The Ministry of Defence (, formerly 인민무력성/人民武力省 or Ministry of the People's Armed Forces) is the government agency tasked with general administrative and logistical coordination of the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) is the military force of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Under the ''Songun'' policy, it is the central institution of North Korean society. Currently, WPK General Sec ...

(KPA). Prior to 1992, it was under the direct control of supreme commander and

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

, with guidance from the

National Defence Commission The National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (NDC) () was the highest state institution for military and national defence leadership in North Korea, which also served as the highest governing institution of the cou ...

and the Workers' Party Central Military Commission. The 1992 amendment to the

Constitution of North Korea The Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea () is the constitution of North Korea. It was approved by the 6th Supreme People's Assembly at its first session on 27 December 1972, and has been amended and supplemented i ...

shifts its control to the National Defence Commission. The 2016 amendment shifted its control to the

State Affairs Commission The State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (SAC) is defined by the 2016 constitution as "the supreme policy-oriented leadership body of State power." The current president of the SAC, which is defined by the same ...

. The current Minister of National Defence is Vice Marshal

Ri Yong-gil Ri Yong-gil (, born 1955) is a North Korean military officer and the current Minister of Social Security. He is believed to have been in his 60s when appointed to his position as a general in 2013. Ri was made a Lieutenant General in April 200 ...

History

Until December 1972, the Minister of the People's Armed Forces was called the Minister of National Defence (민족보위상). It then changed to the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces.

Duties

The Ministry of Defence is essentially an umbrella agency gathering the KPA's logistical, political, and personnel components. The ministry also has departments which coordinate relations with foreign militaries, as well as regulating

Government-owned corporation A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the governmen ...

s related to the

defence industry The arms industry, also known as the arms trade, is a global industry which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology. It consists of a commercial industry involved in the research and development, engineering, production, and s ...

and other

foreign currency A currency, "in circulation", from la, currens, -entis, literally meaning "running" or "traversing" is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general def ...

earning ventures. The ministry, through the General Staff Department is responsible for the daily operational planning and management of the KPA's ground, naval, and air commands. It develops strategy, conducts

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

and training, conveys the orders and guidance of the KPA Supreme Command and completes certain signals intelligence tasks.

Departments

The Ministry of National Defence contains the following departments: *

General Political Bureau The General Political Bureau (GPB) is the internal politburo of the Korean People's Army (KPA), used by the leadership of the North Korean government to exert political control over the military. The GPB is subordinate to the Ministry of Defence ...

* General Staff Department * Security Command Both the Director of the General Political Bureau and Chief of the General Staff have more power than the Minister.

Ministers of Defence

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(12 May 2015 – 11 July 2015) , -

References

{{Commanders of the Korean People's Army

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

Politics of North Korea Government of North Korea Military of North Korea North Korean entities subject to the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions

History

Duties

Departments

Ministers of Defence

See also

References