Premier of North Korea

Premier of the Cabinet of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Premier of the Cabinet of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
	Incumbent; Kim Jae-ryong; since 11 April 2019
Inaugural holder	Kim Il-sung
Formation	9 September 1948

The Premier of the Cabinet^[1] (Korean: 총리; Hancha: 總理; MR: Chongni) is nominally the non-executive head of government of North Korea. The office is also alternatively known as Prime Minister of North Korea.^[2] The current premier is Kim Jae-ryong.^[3]

History

Originally, under the 1948 Constitution of the DPRK, the Premier was the highest state post in North Korea. Kim Il-sung himself inaugurated the post, keeping it for 24 years until 1972, while the ceremonial role of the head of State rested in the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly.

The 1972 Constitution created the post of President of the DPRK, which replaced the premiership as the top state post. The executive presidency was created with Kim in mind, and he transferred to that post soon after the Constitution was promulgated. The Premier was now the head of the Administration Council, but most of the powers of the former cabinet were passed to the Central People's Committee, the highest ruling council chaired by the president himself. The first premier after Kim Il-sung was his long-time ally Kim Il. The post was then officially known as Premier of the Administration Council (정무원 총리, jungmuwon chongni).

After Kim Il-sung died, the post of president remained vacant (officially Kim Il-sung was proclaimed Eternal President) as Kim Jong-il planned a new State reorganization. A constitution revision in 1998 abolished both the Central People's Committee and the Administration Council, re-creating the Cabinet.

Functions

The Premier represents and oversees the cabinet, which is charged with executing the policies decided by the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. The office has no policy-making authority of its own.

The Premier is nominally part of a triumvirate overseeing North Korea's executive branch, alongside the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (i.e. the head of State) and the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission (i.e., the commander-in-chief). In practice, however, the SAC chairman, which is constitutionally defined as "the highest post in the state," exercises absolute control over the government and the country.

On paper, the SAC chairman, SPA Presidium president and Premier have powers equivalent to one-third of those of a president's powers in most presidential systems. The SPA presidium chairman conducts foreign relations, the premier handles domestic matters and heads the government, and the SAC chairman (known as the chairman of the National Defence Commission before 2016) commands the armed forces. However, the Premier ranks as the lowest of the three: significantly, Kim Jong-il was NDC Chairman without interruption from 1993 until 2011, and Kim Yong-nam has been President of the SPA Presidium since 1998, while the premiers have often changed.

List of Premiers of North Korea

The following is a list of premiers of North Korea since its founding in 1948.

Premier of the Cabinet of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

조선민주주의인민공화국 내각 수상

No.

Premier

Political party

Term of office

Election

Head of State

1

Kim Il-sung
김일성
(1912–1994)

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Workers' Party of North Korea

9 September 1948

20 September 1957

1st SPA

Kim Tu-bong
(1948-1957)

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Workers' Party of North Korea

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History

Functions

List of Premiers of North Korea

Vice Premier of North Korea

See also

References