The supreme leader () of
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
is the ''
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
''
paramount leader of the
Workers' Party of Korea
The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the founding and sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from the merger of the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party ...
, the state and the
Korean People's Army
The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) is the military force of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Under the '' Songun'' policy, it is the central institution of North Korean society. Currently, WPK General S ...
. The title has not been written into the
national constitution as a separate office, but it currently states that the
president of the State Affairs Commission
The President of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea () is the head of state of North Korea.Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Article 100 The president chairs the State Af ...
is 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 Defence Commission
The National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (NDC) () was the highest state institution for military and national defence leadership in North Korea, which also served as the highest governing institution of the cou ...
, who was also the WPK general secretary. The first leader of the state prior to the existence of North Korea was
Terenty Shtykov
Terenty Fomich Shtykov ( Russian: Терентий Фомич Штыков; – 25 October 1964) was a Soviet general who supervised the liberation of North Korea, as the ''de facto'' head of its 1945-1948 military occupation and the first ...
who served as the head of the
Soviet Civil Administration
The Soviet Civil Administration (SCA) was the government of the northern half of Korea from 24 August 1945 to 9 September 1948 though governed concurrently after the setup of the Provisional People's Committee for North Korea in 1946. Even thoug ...
, the governing authority controlled by the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
that ruled the northern half of Korea from 1945 to 1948.
The first priority political position of the supreme leader is the leadership of the Workers' Party.
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
Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...
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" () and "Dear Leader" () respectively during their tenures as leader.
List
*Bold offices refer to the highest positions in the Workers' Party of Korea, the unique ruling political party of North Korea.
Timeline
See also
*
Eternal leaders of North Korea
The Eternal leaders of North Korea, officially the Eternal leaders of ''Juche'' Korea, refers to the practice of granting posthumous titles to deceased leaders of North Korea. The official title was established by a line in the preamble to the ...
*
Kim family
*
Government of North Korea
In the North Korean government, the Cabinet is the administrative and executive body. The North Korean government consists of three branches: administrative, legislative, and judicial. However, they are not independent of each other, but all b ...
*
North Korean cult of personality
The North Korean cult of personality surrounding its ruling family, the Kim family, has existed in North Korea for decades and can be found in many examples of North Korean culture. Although not acknowledged by the North Korean government, many ...
*
Residences of North Korean leaders
There are more than a dozen leader's residences in North Korea, according to Kim Jong-il’s former bodyguard Lee Young-kuk. Many of the residences were identified on satellite images in the North Korea Uncovered project. Ryongsong Residence is t ...
*
Paramount Leader, the Chinese equivalent
References
External links
World StatesmenNorth Korea
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leaders of North Korea
North Korea, Leaders
Positions of authority
Government of North Korea
Lists of North Korean people
North Korea politics-related lists