In the North Korean government, the Cabinet is the administrative and executive body. The

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 ...

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...

consists of three branches: administrative, legislative, and

judicial The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

. However, they are not independent of each other, but all branches are under the exclusive political leadership of the

Workers' Party of Korea The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the founding and sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from the merger of the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party ...

(WPK).

Institutions

The leader must work through various agents and their institutions, which has 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. The government is also confirmed by the

Supreme People's Assembly The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA; ) is the unicameral legislature of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea. It consists of one deputy from each of the DPRK's 687 constituencies, elected to five-year ...

(SPA). The

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

, who appoints three Vice Premiers and the government's ministers, heads the cabinet. The government is dominated by the ruling

(WPK) and has been since North Korea's inception in 1948. The Cabinet now has the right to supervise and control the Local People's Committee (LPC) with regard to local economies and administration. As the

State Administrative Council The State Administration Council ( my, နိုင်ငံတော်စီမံအုပ်ချုပ်ရေးကောင်စီ; abbreviated SAC or နစက) is the military junta currently governing Myanmar, established by Comm ...

(SAC) was replaced by the Cabinet, the Local Administrative and Economic Committee (LAEC) was abolished and its functions regarding local politics transferred to the LPC. Under WPK former General Secretary

Kim Jong-il Kim Jong-il (; ; ; born Yuri Irsenovich Kim;, 16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from 1994 to 2011. He led North Korea from the 1994 death of his father Ki ...

, the cabinet's power was elevated to equal status with Workers' Party of Korea and Korean People's Army Ground Force (KPA). 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 The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) is the research and analysis division of the Economist Group, providing forecasting and advisory services through research and analysis, such as monthly country reports, five-year country economic forecasts, ...

listed North Korea in last place as an

authoritarian Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic vot ...

regime in its 2012

Democracy Index The ''Democracy Index'' is an index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research division of the Economist Group, a UK-based private company which publishes the weekly newspaper ''The Economist''. Akin to a Human Development I ...

assessing 168 countries.

Judiciary

North Korea's judiciary is headed by the Central Court, which consists of a Chief Justice and two People's Assessors; three judges may be present in some cases. 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 Judicial review is a process under which executive, legislative and administrative actions are subject to review by the judiciary. A court with authority for judicial review may invalidate laws, acts and governmental actions that are incomp ...

. 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.

Freedom House Freedom House is a non-profit, majority U.S. government funded organization in Washington, D.C., that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights. Freedom House was founded in October 1941, and Wendell Wi ...

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". North Korea's fifth and current

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these pr ...

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 new constitution, North Korea is a socialist state representing the interests of all the Korean people. 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 The rule of law is the political philosophy that all citizens and institutions within a country, state, or community are accountable to the same laws, including lawmakers and leaders. The rule of law is defined in the ''Encyclopedia Britannic ...

is uncertain. In any case, North Korea is known for its poor human rights situation 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.

Workers' Party of Korea

The Workers' Party of Korea is organized according to the Monolithic Ideological System and the Great Leader, a system and theory conceived by Kim Yong-ju and

. 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 parties A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

, in practice it is far less institutionalized and informal politics plays a larger role than usual. Institutions such as the

Central Committee Central committee is the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, of both ruling and nonruling parties of former and existing socialist states. In such party organizations, the ...

, the

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the Ame ...

, the Central Military Commission (CMC), the

Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the executive committee for communist parties. It is present in most former and existing communist states. Names The term "politburo" in English comes from the Russian ''Politbyuro'' (), itself a contracti ...

and the

Presidium A presidium or praesidium is a council of executive officers in some political assemblies that collectively administers its business, either alongside an individual president or in place of one. Communist states In Communist states the presid ...

have much less power than that formally bestowed on them by the party's charter.

Kim Jong-un Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's sec ...

is the current General Secretary of the WPK. Relatively compared with other institutions of North Korea, the WPK remains to be the most ideological and views itself as the defender of the revolutionary way by emphasizing

sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...

and

nationalism Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...

, as well as its commitment to a

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

ideology. Therefore, in theory, the WPK opposes accommodation and economic reform of any type. *

General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea The general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea ( Korean: 조선로동당 총비서) is the head of the Workers' Party of Korea, the ruling party in North Korea, and considered as the supreme leader of North Korea. The general secreta ...

* Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea: Kim Jong-un

State Affairs Commission

In June 2010, Kim Jong-il appointed his uncle (by marriage),

Chang Sung-taek Jang Song-thaek (January or February 1946 – 12 December 2013) was a leading figure in the government of North Korea. He was married to Kim Kyong-hui, the only daughter of North Korean Premier Kim Il-sung and his first wife Kim Jong-suk, and o ...

, 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,

, would succeed him. However, in December 2013 Chang was fired from all government posts and subsequently executed. Kim Jong-un ordered the execution. In June 2016, following the 7th WPK Conference, 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 ...

was updated, replacing the National Defence Commission with the State Affairs Commission and placing

as the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission. This places Kim Jong-un as the official head of state. * Minister of People's Security: Choe Pu-il *

Minister of People's Armed Forces 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 (KPA). Prior to 1992 ...

Pak Yong-sik Pak Yong-sik (born 1950) is a senior North Korean military officer and Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) politician, who served as the country's defence minister from 2015 to 2018. Pak is the 6th Defense Minister appointed by Kim Jong-un. Pak is a ...

Party leaders

General Secretary

Presidium of the Political Bureau

Choe Ryong-hae Choe Ryong-hae (born 15 January 1950) is a North Korean politician and military officer who currently serves as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly and First Vice President of the State Affairs Commission, holdin ...

Pak Pong-ju Pak Pong-ju (; born 10 April 1939) is a North Korean politician who served as the Premier of North Korea from 2003 to 2007 and again from 2013 to 2019. He was elected a member of the Presidium of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in 2016. Earl ...

, Kim Yong-nam (to April 2019),

Hwang Pyong-so Hwang Pyong-so (born c. 1946 or 1949) is a North Korean general and politician who held the rank of Vice Marshal ( ko, 차수, ''Ch'asu'') in the Korean People's Army (KPA). He was a member of the Presidium of the Workers' Party of Korea and th ...

(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,

Choe Thae-bok Choe Thae-bok (born 1 December 1930) is a North Korean politician. He is a member of the Politburo and the Secretariat of the Workers' Party of Korea, and was Chairman (speaker) of the Supreme People's Assembly for nearly 21 years, from 1998 to ...

Ri Su-yong Ri Su-yong (; born 15 June 1940), also known as Ri Chol (), is a North Korean diplomat and politician, serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Korea from April 2014 until May 2016. Ri has served as a diplomat to Switzerland, and h ...

, Kim Phyong-hae,

O Su-yong O Su-yong (; born 1944) is a North Korean politician. He was a Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and the director of the Economic Affairs Department of the WPK. Biography in 1944. In 1988, he was appointed to the Electroni ...

Kwak Pom-gi Kwak Pom-gi (born 20 November 1939) is a North Korean government official. After graduating from Huichon Industrial College, he began his career in 1983 as a machine factory manager, progressing through the machinery bureau of the Workers' Pa ...

Kim Yong-chol Kim Yong-chol (; born 1946) is a North Korean general and politician who currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea for South Korean affairs and head of the United Front Department. From Februar ...

Ri Man-gon Ri Man-gon (born 1945) is North Korean politician who served as Director of the Organization and Guidance Department and Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea from 2019 to 2020. He was formerly a member of the Politburo of the Workers' P ...

, Yang Hyong-sop, Ro Tu-chol,

, Ri Myong-su, Kim Won-hong and Choe Pu-il and Ri Yong-ho (Ocstober 2017),

Kim Jae-ryong Kim Jae-ryong (, born 1959) is a North Korean politician who served as Premier of North Korea from April 2019 to August 2020. A senior official within the Workers' Party of Korea, he has served as the director of the Organization and Guidance D ...

(April 2019)

Alternate members of the Political Bureau

Kim Su-gil Kim Su-gil (, born 1950) is a North Korean general and politician. He was the director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army (KPA) from when he replaced Kim Jong-gak in May 2018 until January 2021. Career Kim Su-gil is a ...

, Kim Nung-o, Pak Thae-song, Ri Yong-ho, Im Chol-ung, Jo Yon-jun, Ri Pyong-chol,

No Kwang-chol No Kwang-chol (Korean: ; Hanja: 努光鐵; born 1956) is a North Korean soldier, a four-star general, and a member of the political bureau. Biography He was elected as a member of the Supreme People's Assembly following the 2003 election and 2 ...

and

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 ...

, and Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-sik, Ri Pyong-chol (October 2017)

Secretairat 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 Ri Il-hwan (, born 1960) is a North Korean politician, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). He is currently the director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department (PAD) of the party. ...

An Jong-su An Jong-su (, born 1951) is a North Korean politician. He is a Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and the director of the Light Industry Department of the WPK. An is said to have close ties with Pak Pong-ju and Kim Kyong-hui. ...

, Ri Chol-man, Choe Sang-gon, Ri Yong-rae, Kim Jong-im, Kim Jung-hyop, Kim Man-song and 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: *

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 ...

* First Vice President of the State Affairs Commission:

*Members of the commission: **

Kim Tok-hun Kim Tok-hun (, born 1961) is a North Korean politician serving as the Premier of North Korea since August 2020. He is also a full member on the Presidium of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea and served as the chief of the parliamentar ...

, Premier **

, WPK Vice Chairman for Propaganda ** General of the Army

, Minister of the People's Armed Forces **

Ri Son-gwon Ri Son-gwon () is a North Korean politician and diplomat who has served as chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland. In January 2020, he was named in media reports as the successor for Foreign Minister Ri Yong- ...

, WPK Vice Chairman for International Relations **

, 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

, Minister of Public Security **

Kim Yong-jae Kim Yong-jae ( or ; born 7 September 1952) is a North Korean diplomat and politician. He was the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the Russian Federation. He is currently the North Korea ...

, External Economic Relations (Foreign Trade) ** Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Department Director of the

Publicity and Information Department The Propaganda and Agitation Department (PAD, ), officially translated as the Publicity and Information Department, is a department of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) tasked with coordinating the creation and dissemina ...

Presidium of the SPA of the DPRK

The Presidium of the SPA is as follows: *

*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 Hong Son-ok (, born 28 March 1950) is a senior North Korean politician. She has served as the Vice Chairwoman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) and Chairwoman of the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries. ...

(since April 2013)

Supreme People's Assembly

The chairman and vice-chairpersons of the

are: *Chairman: Pak Thae-song *Vice-chairpersons:

An Tong-chun An, AN, aN, or an may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Airlinair (IATA airline code AN) * Alleanza Nazionale, a former political party in Italy * AnimeNEXT, an annual anime convention located in New Jersey * Anime North, a Canadian ...

and Ri Hye-jong (April 2014)

Cabinet

Some ministers of the

Cabinet of North Korea The Cabinet of North Korea (''Naegak'') is, according to the Constitution of North Korea, the administrative and executive body and a general state-management organ in the Government of North Korea. The Cabinet's principal newspaper is '' Minj ...

are as follows: *

(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),

(April 2014) *

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

(21 January 2020) *

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

Choe Kwang-jin Choi is a Korean family surname. As of the South Korean census of 2015, there were around 2.3 million people by this name in South Korea or roughly 4.7% of the population. In English-speaking countries, it is most often anglicized ''Choi'', an ...

Notes

External links

* * {{Asia topic, Government of, title=Governments of Asia, TW=Government of the Republic of China Politics of North Korea