Cabinet of North Korea explained

Agency Name:	Cabinet of Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Type:	Government
Formed:	1948
Jurisdiction:	North Korea
Headquarters:	Pyongyang
Chief1 Name:	Kim Tok Hun
Chief1 Position:	Premier
Chief2 Name:	Yang Sung Ho, Pak Jong-gun, Kim Song Ryong, Ri Song Hak, Pak Hun, Ju Chol-gyu, Jon Sung Guk
Chief2 Position:	Vice Premiers

The Cabinet of Democratic People's Republic of Korea or North Korea (Naegak^[1]) is, according to the Constitution of North Korea, the administrative and executive body and a general state-management organ in the Government of North Korea.^[2] The Cabinet's principal newspaper is Minju Choson.

History

In North Korea's first constitution, adopted in 1948, the executive powers were vested in the Cabinet, chaired by Kim Il Sung himself.

The 1972 constitution saw the establishment of the post of President of North Korea which led the executive branch, and the cabinet was split into two organizations: The Central People's Committee (Korean: 중앙인민위원회) and the State Administration Council (Korean: 정무원). The Central People's Committee provided the highest visible institutional link between the government and the party and served in effect as a de facto super-cabinet. According to the 1972 constitution, the Central People's Committee exercised various functions and powers such as shaping the internal and external policies of the state, direct the work of the Administration Council and provincial people's committee, supervising the execution of the constitution, laws and ordinances of the Supreme People's Assembly, establish or abolish ministries, executive bodies of the Administration Council and appoint or remove vice premiers, ministers and other members of the Administration Council and also to declare a state of war and enacting mobilization orders in case of emergency. Article 104 gave the authority to the CPC to adopt decrees and decisions and issue directives.^[3]

The National Defence Commission was then sub-committee of this body.^[4] The CPC's formal powers were all-inclusive and it was chaired by the President.^[5] Among its responsibilities are formulating domestic and foreign policies, directing the work of the State Administration Council and its local organs, directing the judiciary, ensuring the enforcement of the constitution and other laws, appointing or removing the vice premiers and cabinet members, establishing or changing administrative subdivisions or their boundaries, and ratifying or abolishing treaties signed with foreign countries. The CPC also may issue decrees, decisions, and instructions. The State Administration Council was guided by the CPC and was led by a premier (chong-ri) and included vice premiers (bochong-ri), ministers (boojang), committee chairmen, and other cabinet-level members of central agencies. It was responsible for the formulation of state economic development plans and measures for implementing them, the preparation of the state budget, and the handling of other monetary and fiscal matters.^[6]

1982 saw the People's Armed Forces and Public Security Ministries assigned directly to the President together with the State Inspection Commission.

In 1990, by a CPC decision, the National Defense Commission became fully independent from it as a separate institution, and 1992 constitutional amendments assigned it directly to the Supreme People's Assembly. In 1998 amendments to the Constitution, the Central People's Committee and the State Administration were abolished, and the Cabinet was re-created. Thus, the Cabinet is not only the highest executive enforcement organ but was also expanded to become the general State management organ.

Emphasizing its expanded role, in January 1999 Kim Jong Il stated that

Selection

The cabinet is appointed and accountable to the Supreme People's Assembly, the North Korean unicameral parliament. The SPA chooses the Premier of North Korea who appoints three vice premiers and the cabinet's ministers. All members of the cabinet are members of the Workers' Party of Korea which rules the country since its establishment in 1948. While the SPA is not in session, the cabinet is accountable to the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly.^[7]

, some 260 people have served as cabinet ministers. Six of them have been women:^[8] Ho Jong-suk (Minister of Culture, Justice), Pak Chong-ae (Agriculture), Yi Yang-suk (Commerce, Textile and Paper Industries), Pak Yong-sin (Culture), Yi Ho-hyok (Foodstuff and Daily Necessities Industries), and Yun Gi-jong (Finance).^[9]

Powers and responsibilities

The Cabinet, as the executive branch of the North Korean state, is responsible for implementing the state's economic policies, as guided by the Workers' Party. The cabinet is not responsible for defense and security issues, as those are handled by the State Affairs Commission. Thus, the security organizations such as the Korean People's Army, Ministry of Social Security and State Security Department report and subordinated directly to the SAC, whose chairman holds full power as the supreme leader of the republic and the party and overall commander-in-chief of all uniformed forces. The Cabinet convenes a plenary meeting and an executive meeting.^[10] The plenary meeting consists of all the Cabinet members, while the executive meeting is kind of a presidium, and comprises fewer people, including the Premier, vice premier and other Cabinet members whom the Premier nominates. The cabinet forms acts in the form of decisions and directives. In the performance of its mandate the Cabinet is empowered by the Constitution to:^[11]

• adopt measures to execute state policy.
• institute, amend, and supplement regulations concerning state management based on the Constitution and ministerial laws.
• guide the work of the Cabinet commissions, ministries, direct ministries and subordinate agencies of the Cabinet and the local people's committees
• set up and remove direct ministries and agencies, main administrative economic organizations, and enterprises, and adopt measures to improve the State management structure.
• draft the State plan for the development of the national economy and adopt measures to put it into effect.
• compile the State budget and adopt measures to implement it.
• organize and exercise works in the fields of industry, agriculture, construction, transportation, communications, commerce, trade, land management, city management, education, science, culture, health, physical training, labor administration, environmental protection, tourism and others.
• adopt measures to strengthen the monetary and banking system.
• do inspection and control work to establish a state management order.
• adopt measures to maintain social order, protect State and social cooperation body's possession and interests, and to guarantee citizens’ rights.
• conclude treaties with foreign countries, and conduct external activities.
• abolish decisions and directions by economic administrative organs, which run counter to the decisions or directions made by its members.

Those Cabinet ministries that oversee economic sectors also control groups of industries called "complexes". These complexes consist of partially or fully state-owned industrial facilities like factories, mines, or farms, depending on the sector.^[12] At a local level, the Cabinet supervises the Local People's Committees.

Structure

, the Cabinet consists of the following:^{[13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]}

Minister		Political party		Position	Ref
	Kim Tok-hun		Workers' Party of Korea	Premier	^[20]
	Pak Jong-gun		Workers' Party of Korea	Vice Premier Chairman of the State Planning Commission
	Jon Hyon-chol		Workers' Party of Korea	Vice Premier
	Kim Song-ryong		Workers' Party of Korea	Vice Premier
	Ri Song-hak		Workers' Party of Korea	Vice Premier
	Pak Hun		Workers' Party of Korea	Vice Premier
	Ju Chol-gyu		Workers' Party of Korea	Vice Premier Minister of Agriculture
	Kim Kum-chol		Workers' Party of Korea	Secretary-General
	Choe Son-hui		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Foreign Affairs	^[21]
	Kim Yu-il		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Electric Power Industry
	Jon Hak-chol		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Coal Industry
	Kim Chung-gol		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Metallurgical Industry
	Ma Jong-son		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Chemical Industry
	Jang Chung-song		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Railways
	Kang Jong-gwan		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Land and Maritime Transportation
	Kim Chol-su		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Mining Industry
	Kim Chung-song		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of State Natural Resources Development
	Ko Kil-son		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Oil Industry
	Han Ryong-guk		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Forestry
	An Kyong Gun		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Machine-Building Industry	^[22]
	Kang Chol-gu		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Shipbuilding
	Wang Chang-uk		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Nuclear Power Industry
	Kim Jae-song		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Electronics Industry
	Ju Yong-il		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Posts and Telecommunications
	So Jong-jin		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Construction and Building-Materials Industry
	Ri Sun Chol		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of State Construction Control
	Jang Kyong-il		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Light Industry
	Jo Yong-chol		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Local Industry
	Ri Kang-son			Minister of Consumer Goods Industry
	Song Chun-sop		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Fisheries
	Ri Myong Guk		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Finance
	Jin Kum-song		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Labor
	Yun Jong-ho		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of External Economic Relations
	Ri Tu Il		Workers' Party of Korea	Chairman of State Commission of Science and Technology
	Kim Sung-jin		Workers' Party of Korea	President of the Academy of Sciences of North Korea
	Jon Chol Su		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Land and Environment Protection Director of the Supervisory Bureau of Forestry Policy of the State Affairs Commission
	Im Kyong-jae		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Urban Management
	Kim Kwang Jin		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Food Procurement and Administration
	Kwak Jong Jun		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Commerce	^[23]
	Kim Sung-du		Workers' Party of Korea	Chairman of the Education Commission
	Kim Sung Chan		Workers' Party of Korea	President of Kim Il Sung University Minister of Higher Education	^[24]
	Choe Kyong-chol		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Public Health
	Sung Jong-gyu		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Culture
	Kim Il-guk		Workers' Party of Korea	Minister of Physical Culture and Sports
	Paek Min Gwang		Workers' Party of Korea	President of the Central Bank
	Ri Chol-san		Workers' Party of Korea	Director of the Central Statistics Bureau

See also

• Politics of North Korea
• State Council of South Korea

Notes and References

1. Web site: The World Factbook . Central Intelligence Agency: Korea, North . 1 May 2018 . 9 May 2018 .
2. Article 123 of the Constitution of North Korea
3. Dae-Sook Suh & Chae-Jin Lee. Political Leadership in Korea. The 1972 Constitution and Top Communist Leaders, p. 197
4. Article 105 of the 1972 Constitution
5. Articles 100-106 of the 1972 Constitution of North Korea
6. A Country Study: North Korea- 1993- Library of Congress
7. Article 125 of the Constitution of North Korea
8. Book: Lankov, Andrei. Andrei Lankov. . 2015. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 978-0-19-939003-8. 28.
9. Book: Park, Kyung Ae. Tétreault. Mary Ann. Women and Revolution in Africa, Asia, and the New World. https://books.google.com/books?id=X95R043HBJwC&pg=PA182. 1994. University of South Carolina Press. Columbia. 978-1-57003-016-1. Women and Revolution in South and North Korea. 182.
10. Article 121 of the Constitution of North Korea
11. Article 119 of the Constitution of North Korea
12. Web site: The DPRK Political Season: Two Post-Mortems . Madden . Michael . . 16 January 2019 . 19 January 2019 .
13. Web site: 18 January 2021. Members of DPRK Cabinet Appointed. KCNA Watch.
14. Web site: 1 January 2020. Report on 5th Plenary Meeting of 7th C.C., WPK. KCNA Watch.
15. Web site: 11 January 2021. Press Release of 8th Congress of WPK. KCNA Watch.
16. Web site: 19 January 2020. North Korea picks army man who led Korean talks as top envoy. 19 January 2020. The Straits Times. Bloomberg.
17. News: Kim Jong Un sacks foreign minister, says report. 2020-01-19. Financial Times. 19 January 2020 .
18. News: Johnson. Jesse. 2020-01-19. North Korea ditches top diplomat in reshuffle that could impact nuclear talks. en-US. The Japan Times Online. 2020-01-19. 0447-5763.
19. Web site: 12 April 2019. In full: promotions and demotions at North Korea's 14th SPA. 17 April 2019. NK PRO. Korea Risk Group.
20. https://kcnawatch.org/newstream/1597365271-188987108/new-premier-of-dprk-cabinet-appointed/ New Premier of DPRK Cabinet Appointed
21. Web site: 2022-06-11 . N. Korea appoints veteran diplomat as first female foreign minister . 2023-10-01 . France 24 . en.
22. News: 28 September 2023 . Members of DPRK Cabinet Newly Appointed . . 28 September 2023.
23. Web site: 2022-06-11 . North Korea appoints first female Foreign Minister . 2023-10-01 . THE VOICE OF VIETNAM . en.
24. Web site: Yuna . Ha . 2021-07-08 . The reason why the president of Kim Il Sung University was replaced recently Daily NK English . 2023-10-01 . en-US.