Supreme People's Assembly of Democratic People's Republic of Korea 최고인민회의 最高人民會議 Ch'oego Inmin Hoeŭi | |
|---|---|
| 14th Supreme People's Assembly | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 9 September 1948; 77 years ago (1948-09-09) |
| Leadership | |
Vacant[1] since 20 September 2025 | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 687 |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Committees |
|
| Elections | |
| Approval voting for single party-nominated candidate | |
Last election | 10 March 2019 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Mansudae Assembly Hall Pyongyang Democratic People's Republic of Korea | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 최고인민회의 |
|---|---|
| Hancha | 最高人民會議 |
| Revised Romanization | Choego Inmin Hoeui |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oego Inmin Hoeŭi |
TheSupreme People's Assembly (SPA;Korean: 최고인민회의;MR: Ch'oego Inmin Hoeŭi) is thehighest state organ of power of theDemocratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) according to the country'sSocialist Constitution. Under the principle ofunified power, it is the only branch of government in North Korea, with all state organs subservient to it. In form and function, it parallels thelegislature in other countries.
The constitution defines the position of the SPA as central in the country's system, with all institutions and offices -President of the State Affairs,State Affairs Commission,Cabinet,Supreme Court, and Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office, elected by it and subordinated to it. In practice, the SPA is arubber stamp for decisions already made by theWorkers Party of Korea and itssupreme leader.
SPA adopts only a minority of laws, with the most legislative work instead performed by a smaller Standing Committee, which is defined by the Constitution as itspermanent organ. TheChairman of the SPA Standing Committee was the country's ceremonial head of state until 2019, and still performs certain activities such as receiving letters of credence from foreign envoys.
The SPA is convened once or twice a year in regular plenary sessions of several days each. TheStanding Committee exercises power when the SPA is in recess, which occurs during all but a few days of every year.[2]
The SPA consists of one deputy from each of North Korea's 687 constituencies,elected to five-year terms. The Workers' Party of Korea, which the constitution recognizes as the state's leading party, dominates the Assembly in a monopolycoalition with theSocial Democratic Party and theChondoist Chongu Party. Elections are usually held in five-year intervals, the most recent in2019.
After the defeat of Japan in the Second World War andLiberation of Korea in the Northby Soviet forces, theProvisional People's Committee of North Korea organized elections for the provincial, city, countypeople's committees in late 1946 and early 1947, cementing dominance of the emerging Workers Party of Korea in the North, as between 65% and 83% of members of each committee were members of the communist party
On 17th February, 1947, representatives from the provincial, city and county people's committees met in Pyongyang to form thePeople's Assembly of North Korea with the power of "highest organ of state sovereignty", which was empowered to act until the reunification.[3]
After the foundation of theRepublic of Korea in the South, the North Korean authorities called for theelections for the first Supreme People's Assembly in 1948 in both the North and the South, with the southern elections claimed to have been held underground. The Supreme People's Assembly proclaimed the birth of theDemocratic People's Republic of Korea on 9th September, 1948.
The Supreme People's Assembly adopted the first constitution of North Korea in 1948, which was modelled on theSoviet Constitution. The Constitution designated the Supreme People's Assembly as the highest organ of state sovereignty. Under the 1948 Constitution, the Assembly size was mandated on the rule of 1 deputy representing 50,000 people.
Under the 1972 Constitution, the number of seats in the Assembly was 655.[4] This was increased to 687 following the1986 election.[5]
In 1990, the composition of the SPA was 601 seats held by the Workers' Party of Korea, 51 seats held by theKorean Social Democratic Party, 22 seats held by theChondoist Chongu Party and 13 seats held byindependents.[6]
The last convention duringKim Il Sung's government took place in April 1994, three months beforehis death. Then during the mourning period the assembly did not meet, nor did elections take place. The next meeting convened in September 1998, four years after Kim's death.[7]
Kim Jong Il did not make a speech at the first session of the10th SPA in 1998. Instead, members listened to a tape-recorded speech of the late Kim Il Sung, which was made at the first session of the 9th SPA, in 1991. The enhanced status of theKorean People's Army was anticipated by the SPA election July 1998, when 101 military officials were elected out of 687 delegates. This was a large increase from the 57 military officials elected during the 9th SPA in 1990.
Kim Yong-nam served asChairman of the SPA Presidum from 1998 until 2019.[8][9]
On April 14, 2012, during the fifth session of the 12th Supreme People's AssemblyKim Jong Un was elected as the country's supreme leader. Addressing the SPA session, Kim Yong-nam, chairman of the SPA Presidium, said Kim's accession to North Korea's top post reflected "the ardent desire and unanimous will of all the party members, servicepersons and other people".[10] His status as leader was reaffirmed when he was elected unopposed on March 9, 2014. Kim was nominated to represent his district, the symbolicMount Paektu, in the assembly election. Voters could voteyes orno, with all voting in the affirmative, according to government officials.
In 2017, the assembly created a subordinate Diplomatic Commission, which had use in terms of dialogue with international parliaments.[11] On 11 April 2019,Choe Ryong-hae was appointed chairman of the Presidium.[12]
| Term | Deputies | Start | End | Duration | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 572 | 2 September 1948 | 18 September 1957 | 9 years, 16 days | |||
| 2nd | 215 | 18 September 1957 | 22 October 1962 | 5 years, 34 days | |||
| 3rd | 383 | 22 October 1962 | 14 December 1967 | 5 years, 53 days | |||
| 4th | 457 | 14 December 1967 | 12 December 1972 | 4 years, 364 days | |||
| 5th | 541 | 12 December 1972 | 15 December 1977 | 5 years, 3 days | |||
| 6th | 579 | 15 December 1977 | 5 April 1982 | 4 years, 111 days | |||
| 7th | 615 | 5 April 1982 | 29 December 1986 | 4 years, 268 days | |||
| 8th | 655 | 29 December 1986 | 24 May 1990 | 3 years, 146 days | |||
| 9th | 687 | 24 May 1990 | 5 September 1998 | 8 years, 104 days | |||
| 10th | 687 | 5 September 1998 | 3 September 2003 | 4 years, 363 days | |||
| 11th | 687 | 3 September 2003 | 9 April 2009 | 5 years, 218 days | |||
| 12th | 687 | 9 April 2009 | 9 April 2014 | 5 years, 0 days | |||
| 13th | 687 | 9 April 2014 | 11 April 2019 | 5 years, 2 days | |||
| 14th | 687 | 11 April 2019 | Incumbent | 6 years, 310 days | |||
| References: [13] | |||||||
Under theConstitution of North Korea, allcitizens 17 and older, regardless ofparty affiliation, political views, or religion, are eligible to be elected to the legislature and vote in elections. The SPA consists of one deputy from each of North Korea's 687 constituencies,[14]elected to five-year terms.[15]
In principle, in every election there is one candidate per a single constituency, with the turnover rate and the rate of voters voting in favour being extremely high, often above 99%. The official stance is that the candidates are drawn from the working masses, personnel of the Korean People's Army, and all those who follow the supreme leader's revolution.[16] A voter may cross off the candidate's name to vote against them, but must do so in a special booth without any secrecy.[17] The voter must then drop their ballot into a separate box for "no" votes. Voting against the candidate is considered treasonous; those who do face the loss of their jobs and housing, along with extra surveillance. Refusing to vote at all is also considered a treasonous act.[18]
Before its abolition, all candidates were selected by theDemocratic Front for the Reunification of Korea in mass meetings held to decide which candidates will be nominated and their names can only go on the ballot paper with the approval of the meeting. The Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea was apopular front dominated by the Workers' Party of Korea. The other participants in the coalition include the two otherde facto legal political parties, theKorean Social Democratic Party and theChondoist Chongu Party, as well as various other member organizations including social groups and youth groups, such as theKorean Children's Union, theSocialist Patriotic Youth League, theKorean Democratic Women's League, and theRed Cross Society of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
While the Supreme People's Assembly is vested with great powers by the Constitution, in practice the principles ofdemocratic centralism leave it with little real power. Like most parliaments in Communist states, in its legislative role, it does little more than give legal sanction to decisions already made by the supreme leader and the top leadership.[19][20]
The Assembly is convened once or twice a year in regular plenary sessions of several days each. At all other times, the Standing Committee acts in place of the Supreme People's Assembly. Extraordinary sessions of the Assembly can also meet when called by the Standing Committee or by one third of the Assembly deputies.
The functions of the SPA are:[21]
Constitutional amendments require the approval of two-thirds of the deputies.[21]
TheStanding Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly is thestanding organ that exercises power when the SPA is in recess, which occurs during all but a few days of every year.[8]
The Standing Committee consists of theChairman, vice-chairmen, a secretary-general and other members, elected by the SPA.[23] The secretary-general, a largely symbolic role,[24] is currentlyJong Yong-guk.[9] The functions of the Standing Committee are to:
In addition to its executive functions, the Standing Committee also receivescredentials of diplomatic representatives from foreign countries with the consent of the President of the SAC.[21]
In 1998, a constitutional amendment abolished the posts of thePresident of North Korea,Central People's Committee, and Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly and gave their powers to a new body titled the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly.[27] Of these organs, the Presidium was seen as the successor of the Standing Committee.[28] In 2021, the Presidium reverted its name back to Standing Committee, though the powers provided by the original constitutional amendment used to abolish the previous Standing Committee remain unaltered. Thus, the Standing Committee formed in 2021 currently serves as a continuation of the Presidium rather than a re-creation of the Standing Committee that had existed before 1998.[29]
| Position | Name | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Choe Ryong-hae | [9] |
| Vice Chairman | Vacant | |
| Vice Chairman | Thae Hyong-chol | [9] |
| Secretary General | Jong Yong-guk | [9] |
| Member | Kim Yong-chol | [9] |
| Member | Ju Yong-gil | [9] |
| Member | Kim Chang-yop | [9] |
| Member | Chang Chun-sil | [9] |
| Member | Kang Myong-chol | [9] |
| Member | Kang Su-rin | [9] |
| Member | Pak Myong-chol | [9] |
| Member | Kim Nung-o | [9] |
| Member | Kang Ji-yong | [9] |
| Member | Ri Myong-gil | [9] |
| Member | Ri Chol | [9] |
Prior to the creation of the post ofPresident of North Korea in 1972, the Chairman of the Standing Committee was the country'sde jure head of state.[citation needed] Currently, theChairman of the Supreme People's Assembly is the SPA speaker,[30] while the Chairman of the Standing Committee performs certain representative functions ordinarily accorded to a head of state.[citation needed] As the representative of the state in external matters and the head of the highest sovereign organ, the Chairman of the Standing Committee is often considered thede facto head of state of North Korea, though officially this role is reserved for thePresident of the State Affairs Commission. The chairman also convenes sessions of the SPA.[28]
The chairman, like the rest of the Standing Committee, is elected by the SPA, which can also remove the chairman.Choe Ryong-hae assumed the office of Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly in 2019 before the office was given the current name in 2021.[9]
In addition to the Standing Committee, the SPA has fourparliamentary committees: the Foreign Affairs Committee, Budget Committee, Legislation Committee,[9] and Deputy Credentials Committee.[31] The constitution mandates the Legislation and Budget Committees and leaves the choice of having more committees to the SPA.[32] Before 1998, there was an additional committee called the Reunification-policy Deliberation Committee.[28] The Foreign Affairs Committee, too, was discontinued in 1998,[28] but as of 2019[update] is operating again.[9]
The Foreign Affairs Committee is chaired byKim Hyong-jun. The other members areRo Ryong-nam,Ri Son-gwon,Kim Jong-suk,Kim Tong-son,Choe Son-hui, andKim Song-il.[9]
The Budget Committee is chaired byO Su-yong. The other members areHong So-hon,Pak Hyong-ryol,Ri Hi-yong,Kim Kwang-uk,Choe Yong-il, andRi Kum-ok.[9]
The Legislation Committee is chaired byChoe Pu-il. The other members areKim Myong-gil,Kang Yun-sok,Pak Jong-nam,Kim Yong-bae,Jong Kyong-il, andHo Kwang-il.[9]
The Deputy Credentials Committee is chaired byKim Phyong-hae.[31]
| Chairman of the Standing Committee | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Political party | Term Start | Term End | Election | ||
 | Kim Tu-bong 김두봉 1889–1958 | Workers' Party of North Korea | 9 September 1948 | 20 September 1957 | 1st SPA | |
| Workers' Party of Korea | ||||||
 | Choe Yong-gon 최용건 1900–1976 | Korean Democratic Party | 20 September 1957 | 23 October 1962 | 2nd SPA | |
| Workers' Party of Korea | ||||||
| 23 October 1962 | 16 December 1967 | 3rd SPA | ||||
| 16 December 1967 | 28 December 1972 | 4th SPA | ||||
.jpg) | Hwang Jang-yop 황장엽 1923–2010 | 28 December 1972 | 16 December 1977 | 5th SPA | ||
| 16 December 1977 | 6 April 1982 | 6th SPA | ||||
| 6 April 1982 | 7 April 1983 | 7th SPA | ||||
| Yang Hyong-sop 양형섭 (1925–2022) | 7 April 1983 | 29 December 1986 | ||||
| 29 December 1986 | 24 May 1990 | 8th SPA | ||||
| 24 May 1990 | 5 September 1998 | 9th SPA | ||||
| Chairman of the Presidium | ||||||
| President | Political party | Term Start | Term End | Election | ||
 | Kim Yong-nam 김영남 (1928–2025)  | Workers' Party of Korea | 5 September 1998 | 3 September 2003 | 10th SPA | |
| 3 September 2003 | 9 April 2009 | 11th SPA | ||||
| 9 April 2009 | 9 April 2014 | 12th SPA | ||||
| 9 April 2014 | 11 April 2019 | 13th SPA | ||||
.jpg) | Choe Ryong-hae[9] 최룡해 (born 1950) | 11 April 2019 | Incumbent | 14th SPA | ||
| Chairman of the Assembly | ||||||
| Chairman | Political party | Term Start | Term End | Election | ||
 | Ho Hon 허헌 (許憲) (1885–1951) | Workers' Party of Korea | September 1948 | 1951 | 1st SPA | |
| Ri Yong 리영 (1889–1960) | Laboring People's Party | 22 December 1953 | 20 September 1957 | 1st SPA | ||
| Choe Won-taek 최원택 (1895–1973) | Workers' Party of Korea | 20 September 1957 | 16 December 1967 | 2st SPA 3rd SPA | ||
.jpg) | Paek Nam-un 백남운 (1894–1976) | 16 December 1967 | 28 December 1972 | 4th SPA | ||
| Han Duk-su 한덕수 (1907–2001) | 28 December 1972 | 1986 | 5th SPA 6th SPA 7th SPA | |||
| Chairman | ||||||
| Chairman | Political party | Term Start | Term End | Election | ||
| Choe Thae-bok 최태복 (1930–2024) | Workers' Party of Korea | 5 September 1998 | 11 April 2019 | 10th SPA 11th SPA 12th SPA 13th SPA | ||
 | Pak Thae-song 박태성 (born 1955) | 11 April 2019 | 17 January 2023 | 14th SPA | ||
| Pak In-chol 박인철 | 17 January 2023[33] | Incumbent | ||||
| Party or alliance | Seats | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatherland Front | Workers' Party of North Korea | 157 | ||
| Chondoist Chongu Party | 35 | |||
| Korean Democratic Party | 35 | |||
| Laboring People's Party | 20 | |||
| People's Republic Party | 20 | |||
| Democratic Independent Party | 20 | |||
| Other parties | 171 | |||
| Independents | 114 | |||
| Total | 572 | |||
| Party or alliance | Votes | % | Seats | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatherland Front | Workers' Party of Korea | 100 | 607 | |||
| Korean Social Democratic Party | 50 | |||||
| Chondoist Chongu Party | 22 | |||||
| Chongryon | 5 | |||||
| Religious associations | 3 | |||||
| Total | 687 | |||||
| Registered voters/turnout | 99.97 | |||||
| Source:IPU | ||||||
Notably, Kim Jong Un was elected by the Paektusan District, receiving 100% of the vote.(For more details, see main page on2014 North Korean parliamentary election.)
 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party or alliance | Seats | |||
| Fatherland Front | Workers' Party of Korea | 682 | ||
| Korean Social Democratic Party | ||||
| Chondoist Chongu Party | ||||
| Independents | ||||
| Chongryon | 5 | |||
| Total | 687 | |||
(For more details, see main page on2019 North Korean parliamentary election.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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39°01′43″N125°44′59″E / 39.02861°N 125.74972°E /39.02861; 125.74972
