Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly
Emblem of North Korea
Flag of North Korea
Incumbent
Choe Ryong-hae
since 11 April 2019
Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly
TypePresiding officer
AppointerSupreme People's Assembly
Term lengthSame as the term of the Supreme People's Assembly
Inaugural holderKim Tu-bong
Formation8 September 1948
Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly
Chosŏn'gŭl
Hancha
Revised RomanizationChoego inmin hoeui sangim wiwonhoe wiwonjang
McCune–ReischauerCh'oego inmin hoeŭi sangim wiwŏnhoe wiwŏnjang

The chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (Korean: 조선민주주의인민공화국 최고인민회의 상임위원회 위원장), formerly known as the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is the presiding officer of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, which is the highest institution of state power in North Korea when the Supreme People's Assembly is not in session.[1][2] The current chairman of the Standing Committee is Choe Ryong-hae, who was chosen on 11 April 2019.[3]

History

The 1948 Constitution created the position of Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly.[4] The chairman presided over the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, which was given the power to ratify or annul treaties with foreign countries, appoint or recall ambassadors to foreign countries and receive letters of credentials or recall of foreign diplomatic representatives.[5] This made the chairman of the SPA Standing Committee the de jure head of state of North Korea. Nominally, the Chairman of the SPA Standing Committee held the highest state post followed by the premier, Kim Il Sung.

The 1972 Constitution created the position of President of North Korea who is tasked with being the country's head of state.[6] The Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly (under the new Korean title of 최고인민회의 상설회의 의장) was removed of its power to represent the state and was limited to doing legislative work as the concurrent chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly.[7]

The 1998 revision of the 1972 Constitution created the position under the new English translation of President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly with its powers as head of state restored.[8] However, the 1972 Constitution was revised in April 2019 to designate the then-Chairman of the State Affairs Commission as the head of state, with the powers reserved to the head of state being transferred to the SAC chairman in August of the same year.

In February 2022, the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission began to be referred in English as the President of the State Affairs. This led to the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly being referred in English to its previous title of Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly.

Duties and responsibilities

According to the North Korean constitution, the chairman presides the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly and represents the state in receiving the letters of credentials and recall of foreign diplomatic representatives.[2]

List of office holders

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Term of office Party SPA
Took office Left office
1 Kim Tu-bong
김두봉
(1889–1958)		 8 September
1948		 20 September
1957		 Workers' Party of North Korea
(until 1949)		 1st
Workers' Party of Korea
(from 1949)
2 Choe Yong-gon
최용건
(1900–1976)		 20 September
1957		 28 December
1972		 Workers' Party of Korea 2nd
3rd
4th
3 Hwang Jang-yop
황장엽
(1923–2010)		 28 December
1972		 7 April
1983		 Workers' Party of Korea 5th
6th
7th
4 Yang Hyong-sop
양형섭
(1925–2022)		 7 April
1983		 5 September
1998		 Workers' Party of Korea
8th
9th
5 Kim Yong-nam
김영남
(born 1928)		 5 September
1998		 11 April
2019		 Workers' Party of Korea 10th
11th
12th
13th
6 Choe Ryong-hae
최룡해
(born 1950)		 11 April
2019		 Incumbent Workers' Party of Korea 14th


References

Citations

  1. ↑ Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Article 113
  2. 1 2 Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Article 117
  3. ↑ "In full: promotions and demotions at North Korea's 14th SPA". NK PRO. Korea Risk Group. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  4. ↑ Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (1948), Article 48
  5. ↑ Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (1948), Article 49
  6. ↑ Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (1972), Article 89
  7. ↑ Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (1972), Articles 86 and 87
  8. ↑ Cha & Hwang 2008, p. 198.

Sources

Works cited
  • Cha, Victor D.; Hwang, Balbina Y. (2008). "Government and Politics". In Worden, Robert L. (ed.). North Korea: A Country Study (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. pp. 187–234. ISBN 978-0-8444-1188-0.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.