View source for Government of North Korea

{{short description|National government of North Korea}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox communist government
| government_name  = Government of the<br/>Democratic People's Republic of Korea
| image            = Emblem of North Korea.svg
| caption          = Emblem of North Korea
| date             = 9 September 1948
| url              = 
| legislature      = {{nowrap|[[Supreme People's Assembly]]}}
| party            = [[Workers' Party of Korea]]
| leader_title     = [[General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea|General Secretary]]
| leader_name      = [[Kim Jong Un]]
| executive        = [[State Affairs Commission of North Korea|State Affairs Commission]]<br/>[[Cabinet of North Korea|Cabinet]]
| president_title  = {{nowrap|[[President of the State Affairs Commission|President of State Affairs]]&nbsp;}}
| president_name   = [[Kim Jong Un]]
| premier_title    = [[Premier of North Korea|Cabinet Premier]]
| premier_name     = [[Pak Thae-song]]
| speaker_title    = [[President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly|Assembly Standing Committee Chairman]]
| speaker_name     = [[Choe Ryong-hae]]
| military         = [[Korean People's Army]]
| commander_title  = [[Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea|Supreme Commander]]
| commander_name   = [[Kim Jong Un]]
}}
{{Politics of North Korea|expanded=Government}}
In the '''North Korean government''', [[Cabinet of North Korea|the Cabinet]] is the administrative and [[Executive branch|executive body]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16370671 |title=North Korea names Kim Jong-un army commander |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=2011-12-31 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114090823/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16370671 |archive-date=2012-01-14 }}</ref> The [[North Korea]]n [[government]] consists of three branches: administrative, legislative, and [[Judiciary of North Korea|judicial]]. However, they are not independent of each other, but all branches are under the exclusive political leadership of the [[Workers' Party of Korea]] (WPK).<ref>Teen Life in Asia By Judith J. Slater</ref>

==Institutions==
The leader must work through various agents and their institutions, which have the power to delay, modify, or even resist the leader's orders. These institutions may set the overall tone and direction for North Korea's foreign and domestic policy, make suggestions, offer policy options, and lobby Kim himself.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kang |first1=David C. |title=They Think They're Normal: Enduring Questions and New Research on North Korea- A Review Essay |journal=International Security |volume= 36| issue =  3 |pages= 148}}</ref>

The government is confirmed by the [[Supreme People's Assembly]] (SPA). The [[Premier of North Korea|Premier]], who appoints three [[Vice Premier of North Korea|Vice Premiers]] and the government's ministers, heads the cabinet. The government is dominated by the ruling [[Workers' Party of Korea]] (WPK) and has been since North Korea's inception in 1948.

[[Cabinet of North Korea|The Cabinet]] has the right to supervise and control the [[Local People's Committee]] (LPC, 지방인민위원회) with regard to local economies and administration. As the [[State Administrative Council (North Korea)|State Administrative Council]] (SAC, 정무원) was replaced by the Cabinet, the [[Local Administrative and Economic Committee]] (LAEC, 지방행정경제위원회) was abolished and its functions regarding local politics transferred to the LPC. Under WPK former General Secretary [[Kim Jong Il]], the cabinet's power was elevated to equal status with Workers' Party of Korea and [[Korean People's Army Ground Force]] (KPA).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kang |first1=David C. |title=They Think They're Normal: Enduring Questions and New Research on North Korea- A Review Essay |journal=International Security |volume= 36| issue =  3 |pages= 147}}</ref>

A party chief secretary no longer concurrently holds the post of LPC chairman, which has been taken over by a former LAEC chairman. Thus, the LPC is theoretically independent of the local party and is under the control of the Cabinet. The status of the LPC as the local executive organ, in principle, became higher than before.

The [[Economist Intelligence Unit]] listed North Korea in last place as an [[Authoritarianism|authoritarian]] regime in its 2012 [[Democracy Index]] assessing 168 countries.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/03/22/2013032201056.html 
 |title=S.Korea Outranks U.S. in Democracy Index 
 |access-date=2013-04-15 
 |date=2013-03-22 
 |publisher=[[The Chosun Ilbo]] 
 |url-status=live 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140506212828/http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/03/22/2013032201056.html 
 |archive-date=2014-05-06 
}}</ref>

===Judiciary===
{{main|Judiciary of North Korea}}
[[Judiciary of North Korea|North Korea's judiciary]] is headed by the [[Central Court (North Korea)|Central Court]], which consists of a Chief Justice ({{Korean|hangul=판사|labels=no}}) and two People's Assessors ({{Korean|hangul=인민참심원|labels=no}}); three judges may be present in some cases.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/north_korea.htm |title=GlobaLex - Overview of the North Korean Legal System and Legal Research |access-date=2013-05-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130408053124/http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/north_korea.htm |archive-date=2013-04-08 }}</ref> Their terms of office coincide with those of the members of the Supreme People's Assembly. Every court in North Korea has the same composition as the Central Court. The judicial system is theoretically held accountable to the SPA and the [[Presidium of the SPA]] when the legislature is not in session.

The judiciary does not practice [[judicial review]]. The security forces so often interfere with the actions of the judiciary that the conclusion of most cases is foregone; experts outside North Korea and numerous defectors confirm this to be a widespread problem.<ref name=state>{{cite web|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61612.htm |title=Country Reports on Human Rights Practices |publisher=U.S. Department of State |access-date=2006-02-22 |date=March 8, 2006 }}</ref> [[Freedom House]] states that, "North Korea does not have an independent judiciary and does not acknowledge individual rights...reports of arbitrary detentions, 'disappearances,' and extrajudicial killings are common; torture is widespread and severe".<ref name=fh>{{cite web|url=http://freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=22&year=2006&country=6993 |title=Freedom in the World, 2006 |publisher=Freedom House |access-date=2007-02-13 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070714213705/http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=22&year=2006&country=6993 |archive-date=2007-07-14 }}</ref>

North Korea's fifth and existing [[Constitution of North Korea|constitution]] was approved and adopted in September 1998, replacing the one previously adopted in 1972. The former constitution had last been amended in 1992. Under the 1998 constitution, North Korea is a socialist state representing the interests of all Korean people.<ref>Teen Life in Asia By Judith J. Slate</ref> Criminal penalties can be stiff; one of the basic functions of the system is to uphold the power of the regime. Because so little information is available concerning what actually occurs inside of the country, the extent to which there is any [[rule of law]] is uncertain. In any case, North Korea is known for [[Human rights in North Korea|its poor human rights]] and regularly detains thousands of dissidents without trial or benefit of legal advice. According to a US Department of State report on human rights practices, the government of North Korea often punishes the family of a criminal along with the perpetrator.<ref name="state"/>

===Workers' Party of Korea===
{{Main|Workers' Party of Korea}}
The Workers' Party of Korea is organized according to the [[Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System|Monolithic Ideological System]] and the [[Great Leader (concept)|Great Leader]], a system and theory conceived by [[Kim Yong-ju]] and [[Kim Jong Il]]. The highest body of the WPK is formally the Congress, which last convened as the [[7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea]] in May 2016. Although the WPK is (in theory) organizationally similar to [[Communist party|communist parties]], in practice it is far less institutionalized and informal politics plays a larger role than usual. Institutions such as the [[Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea|Central Committee]], the [[Secretariat of the Workers' Party of Korea|Secretariat]], the [[Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea|Central Military Commission]] (CMC), the [[Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea|Politburo]] and the [[Presidium of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea|Presidium]] have much less power than that formally bestowed on them by the party's charter. [[Kim Jong Un]] is the current [[General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea|General Secretary of the WPK]].

Compared with other institutions of North Korea, the WPK remains the most ideological and views itself as the defender of the revolutionary way by emphasizing [[sovereignty]] and [[nationalism]], as well as its commitment to a [[socialist]] ideology. Therefore, in theory, the WPK opposes accommodation and economic reform of any type.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kang |first1=David C. |title=They Think They're Normal: Enduring Questions and New Research on North Korea—A Review Essay. |journal=International Security |volume= 36| issue =  3 |pages= 148}}</ref>

* [[General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea]]: [[Kim Jong Un]]
* Chairman of the [[Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea]]: Kim Jong Un

===State Affairs Commission===
{{Main|State Affairs Commission of North Korea}}
In June 2010, Kim Jong Il appointed his brother-in-law, [[Chang Sung-taek]], as vice-chairman of the [[National Defence Commission]], in a move seen as propping up his own position. Chang was already regarded as the second-most powerful person in North Korea and his appointment strengthened the probability that Kim's third son, [[Kim Jong Un]], would succeed him.<ref>[http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.2af62ecb329d3d7733492d9253a0a0a0/?vgnextoid=bdaf79fa7d129210VgnVCM100000360a0a0aRCRD&ss=Insight&s=Opinion Fading Kim sets the stage for power play] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612084637/http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.2af62ecb329d3d7733492d9253a0a0a0/?vgnextoid=bdaf79fa7d129210VgnVCM100000360a0a0aRCRD&ss=Insight&s=Opinion |date=2012-06-12 }}, [[Donald Kirk]], [[South China Morning Post|SCMP]], 11 June 2010</ref> However, in December 2013 Chang was fired from all government posts and subsequently executed. Kim Jong Un ordered the execution.<ref name=executed-ap>{{cite news|url=https://news.yahoo.com/nkorea-executes-kim-jong-un-39-uncle-214524268.html |title=North Korea executes Kim Jong Un's uncle |agency=Associated Press |date=12 December 2013 |access-date=12 December 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213064835/http://news.yahoo.com/nkorea-executes-kim-jong-un-39-uncle-214524268.html |archive-date=13 December 2013 }}</ref>

In June 2016, following the 7th WPK Conference, the [[Constitution of North Korea]] was updated, replacing the [[National Defence Commission]] with the [[State Affairs Commission of North Korea|State Affairs Commission]] and naming [[Kim Jong Un]] as the [[Chairman of the State Affairs Commission]].<ref>{{cite web |title=DPRK Constitution Text Released Following 2016 Amdendments |url=https://nkleadershipwatch.wordpress.com/2016/09/04/dprk-constitution-text-released-following-2016-amdendments/ |website=nkleadershipwatch |access-date=18 April 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418164245/https://nkleadershipwatch.wordpress.com/2016/09/04/dprk-constitution-text-released-following-2016-amdendments/ |archive-date=18 April 2017 }}</ref> This places Kim Jong Un as the official head of state.<ref>{{cite web|title=N.Korea updates constitution expanding Kim Jong Un's position |url=https://www.nknews.org/2016/06/n-korea-updates-constitution-expanding-kim-jong-uns-position/ |website=[[NK News]] |date=30 June 2016 |access-date=18 April 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006014055/https://www.nknews.org/2016/06/n-korea-updates-constitution-expanding-kim-jong-uns-position/ |archive-date=6 October 2016 }}</ref>
* [[Minister of People's Security]]: [[Choe Pu-il]]
* [[Minister of People's Armed Forces]]: [[Pak Yong-sik]]

==Party leaders==
{{main|8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea}}

===General Secretary===
*[[Kim Jong Un]]

===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)

===Members of the Political Bureau===
*Kim Jong Un, Kim Yong-nam, Hwang Pyong-so, Pak Pong-ju, Choe Ryong-hae, [[Kim Ki-nam (politician)|Kim Ki-nam]], [[Choe Thae-bok]], [[Ri Su-yong]], [[Kim Phyong-hae]], [[O Su-yong]], [[Kwak Pom-gi]], [[Kim Yong-chol]], [[Ri Man-gon]], [[Ro Tu-chol]], [[Pak Yong-sik]], [[Ri Myong-su]], [[Kim Won-hong]] and [[Choe Pu-il]] and [[Ri Yong-ho (diplomat)|Ri Yong-ho]] (October 2017), [[Kim Jae-ryong]] (April 2019)

===Alternate members of the Political Bureau===
*[[Kim Su-gil]], [[Kim Nung-o]], [[Pak Thae-song]], [[Ri Yong-ho (diplomat)|Ri Yong-ho]], [[Im Chol-ung]], [[Jo Yon-jun]], [[Ri Pyong-chol]], [[No Kwang-chol]] and [[Ri Yong-gil]], and [[Kim Yo Jong]], [[Kim Jong-sik]], [[Ri Pyong-chol]] (October 2017)

===Secretariat of the Central Committee===
*Secretary: Choe Ryong-hae, Kim Ki-nam, Choe Thae-bok, Ri Su-yong, Kim Phyong-hae, O Su-yong, Kwak Pom-gi, Kim Yong-chol and Ri Man-gon

===Central Military Commission===
*Chairman: Kim Jong Un
**Members: Hwang Pyong-so, Pak Pong-ju, Pak Yong-sik, Ri Myong-su, Kim Yong-chol, Ri Man-gon, Kim Won-hong, Choe Pu-il, Kim Kyong-ok, Ri Yong-gil and [[So Hong-chan]]

===Department of the Central Committee===
*Directors: Kim Ki-nam, Ri Su-yong, Kim Phyong-hae, O Su-yong, Kim Yong-chol, Ri Man-gon, [[Ri Il-hwan]], [[An Jong-su]], [[Ri Chol-man]], [[Choe Sang-gon]], [[Ri Yong-rae]], [[Kim Jong-im]], [[Kim Jung-hyop]], [[Kim Man-song]] and [[Kim Yong-su (politician)|Kim Yong-su]]

===Control Commission of the Central Committee===
*Chairman: [[Hong In-bom]]

==State leaders==
===State Affairs Commission of DPRK===
Members of the [[State Affairs Commission of North Korea]] are as follows:{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}
* [[President of the State Affairs Commission|President]]: [[Kim Jong Un]]
* First Vice President of the State Affairs Commission: [[Choe Ryong-hae]]
*Members of the commission:
**[[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 of Supreme Leader 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]] is as follows:<ref name=c>{{Cite web | title = Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments: Korea, North - NDE | publisher = Central Intelligence Agency | date = 21 June 2018 | access-date = 28 August 2018 | url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/KN.html | archive-date = 4 August 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200804035735/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/KN.html | url-status = dead }}</ref>
*[[President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly|President]]: [[Choe Ryong-hae]]
*Vice presidents: [[Yang Hyong-sop]] and [[Kim Yong-dae (politician)|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 chairman and vice-chairpersons of the [[Supreme People's Assembly]] are:<ref name=c/>
*Chairman: [[Pak Thae-song]]
*Vice-chairpersons: [[An Tong-chun]] and [[Ri Hye-jong]] (April 2014)

====Cabinet====
Some ministers of the [[Cabinet of North Korea]] are as follows:<ref name=c/>
*[[Premier of North Korea|Premier]]: [[Kim Jae-ryong]] (April 2019)
*[[Vice Premier of North Korea|Vice Premier]]s: [[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 (North Korea)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]]: [[Ri Son-gwon]] (21 January 2020)
*[[Minister of Finance (North Korea)|Minister of Finance]]: [[Choe Kwang-jin]]

==See also==
{{Portal|North Korea|Politics}}
*[[Politics of North Korea]]
*[[Government of South Korea]]
*[[State General Bureau of Tourist Guidance]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|name=''Minju Choson''}} — the official newspaper of the government {{in lang|ko}}

{{Asia topic|Government of|title=Governments of Asia|TW=Government of the Republic of China}}

[[Category:Government of North Korea| ]]
[[Category:Politics of North Korea]]