DPRK Leadership
Persons with at least one major position in leading party, government, and military organs are considered the ruling elite. This group includes all political leaders who are, at a given time, directly involved in the preparation of major policy decisions and who participate in the inner circle of policy making. The ruling elite include Political Bureau members and secretaries of the KWP, Central People's Committee members, members of the State Administration Council, and members of the Central Military Commission and the National Defense Commission. Because overlapping membership is common in public office, topranking office holders number less than 100. In any event, those having the most influential voice in policy formulation are members of the Political Bureau Presidium.
Top leaders shared a number of common social characteristics. They belong to the same generation; the average age of the party's top fifty leaders was about sixty-eight years in 1990. By the end of 1989, aging members of the anti-Japanese partisan group accounted for 24 percent of the Political Bureau's full members. There is no clear evidence of regional underrepresentation. Nonetheless, many Hamgyng natives were included in KIM Il-song's inner circle -- for example, O Chin-u, Pak Sngch 'l, Kim Yong-nam, and Kye Ung-t'ae. The latter was a member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee and secretary in charge of economics.
The chief of state is KIM Chong-il [de facto]. President KIM Il-song was reelected without opposition 24 May 1990 and died 8 July 1994, leaving his son KIM Chong-il as designated successor; KIM Chong-il became General Secretary of the Korean Workers' Party on 8 October 1997, but has not assumed the presidency head of government. KANG Song-san was premier, but was in ill health; Vice Premier HONG Song-nam was acting premier since NA February 1997. The cabinet [State Administration Council] is appointed by the Supreme People's Assembly elections. The premier is elected by the Supreme People's Assembly
The Legislative branch consists of a unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats. Members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms. Elections were last held 7-9 April 1990 (next to be held NA). The term of the Assembly expired in April 1995 without a new election and it has not been convened since the death of KIM Il-song in July 1994. The KWP approves a single list of candidates who are elected without opposition; minor parties hold a few seats. The leading party is the Korean Workers' Party (KWP), KIM Chong-il, General Secretary; Korean Social Democratic Party, KIM Pyong-sik, chairman; Chondoist Chongu Party, YU Mi-yong, chairwoman.
The Judicial branch is headed by the Central Court, and judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly.
The state president was formerly North Korea's head of state and represented the state in foreign affairs. The state presidency was introduced to the Socialist Constitution adopted at the 1st session of the 10th-term Supreme People's Assembly in December, 1972. It was created for the purpose of providing institutional basis for Kim Il-sung's dictatorship, as well as for effective control of the government and execution of its policies. The state president was elected by the Supreme People's Assembly for a five-year term. The president is the head of state and represents the nation abroad, and chairs the Central People's Committee, in addition to supervising all the government institutions and functions. The president oversees all administration, diplomacy and legislation.
The chairmanship of the National Defense Commission, which the president held simultaneously, was separated from the presidency and then transferred to Kim Jong-il, excluding the president from all control over the military. The move was an institutional measure to firmly establish Kim Jong-il's control over the military after he had attained the position of Supreme Commander of the KPA.
The role of representing the nation abroad was granted to the secretary general of the standing committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, while the role as the head of government was assumed by the prime minister.
Since assuming the post of Supreme Commander of the army in December 1991, Kim Jong Il has taken great pains to place his trusted allies in key military posts to keep a firm control over the military, weeding out those who weren't willing to back him with force. Between December 1991 and April 2001, Kim, in his capacity as the Supreme Commander, promoted some 1,000 generals (of the military's 1,200 generals) over the course of 10 rounds of promotions on occasions such as the birthday of Kim Il Sung and on his own birthday (February 16 and April 15 respectively), the anniversary of the military's founding (April 25), and the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice Treaty (July 27).
Kim Jong-Il has intensified his preferential treatment of the military since his father's death in July 1994 by placing his favorites in key posts. These initiatives reflect his judgment that control over the military is crucial for surviving domestic and international instability during the leadership changeover.
Due to the closed nature of the society, information on the extent and make-up of Kim's military inner circle is hard to obtain. Moreover, Kim's self-righteous and impulsive leadership style makes it virtually impossible to make educated guesses about who might be among his favorites. All that one can conjecture with a degree of certainty is that the make-up of the inner circle can change at any time based on perceived loyalty to Kim.
The candidates would most likely be chosen on two criteria: first, the person must be a beneficiary of Kim's military personnel reshuffling and promotions. Based on such criteria, we included in our list of Kim's favorites those occupying key posts in the KWP Military Committee and National Defense Commission, the Chief of the General Staff, the Director General of the General Political Bureau and the Arms Commanders. Secondly, the person must often be seen accompanying Kim on public occasions.
