairs Commission was always seen as the country's top leader.

List of Premiers

Here is a list of the people who have served as Premier of North Korea since 1948.

No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Time in Office			Party		Head of State	SPA
			Started	Ended	Duration
Premier of the Cabinet 내각 수상
1		Kim Il Sung 김일성 (1912–1994)	September 9 1948	December 28 1972	24 years, 110 days		Workers' Party of North Korea (until 1949)	Kim Tu-bong (1948–1957)	1st
							Workers' Party of Korea (from 1949)
								Choe Yong-gon (1957–1972)	2nd
									3rd
									4th
Premier of the Administration Council 정무원 총리
2		Kim Il 김일 (1910–1984)	December 28 1972	April 30 1976	3 years, 124 days		Workers' Party of Korea	Kim Il Sung (1972–1994)	5th
3		Pak Song-chol 박성철 (1913–2008)	April 30 1976	December 15 1977	1 year, 229 days		Workers' Party of Korea
4		Ri Jong-ok 리종옥 (1916–1999)	December 15 1977	January 25 1984	6 years, 41 days		Workers' Party of Korea		6th
									7th
5		Kang Song-san 강성산 (1931–2000)	January 25 1984	December 29 1986	2 years, 338 days		Workers' Party of Korea
6		Ri Kun-mo 리근모 (1926–2001)	December 29 1986	December 12 1988	1 year, 349 days		Workers' Party of Korea		8th
7		Yon Hyong-muk 연형묵 (1931–2005)	December 12 1988	December 11 1992	3 years, 365 days		Workers' Party of Korea
									9th
(5)		Kang Song-san 강성산 (1931–2000)	December 11 1992	February 21 1997	4 years, 72 days		Workers' Party of Korea
								Vacant (1994–1998)
–		Hong Song-nam 홍성남 (1929–2009) Acting Premier	February 21 1997	September 5 1998	1 year, 196 days		Workers' Party of Korea
Premier of the Cabinet 내각총리
8		Hong Song-nam 홍성남 (1929–2009)	September 5 1998	September 3 2003	4 years, 363 days		Workers' Party of Korea	Kim Yong-nam (1998–2019)	10th
9		Pak Pong-ju 박봉주 (born 1939)	September 3 2003	April 11 2007	3 years, 220 days		Workers' Party of Korea		11th
10		Kim Yong-il 김영일 (born 1944)	April 11 2007	June 7 2010	3 years, 57 days		Workers' Party of Korea
									12th
11		Choe Yong-rim 최영림 (born 1930)	June 7 2010	April 1 2013	2 years, 298 days		Workers' Party of Korea
(9)		Pak Pong-ju 박봉주 (born 1939)	April 1 2013	April 11 2019	6 years, 10 days		Workers' Party of Korea
									13th
12		Kim Jae-ryong 김재룡 (born 1959)	April 11 2019	August 13 2020	1 year, 124 days		Workers' Party of Korea	Kim Jong Un (since 2019)	14th
13		Kim Tok-hun 김덕훈 (born 1961)	August 13 2020	December 29 2024	4 years, 138 days		Workers' Party of Korea
14		Pak Thae-song 박태성 (born 1955)	December 29 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 97 days		Workers' Party of Korea
									15th

Timeline of Premiers

See also

In Spanish: Premier de Corea del Norte para niños

• Prime Minister of Imperial Korea (1895–1910)
• Prime Minister of South Korea
• Government of North Korea