North Korea

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK; Korean: Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk; Hangul: 조선민주주의인민공화국; Hanja: 朝鮮民主主義人民共和國), also known as North Korea, is a country in East Asia, covering the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Locally and in mainland China, it is more commonly called Pukchosŏn ("North Chosŏn"; 북조선; 北朝鮮), a name that associates the country with the Joseon Dynasty. Bukhan ("North Han"; 북한; 北韓) is commonly used in South Korea.

Politics

North Korea's government is dominated by the Korean Workers' Party (KWP), to which 80 percent of government officials belong. The KWP follows and upholds the ideology of Juche (self-reliance), which originally grew out of Stalinism. Like the former Soviet Union, North Korea is dominated by a party bureaucracy that claims to represent the will of the people. The KWP replaced mentions of Marxism-Leninism in the North Korean constitution with Juche in 1977. Communist critics of the KWP deny that it is a communist state. Minor political parties exist, but they are subordinated to the KWP and do not oppose its rule. In practice the exact power structure of the country is somewhat unclear, although it is commonly accepted that the nation's regime is a totalitarian dictatorship.

Related Topics:
Korean Workers' Party - Juche - Stalinism - 1977 - Communist - Political parties - Totalitarian - Dictatorship

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Nominally, the Premier is the head of government, but real power lies with Kim Jong-il (the son of the deceased Kim Il-sung), head of the KWP and the military. Kim holds several official titles, the most important being General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the National Defense Commission and Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army. Within the country he is commonly known by the affectionate title of "Dear Leader". Similarly, his father, Kim Il-sung, held the title of "Great Leader."

Related Topics:
Kim Jong-il - Kim Il-sung - General Secretary

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North Korea's 1972 constitution was amended in late 1992 and again in 1998. The 1998 constitution states that the late Kim Il Sung is "Eternal President of the Republic," and the post of president was abolished after his death. The Constitution gives much of the functions normally accorded to a head of state to the Supreme People's Assembly Presidium, whose president "represents the State" and receives credentials from foreign ambassadors. The government of the republic is led by the Prime Minister and, in theory, a super cabinet called the Central People's Committee (CPC), the government's top policymaking body. The CPC is headed by the President, who also nominates the other committee members. The CPC makes policy decisions and supervises the Cabinet, or State Administration Council (SAC). SAC is headed by a Premier and is the dominant administrative and executive agency.

Related Topics:
1972 - Constitution - 1992 - 1998 - Head of state - Supreme People's Assembly Presidium - Cabinet - Central People's Committee - State Administration Council - Executive

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The parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly (Choego Inmin Hoeui), is the highest organ of state power. Its 687 members are elected every five years by popular vote. Usually it holds only two annual meetings, each lasting a few days, but it mostly ratifies decisions made by the ruling KWP (see rubberstamp (politics)). A standing committee elected by the Assembly performs legislative functions when the Assembly is not in session.

Related Topics:
Parliament - Supreme People's Assembly - Rubberstamp (politics) - Legislative

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North Korea is widely held to be a totalitarian country. One major aspect of totalitarian countries is the presence of a single party which mirrors the structure of the State, and the fact that the power lies not in the State or its institutions, but in the party and its institutions. Thus, in countries such as the DPRK, it is the leader of the ruling party and not the Head of State who is the repository of power.

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