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| General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea | |
|---|---|
| Post | General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea |
| Body | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Native name | 조선로동당 총비서 |
| Insignia | Emblem of the Workers' Party of Korea.svg |
| Incumbent | Kim Jong Un |
| Incumbentsince | 2021 |
| Department | Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea |
| Style | Comrade |
| Formation | 1966 |
| First | Kim Il Sung |
General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea is the highest position in the Workers' Party of Korea and the preeminent political office in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, centered in Pyongyang. The office has been held by figures associated with the Kim family, including Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and Kim Jong Un, and interacts with institutions such as the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea, and the Supreme People's Assembly. The holder exercises authority over organs like the Korean People's Army, the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, and the Korean Revolutionary Museums, shaping policy across sectors tied to Songun and Juche ideologies.
The position evolved from structures within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union model adapted by early North Korean leaders influenced by experiences in the Soviet Union, China, and the anti-Japanese Korean independence movement. Early consolidation occurred during the consolidation of power after the Korean War and the establishment of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1948, with institutional development paralleling entities such as the Executive Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, and the Korean People's Army Ground Force. Transformations in title and authority reflect episodes including the August Faction Incident, the death of Kim Il Sung, the 1994 succession crisis, the Arduous March, and policy shifts during interactions with the United States, Russia, China, Japan, and forums like the United Nations General Assembly. Post-2000 changes coincided with diplomatic events such as the 2000 inter-Korean summit, the 2006 North Korean nuclear test, the 2018 North Korea–United States summit, and negotiations with the European Union and ASEAN states.
The officeholder directs party organs including the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, the Politburo Standing Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, and the Organization and Guidance Department, and coordinates with state bodies like the State Affairs Commission of North Korea and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (North Korea). Responsibilities extend to military policy via the National Defence Commission (North Korea), economic strategy affecting institutions such as the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces (North Korea) and industrial complexes like the Hamhung Chemical Complex, and cultural policy implemented through the Korean Art Troupe and the Mansudae Art Studio. The role involves representation in foreign diplomacy interacting with leaders such as the President of the United States, the President of Russia, the President of China, and the Prime Minister of Japan, and engagement with organizations like the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United Nations Security Council.
Selection occurs within mechanisms of the Workers' Party of Korea such as plenary sessions of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and the Party Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, often ratified by the Supreme People's Assembly (North Korea). Succession processes have included hereditary transmission involving the Kim family and party elite maneuvering through organs like the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea, the Secretariat of the Workers' Party of Korea, and the Organization and Guidance Department of the Workers' Party of Korea. Tenure is typically for life or until removal, subject to events including death, purges reminiscent of the Soviet Purge Trials, internal reshuffles comparable to episodes in the Chinese Communist Party, or external crises such as sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council following nuclear proliferation incidents.
Notable holders have included revolutionary figures rooted in the anti-Japanese guerrilla movement and postwar leadership: early founders associated with Kim Il Sung, successors tied to Kim Jong Il, and contemporary leadership under Kim Jong Un. The office has parallels with titles in other socialist parties such as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, and distinctions from roles like President of the Workers' Party of Korea during certain periods. Key incumbents influenced policy responses to events such as the Yalu River campaigns, the Battle of P'yŏngyang, the Korean Armistice Agreement, and later crises like the 1997 North Korean famine and the 2013 purge of Jang Song-thaek.
The office is associated with symbols used by the Workers' Party of Korea including the party emblem, the flag of North Korea, and iconography of the Kim Il-sung University and the Mangyongdae Revolutionary School. Insignia appear at state venues like the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the Mansudae Grand Monument, and at military parades on Kim Il-sung Square. Portraiture and monument projects commissioned by bodies such as the Ministry of Culture (North Korea) and executed by the Mansudae Art Studio reinforce the cult of personality linked to the office, echoing practices seen in the cult of personality around Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong.
The officeholder shapes domestic and international policy through interactions with actors like the Workers' Party of Korea, the Korean People's Army, the State Security Department, and external counterparts including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (People's Republic of China), the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and diplomats accredited to the Embassy of North Korea in Beijing. Influence extends to economic projects such as the Kaesong Industrial Region and infrastructure like the Pyongyang Metro, and to security issues involving the Korean People's Navy and ballistic programs connected with tests at sites like Sohae Satellite Launching Station and Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site. The office has played roles in negotiations exemplified by the Six-Party Talks and bilateral summits with leaders including the President of South Korea.
Critics point to human rights concerns documented by organizations such as the United Nations Human Rights Council and the Amnesty International reports, controversies over purges like the execution of Jang Song-thaek, and debates regarding succession processes reminiscent of hereditary succession critiques. International disputes include sanctions by entities like the United Nations Security Council and the European Union over nuclear tests and missile launches, legal debates involving the International Criminal Court discourse, and diplomatic rows with the United States Department of State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan). Allegations of censorship intersect with institutions such as the Korean Central News Agency and cultural controls enforced by the Ministry of Culture (North Korea).
Category:Politics of North Korea Category:Workers' Party of Korea