General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea
head of the Workers' Party of Korea and the supreme leader of North Korea
The General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (Korean: 조선로동당 총비서) is the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the ruling party in North Korea and typically the supreme leader of North Korea.[1][2]
| General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea 조선로동당 총비서 | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the WPK leader | |
 Emblem of the Workers' Party of Korea | |
| Workers' Party of Korea | |
| Style | Comrade (Hangul: 동지; Hanja: 同志) |
| Type | Party leader Supreme leader |
| Residence | Forbidden City |
| Seat | Pyongyang |
| Nominator | WPK Congress |
| Appointer | WPK Congress |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Constituting instrument | WPK Charter |
| Inaugural holder | Kim Tu-bong |
| Formation | 12 October 1966 |
| General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea | |
| Hangul | 조선로동당 총비서 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Joseon Rodongdang Chongbiseo |
| McCune–Reischauer | Chosŏn Rodongdang Ch'ongbisŏ |
The office of WPK Chairman was abolished on 12 October 1966 and replaced with the office of General Secretary by a decision of the 14th Plenary Session of the 4th Central Committee. At the 8th WPK Congress in 2021, where the WPK Chairman was abolished and replaced by the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea.[3]
The current General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea is Kim Jong-un, who took office on 10 January 2021.
Officeholders
change| Chief Secretary of the North Korea Bureau of the Communist Party of Korea 조선공산당 북조선분국 책임비서 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Secretary | Term | Election | ||
.jpg)
|
Kim Yong-bom 김용범 1902–1947 |
13 October 1945 | 18 December 1945 | – |
|
Kim Il-sung 김일성 1912–1994
|
18 December 1945 | 31 August 1946 | – |
| Chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of North Korea 북조선로동당 중앙위원회 위원장 | ||||
| Chairman | Term | Election | ||
| Kim Tu-bong 김두봉 1889–1958 |
31 August 1946 | 30 March 1948 | 1st Central Committee | |
| 30 March 1948 | 30 June 1949 | 2nd Central Committee | ||
| Chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea 조선로동당 중앙위원회 위원장 | ||||
| Chairman | Term | Election | ||
|
|
Kim Il-sung 김일성 1912–1994 
|
30 June 1949 | 29 April 1956 | 2nd Central Committee |
| 29 April 1956 | 18 September 1961 | 3rd Central Committee | ||
| 18 September 1961 | 12 October 1966 | 4th Central Committee | ||
| General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea 조선로동당 중앙위원회 총비서 | ||||
| General Secretary | Term | Election | ||
|
Kim Il-sung 김일성 1912–1994
|
12 October 1966 | 13 November 1970 | 4th Central Committee |
| 13 November 1970 | 14 October 1980 | 5th Central Committee | ||
| 14 October 1980 | 8 July 1994 | 6th Central Committee | ||
| Vacant (8 July 1994–8 October 1997) | ||||
| General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea 조선로동당 총비서 | ||||
| General Secretary | Term | Election | ||
|
Kim Jong-il 김정일 1941–2011 
|
8 October 1997 | 28 September 2010 | 6th Central Committee |
| 28 September 2010 | 17 December 2011 | |||
| Vacant (17 December 2011–11 April 2012) | ||||
| First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea 조선로동당 제1비서 | ||||
| First Secretary | Term | Election | ||
.jpg)
|
Kim Jong-un 김정은 born 1983 
|
11 April 2012 | 9 May 2016 | 6th Central Committee |
| Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea 조선로동당 위원장 | ||||
| Chairman | Term | Election | ||
|
|
Kim Jong-un 김정은 born 1983
|
9 May 2016 | 10 January 2021 | 7th Central Committee |
| General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea 조선로동당 총비서 | ||||
| General Secretary | Term | Election | ||
|
|
Kim Jong-un 김정은 born 1983
|
10 January 2021 | Present | 8th Central Committee |
References
change- ↑ Madden, Michael (2 February 2012). "4th Party Conference To Convene in "mid-April"". North Korea Leadership Watch. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
- ↑ Madden, Michael. "Party Secretariat". North Korea Leadership Watch. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
- ↑ Ruediger, Frank (19 January 2021). "Key Results of The Eighth Party Congress in North Korea (Part 2 of 2)". 38 North. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021.