The supreme leader (Korean: 최고령도자; MR: Ch'oego Ryŏngdoja) of North Korea is the de facto paramount leader of the Workers' Party of Korea, the state and the Korean People's Army. The position is a de facto hereditary title held by the Kim family.

Overview

The title has not been written into the national constitution as a separate office, however the president of the State Affairs Commission is, de facto, the supreme leader of North Korea. Likewise, according to the WPK Charter, the general secretary of the WPK is the supreme leader of the Workers' Party. Formerly, under Kim Jong Il, this title was bestowed on the office of Chairman of the National Defense Commission, who was also the WPK general secretary.

The first priority political position of the supreme leader is the leadership of the Workers' Party.[1] That post was titled as chairman from the founding of the DPRK in 1948 until 1966, general secretary from 1966 to 2012, first secretary from 2012 to 2016, chairman again from 2016 to 2021, and general secretary again since 2021. Propaganda workers began calling Kim Il Sung supreme leader in the late 1940s and the term has since been used to describe the status of Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un. Generally however, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il were both referred to as "Great Leader" (위대한 수령) and "Dear Leader" (친애하는 령도자) respectively during their tenures as leader.

List

Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Title(s) Period Tenure
(Time in Office)		 Ideological contribution(s)
1 Kim Il Sung
김일성
(1912–1994)
 Premier of the Cabinet of the DPRK 9 September 1948[2] – 28 December 1972[3] 9 September 1948[2]
—
8 July 1994[4]
(45 years, 302 days)		 Juche
Chairman of the WPK 24 June 1949[5] – 12 October 1966[6]
General Secretary of the WPK 12 October 1966[6] – 8 July 1994[4]
President of the DPRK 28 December 1972[7] – 8 July 1994[4]
2 Kim Jong Il
김정일
(1941–2011)
 Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK 9 April 1993[8] – 17 December 2011[9] 8 July 1994[8]
—
17 December 2011[9]
(17 years, 162 days)		 Kimilsungism
Songun
Ten Principles
General Secretary of the WPK 8 October 1997[8] – 17 December 2011[9]
3 Kim Jong Un
김정은
(born 1982 or 1983)
 First Secretary of the WPK 11 April 2012[10] – 9 May 2016[11] 17 December 2011[12]
—
present
(12 years, 27 days)		 Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism
Byungjin
First Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK 11 April 2012[13] – 29 June 2016[14]
Chairman of the WPK 9 May 2016[15] – 10 January 2021[16]
President of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK 29 June 2016[14] – present
General Secretary of the WPK 10 January 2021[17] – present
  • Bold offices refer to the highest positions in the Workers' Party of Korea, the unique ruling political party of North Korea.

Timeline

Kim Jong UnKim Jong IlKim Il Sung

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un Cuts Tape for Completion of Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer Factory". Kim Il Sung University. Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). 2 May 2020. Archived from the original on 17 May 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020. Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and supreme commander of the armed forces of the DPRK, attended the ceremony.
  2. 1 2 "Background Note: North Korea". Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. United States Department of State. August 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  3. ↑ Based on the creation of the Constitution of North Korea, which established the Presidency of North Korea and abolished the Premier of North Korea position.
  4. 1 2 3 Based on date of death of Kim Il-Sung
  5. ↑ Defense Language Institute (July 1971). "Korean: Basic Course: Area Background" (PDF). U. S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. p. 254. Retrieved 18 September 2023. the Korean Workers Party, under the chairmanship of Kim Il-sung, was formed on June 24, 1949, as the result of a merger between the North Korean Workers Party and the South Korean Workers Party
  6. 1 2 Yang, Sŏng-chʻŏl (1999). The North and South Korean Political Aystems: A Comparative Analysis. Elizabeth, NJ: Hollym. p. 270. The chairmanship post was replaced by the office of the general secretary at the Fourteenth Plenum of the WPK Fourth Central Committee (CC) on October 12, 1966, and Kim has been the WPK's general secretary ever since
  7. ↑ Based on the outcome of the 1972 North Korean parliamentary election
  8. 1 2 3 "Timeline: Kim Jong-il". The Guardian. The Associated Press. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 Based on date of death of Kim Jong-Il
  10. ↑ Sang-Hun, Choe (11 April 2012). "As Rocket Launching Nears, North Korea Continues Shift to New 'Supreme Leader'". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2023. The governing Workers' Party ... declared Mr. Kim "supreme leader" on Wednesday and awarded him the title of first secretary.
  11. ↑ "North Korea leader Kim becomes chairman of ruling Workers' Party: NHK". Reuters. 9 May 2016. Archived from the original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2020. Kim Jong Un, who has been first secretary of the ruling party, became chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea
  12. ↑ "Kim Jong Il, leader of North Korea, dies". History (American TV network). 15 December 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  13. ↑ Sang-Hun, Choe (11 April 2012). "As Rocket Launching Nears, North Korea Continues Shift to New 'Supreme Leader'". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2023. Per note at end of NYT article: 'An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the day on which North Korea had elevated Kim Jong-un to chairman of the Workers' Party's central military commission and granted him membership in the Politburo and its presidium. It was on Wednesday (11 April), not Thursday (12 April).'
  14. 1 2 Sang-Hun, Choe (29 June 2016). "Kim Jong-un Takes an Additional Title in North Korea". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2023. The Assembly revised North Korea's Constitution to create what the state media called a Commission on State Affairs, with Mr. Kim as its chairman. It replaces the National Defense Commission.
  15. ↑ Madden, Michael (20 May 2016). "Deciphering the 7th Party Congress: A Teaser for Greater Change?". 38 North. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021. The major organizational change announced at the 7th Party Congress was the reinstatement of the WPK chairmanship, to which Kim Jong Un was elected
  16. ↑ Frank, Rüdiger (19 January 2021). "Key Results of The Eighth Party Congress in North Korea (Part 2 of 2)". 38 North. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021. Titles throughout all party levels were changed from "chairman" to three levels of "secretary".
  17. ↑ Frank, Rüdiger (19 January 2021). "Key Results of The Eighth Party Congress in North Korea (Part 2 of 2)". 38 North. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021. Kim Jong Un was elected as general secretary of the party. This is remarkable, considering that on April 11, 2012, Kim Jong Il had been named the "eternal general secretary".
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