The General Political Bureau (GPB) is a department of the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

, used by the leadership of the

North Korean government North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

to exert political control over the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) encompasses the combined military forces of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The KPA consists of five branches: the Korean People's Army Ground Force, Ground Force, the Ko ...

(KPA). The GPB operates under the direction of the

Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea The Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea (CMC) () is an organ of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) which heads the Korean People's Army (KPA). One of the CMC's primary functions is to authorize ...

. The GPB controls units of the KPA on all levels down to company level. It primarily exerts control through propaganda, education, and cultural activities. Under directions of the

State Affairs Commission of North Korea The State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (SAC) is constitutionally the supreme political authority of North Korea. The State Affairs Commission was created by 2016 amendments to the Socialist Constitution of the ...

, it also controls troop movements. , the Director of the General Political Bureau is

Jong Kyong-thaek Jong Kyong-thaek (, born between 1 January 1961 and 31 December 1963) is a North Korean politician. He served as the Ministry of State Security (North Korea), Minister of State Security from 2018 to 2022, a member of the Central Military Commis ...

, who succeeded Kwon Yong-jin.

History

During

Kim Jong Il Kim Jong Il (born Yuri Kim; 16 February 1941 or 1942 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second Supreme Leader (North Korean title), supreme leader of North Korea from Death and state funeral of Kim Il Sung, the de ...

's ''

Songun ''Songun'' () is the "military-first" policy of North Korea, prioritizing the Korean People's Army in the affairs of state and allocation of resources. "Military-first" as a principle guides political and economic life in North Korea, with " ...

'' (military first) era in particular, the GPB remained relatively independent and unchanged for decades. In the 3rd WPK Representatives Conference held in 2010, GPB was granted equal status to the

Central Committee of the WPK The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea is the highest organ between national meetings of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the ruling party of North Korea. According to WPK rules, the Central Committee is elected by the party co ...

. During this time, it has been called as the internal

politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...

of the KPA. However, the influence of the GPB has decreased under

Kim Jong Un Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...

's rule; after the

7th Congress of the WPK The 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the ruling party of North Korea, was held on 6–9 May 2016. Background The 7th Congress was the first Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea held since the 6th Congress in 1980. In ...

held in, the party had regained enough power to exert influence over the GPB. Consequentially, in 2017 the party Central Committee was ordered to carry out an inspection of the GPB, the first of its kind in 20 years. The inspection was carried out by

Choe Ryong-hae Choe Ryong-hae (; born 15 January 1950) is a North Korean politician and military officer who currently serves as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly and First Vice President of the State Affairs Commission, hol ...

. The GPB director

Hwang Pyong-so Hwang Pyong-so (born c. 1946 or 1949) is a North Korean general and politician who held the rank of Vice Marshal (, ''Ch'asu'') in the Korean People's Army (KPA). He was a member of the Presidium of the Workers' Party of Korea and the top-ranki ...

was punished, and removed from his position as Standing Commissioner. The 8th WPK Congress held in 2021 also oversaw the demotion of the GPB, no longer being equal to the Central Committee. Some of GPB's functions were also transferred to the newly established Military-Political Leadership Department of the WPK CC.

Directors

O Chin-u O Jin-u (; March 8, 1917 – February 25, 1995) was a North Korean general and politician. He was a close associate of Kim Il Sung. O served under Kim in the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, and then as commander of Kim's bodyguard. He was ...

(1979–1995) *

Jo Myong-rok Jo Myong-rok ( 12 July 1928 – 6 November 2010) was a North Korean military officer who held the military rank Chasu (Vice Marshal). In 1998, he was appointed first vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea, Direct ...

(1995–2010) *

(12 April 2012 – 26 April 2014) *

(26 April 2014 – 9 February 2018) *

Kim Jong-gak Kim Jong-gak (; born 20 July 1941)
, KCNA, 29 September 2010. is a

(2018) *

Kim Su-gil Kim Su-gil (, born 1950) is a North Korean general and politician. He was the director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army (KPA) from when he replaced Kim Jong-gak in May 2018 until January 2021. Since 1 January 2023, h ...

(May 2018 – January 2021) * Kwon Yong-jin (2021-2022) *

(2022-incumbent)

In popular culture

*The General Political Bureau (GPB) is featured in the South Korean drama ''

Crash Landing on You ''Crash Landing on You'' () is a South Korean television series written by Park Ji-eun, directed by Lee Jeong-hyo, and starring Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Seo Ji-hye and Kim Jung-hyun. It aired on tvN from December 14, 2019 to February 16, 202 ...

'', where the main character Ri Jeong-hyeok has power and authority in

due to his father being the Director of the GPB.

References

Works cited

* {{North Korean armed forces Korean People's Army Politics of North Korea Government of North Korea

History

Directors

In popular culture

See also

References

Works cited