North Korea

V

Government

North Korea has a strongly centralized Communist government, and is the last extant example of totalitarian Stalinism. The government’s structure is set forth in the constitution promulgated in 1972 and amended in 1992 and 1998, which replaced that of 1948.

A

Executive and Legislature

Executive power in North Korea is vested in the chair of the National Defence Committee, who is head of state and head of government. The chair is elected by the Supreme People’s Assembly and in turn appoints the members of the National Defence Committee, which is the government’s highest policy-making body. Formerly the head of state was the president, but the constitutional revisions of 1998 left this post as a memorial to Kim Il Sung, who was named “Eternal President”. In practice, the real position of authority is that of secretary-general of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party (KWP).

The legislature, which in theory is the supreme government organ, is the unicameral Supreme People’s Assembly. Its 687 members are elected by direct vote for five-year terms. The legislature generally meets only several times a year; its day-to-day duties are performed by the standing committee of the assembly. The last parliamentary elections were in 2003.

B

Political Parties

The dominant political party, and the actual source of political power, is the Korean Workers’ Party (KWP). Two smaller parties join with the KWP in the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland.

C

Judiciary

The judicial system of North Korea consists of the central court and the provincial and people’s courts. The central court is the state’s highest judiciary authority; its judges are appointed to four-year terms by the standing committee.

D

Local Government

North Korea is divided into nine provinces, three special cities, and one special district. Provinces are further subdivided into counties and districts. Each local administrative unit has its elected people’s assembly.