The Provisional People's Committee of North Korea was the

provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or ...

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 Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

. The committee was established on 8 February 1946 in response for the need of the

Soviet Civil Administration The Soviet Civil Administration (SCA) was the government of the northern half of Korea from 24 August 1945 to 9 September 1948 though governed concurrently after the setup of the Provisional People's Committee for North Korea in 1946. Even thoug ...

and the communists to have centralization of power in northern Korea, which was then an area divided into provincial people's committees. Regarded as the highest administrative power institution in northern Korea, it also became a de facto provisional government that carried out reforms, such as land reforms and the nationalization of key industries. The committee was succeeded by the

People's Committee of North Korea The People's Committee of North Korea (Chosŏn'gŭl: 북조선인민위원회) was a provisional government governing the Northern portion of the Korean Peninsula from 1947 until 1948. Established on 21 February 1947 as the successor of the ...

on 21 February 1947, which became a provisional government as northern Korea transitioned into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

History

With the surrender of the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of Japan, 1947 constitu ...

in the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in August 1945, people's committees were set up throughout Korea. The administration of these people's committees were recognized by the Soviet forces entering northern Korea, while setting up their own occupation authority known as the

on 3 October 1945. An early attempt by the Soviets to create a centralized government in northern Korea was the Administrative Committee of Five Provinces. This was established on 8 October 1945 and was headed by the nationalist and South Pyongan people's committee chairman

Cho Man-sik Cho Man-sik ( ko, 조만식; pen-name Kodang; 1 February 1883 – 15 or 18 October 1950) was a nationalist activist in Korea's independence movement. He became involved in the power struggle that enveloped North Korea in the months following t ...

, who was the most prominent figure in northern Korea and one of the Soviets' candidates for a future North Korean leader. This committee was a temporary self-governing institution created by representatives of the five provincial people's committees in northern Korea, which consisted of an alliance between communists and nationalists. The Administrative Committee of Five Provinces ended following the arrest of Cho Man-sik by the Soviets in January 1946 due to opposing ideologies between the two and Cho's opposition to the proposal of the Moscow Conference for a trusteeship in Korea. On 8–9 February 1946, a meeting of political parties, social organizations, people's committees and administrative bureaus in northern Korea established the Provisional People's Committee of North Korea. This new communist-dominated committee was headed by its chairman

Kim Il-sung Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...

, a communist being backed by the Soviets to become the North Korean leader. This committee effectively became a de facto provisional government that carried out reforms in northern Korea such as land reforms and nationalization of key industries in accordance to the 20-Point Platform issued by Kim Il-sung in March 1946. The Soviet Civil Administration continued to function concurrently with the Provisional People's Committee of North Korea, but in an advisory role. The Provisional People's Committee of North Korea held local people's committee elections in November 1946. This was in preparation for the election in February 1947 of the

People's Assembly of North Korea The People's Assembly of North Korea () was the unicameral legislature of the People's Committee of North Korea. It consisted of 237 deputies elected during a meeting of the provincial, city and county people's committees, political parties and s ...

, which organized the

on 21 February 1947 that became the succeeding provisional government in northern Korea.

Organization

The Provisional People's Committee of North Korea was organized through a meeting of political parties, social organizations, administrative bureaus and people's committees in northern Korea on 8–9 February 1946. Participating in the meeting were 137 representatives that included two representatives from the

Communist Party of Korea The Communist Party of Korea () was a communist party in Korea. It was founded during a secret meeting in Seoul in 1925. The Governor-General of Korea had banned communist and socialist parties under the Peace Preservation Law (see History of Kor ...

, two representatives from the

Democratic Party of Korea The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK; ), formerly known as the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), is a liberal political party in South Korea. Controlling the unicameral National Assembly as of 2022, the DPK is regarded as one of two m ...

, two representatives from the Independence Alliance, two representatives from the General Federation of Labor Unions, two representatives from the General Federation of Peasant Unions, one representative from the Women's League, one representative from the Democratic Youth League, one representative from religious associations, one representative from the Korea-Soviet Cultural Association, 11 administrative bureau heads and representatives from the people's committees. Kim Il-sung made a report on the political situation in North Korea and the issue of creating a provisional people's committee on the first day of the meeting on 8 February. This was followed on 9 February by the election of the 23 members of the Provisional People's Committee of North Korea, with Kim Il-sung as chairman,

Kim Tu-bong Kim Tu-bong (16 February 1889 – March 1958 or later) was the first Chairman of the Workers' Party of North Korea (a predecessor of today WPK) from 1946 to 1949. He was known in Korean history as a linguist, scholar, revolutionary and politi ...

as vice chairman and

Kang Ryang-uk Kang Ryang-uk (, 7 December 1903 – 9 January 1983), also spelled Kang Lyanguk, was a North Korean Presbyterian minister and Chairman of the Korean Christian Federation since 1946. Kang was the maternal uncle of North Korean leader K ...

as secretary general. The Provisional People's Committee of North Korea also consisted of ten departments and three bureaus (which was later increased to four bureaus). Han Hui-jin would later be replaced as the head of the transportation department by Ho Nam-hui, and Han Tong-chan being replaced as head of the commerce department by Jang Si-u. O Ki-sop later became the head of the labor department following its creation in September 1946, with Ri Chong-won becoming the new head of the propaganda bureau.

Reforms

On 23 March 1946, Kim Il-sung issued the 20-Point Platform, which became the basis of the reforms to be implemented in northern Korea. # Completely purge all remnants of the former Japanese imperialist rule in the political and economic life in Korea. # Open a merciless struggle against reactionary and anti-democratic elements within the country, and absolutely prohibit activities by fascist and anti-democratic parties, groups and individuals. # Guarantee the freedoms of speech, press, assembly and faith to all people. Guarantee the condition for the free activities of democratic political parties, working associations, peasant associations, and other democratic social organizations. # Have the entire Korean people possess the duty and the right to organize people's committees, the unified local administrative institutions, through elections based on a universal, direct, equal and secret ballot. # Guarantee equal rights to all citizens regardless of gender, faith and possession of property. # Insist on the inviolability of residence and person, and the lawful guarantee of property and personal possessions of citizens. # Abolish of all legal and judicial institutions used during the time of the former Japanese imperialist rule and also influenced by it, and elect people's judicial institutions on democratic principles and guarantee of equal rights under the law for all citizens. # Develop industries, farms, transportation and commerce for increasing the well-being of the people. # Nationalize large enterprises, transport institutions, banks, mines and forests. # Allow and encourage freedom in private handicraft and commerce. # Confiscate land from Japanese persons, Japanese nationals, traitors, and landowners who practice tenant farming and the scrapping of the tenant farming system, and make all confiscated land into properties of peasants free of charge. Have the state manage all irrigation facilities free of charge. # Struggle against speculators and loan sharks by enacting market prices for daily necessities. # Enact a single and fair tax system, and implement a progressive income tax system. # Implement an 8-hour work system for workers and office clerks, and regulate minimum wages. Prohibit work for males below the age of 13, and implement a 6-hour work system for males aged 13 to 16. # Implement life insurance for workers and office clerks, and implement an insurance system for workers and enterprises. # Implement a universal compulsory education system, and extensively expand primary schools, middle schools, high schools and universities under state management. Reform the people's education system in accordance to the democratic system of the state. # Actively develop the national culture, science and art, and expand the number of theaters, libraries, radio broadcasting stations and movie theaters. # Extensively install special schools for cultivating the talent being required in all sectors of state institutions and people's economy. # Encourage people and enterprises engaged in science and art, and give aid to them. # Expand the number of state hospitals, eradicate infectious diseases, and treat poor people for free. On 8 March 1946, land reform was implemented in North Korea that saw the confiscation of land from Japanese nationals and organizations, Korean collaborations, landowners and religious organizations. The confiscated land were then redistributed to 420,000 households. A total of 52% of North Korea's land area and 82% of land ownerships were redistributed. On 24 June 1946, an 8-hour work day was implemented, with workers involved in dangerous work being assigned to a 7-hour work day. Work was prohibited for those who are below the age of 14. Equal pay and social insurance were implemented for workers. On 22 July 1946, a law on gender equality in North Korea was enacted. On 10 August 1946, 1,034 major industrial facilities, or 90% of the total industry in North Korea, were nationalized. On 27 December 1946, it was decided that farmers in North Korea would give 25% of their harvest as agricultural tax.

References

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Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

Politics of North Korea Government of North Korea History of North Korea 1946 in North Korea 1947 in North Korea Allied occupation of Korea Korea–Soviet Union relations