Cabinet of North Korea
| Government overview | |
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| Formed | 1948 (current, 2013) |
| Jurisdiction | North Korea |
| Headquarters | Pyongyang |
| Minister responsible | |
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| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of North Korea |
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| Foreign relations |
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The Cabinet of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is, according to the Constitution of North Korea, the administrative and executive body of the highest organ of state power and a general state-management organ in the Government of North Korea.[1] The Cabinet's principal newspaper is Minju Choson.
History
In North Korea's first constitution, adopted in 1948, the executive powers were vested in the Cabinet, chaired by Kim Il-sung himself. The 1972 constitution saw the establishment of the post of President of North Korea which led the executive branch, and the cabinet was split into two organizations: The Central People's Committee and the State Administration Council. The Central People's Committee provided the highest visible institutional link between the government and the party and serves in effect as a de facto super-cabinet. The National Defence Commission was then sub-committee of this body.[2] The CPC's formal powers were all-inclusive and it was chaired by the President.[3] Among its responsibilities are formulating domestic and foreign policies, directing the work of the State Administration Council and its local organs, directing the judiciary, ensuring the enforcement of the constitution and other laws, appointing or removing the vice premiers and cabinet members, establishing or changing administrative subdivisions or their boundaries, and ratifying or abolishing treaties signed with foreign countries. The CPC also may issue decrees, decisions, and instructions. The State Administration Council was guided by the CPC and was led by a premier (chong-ri) and included vice premiers (bochong-ri), ministers (boojang), committee chairmen, and other cabinet-level members of central agencies. It was responsible for the formulation of state economic development plans and measures for implementing them, the preparation of the state budget, and the handling of other monetary and fiscal matters.[4]
1982 saw the People's Armed Forces and Public Security Ministries assigned directly to the President together with the State Inspection Commission.
In 1990, by a CPC decision, the NDC became fully independent from it as a separate institution, and 1992 constitutional amendments assigned it directly to the Supreme People's Assembly. In 1998 amendments to the Constitution, the Central People's Committee and the State Administration were abolished, and the Cabinet was re-created. Thus, the Cabinet is not only the highest executive enforcement organ but was also expanded to become the general State management organ.
Emphasizing its expanded role, on January 1999 Kim Jong-il stated that
"The party organizations and party cadres should not intervene in administrative matters. The party should help the cabinet to be responsible for all economic affairs. Last year we made a new governmental system where the cabinet is supposed to be the control tower of the economy...No organizational unit should handle economic problems without consulting the cabinet".[5]
Selection
The cabinet is appointed and accountable to the Supreme People's Assembly, the North Korean unicameral parliament. The SPA chooses the Premier of North Korea who appoints three vice premiers and the cabinet's ministers. All members of the cabinet are members of the Workers' Party of Korea which rules the country since its establishment in 1948. While the SPA is not in session, the cabinet is accountable to the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly.[6]
Powers and responsibilities
The Cabinet, as the executive branch of the North Korean state, is responsible for implementing the state's economic policies, as guided by the Workers' Party. The cabinet is not responsible for defense and security issues, as those are handled by the National Defense Commission. Thus, the security organizations such as the Korean People's Army, Ministry of People's Security and State Security Department report and subordinated directly to the National Defense Commission. The Cabinet convenes a plenary meeting and an executive meeting.[7] The plenary meeting consists of all the Cabinet members, while the executive meeting is kind of a presidium, and comprises fewer people, including the Premier, vice premier and other Cabinet members whom the Premier nominates. The cabinet forms acts in the form of decisions and directives. The Cabinet shall:[8]
- adopt measures to execute state policy.
- institute, amend, and supplement regulations concerning state management based on the Constitution and departmental laws.
- guide the work of the Cabinet commissions, ministries, direct organs of the Cabinet, local people’s committees.
- set up and remove direct organs of the Cabinet, main administrative economic organizations, and enterprises, and adopt measures to improve the State management structure.
- draft the State plan for the development of the national economy and adopt measures to put it into effect.
- compile the State budget and adopt measures to implement it.
- organize and exercise works in the fields of industry, agriculture, construction, transportation, communications, commerce, trade, land management, city management, education, science, culture, health, physical training, labor administration, environmental protection, tourism and others.
- adopt measures to strengthen the monetary and banking system.
- do inspection and control work to establish a state management order.
- adopt measures to maintain social order, protect State and social cooperation body’s possession and interests, and to guarantee citizens’ rights.
- conclude treaties with foreign countries, and conduct external activities.
- abolish decisions and directions by economic administrative organs, which run counter to the Cabinet decisions or directions.
At a local level, the Cabinet supervises the Local People's Committees.
Structure
The Cabinet is composed of the following as of 10 April 2014:
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|---|---|---|
| Office | Name | Political party |
| Premier | Pak Pong-ju | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Vice Premier | Kim Tok-hun[9] | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Vice Premier | Kim Yong Jin[10] | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Ri Su Yong[11] | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Finance | Choe Kwang-Jin | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Public Health | Kang Ha-guk | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Sim Chol-ho | Workers' Party of Korea | |
| Ministry of Land and Marine Transportation | Kang Jong-gwan | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Railways | Jon Kil-su | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Mining Industry | Ri Hak-chol | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of National Resource Development[12] | Ri Chun-sam | |
| Ministry of Electric Power Industry | Kim Man-su | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Coal Industry | Mun Myong-hak | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Food and Consumer Goods | Workers' Party of Korea | |
| Ministry of Trade | Kim Kyong-nam | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Foreign Trade | Ri Ryong Nam[13] | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Labor | Jong Yong-su | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Culture | Pak Chun-nam | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Education | Kim Sung-du | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Higher Education | Thae Hyong-chol (concurrent president of Kim Il-sung University) | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of City Management | Kang Yong-su | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Atomic Energy Industry[14] | Ri Je-son | |
| Ministry of Metal Industry | Kim Yong-Kwang | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Construction and Building-Materials Industries | ||
| Ministry of Electronics Industries | Kim Jae-seong | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Agriculture | Ri Chol-man | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Forestry | Han Ryong-guk | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Fisheries | Pak Tae-won | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Oil Industry | Kim Hee-yon | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Land and Environment Preservation | Kim Kyong-jun | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of State Construction Control | Kwon Song-ho | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports[15] | Ri Jong-moo | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Ministry of State Inspection | ||
| Other offices | ||
| State Planning Commission | Ro Tu-chol | Workers' Party of Korea |
| National Academy of Sciences of North Korea | ||
| State Education Commission | Chairman also Minister of Education | |
| Central Statistic Bureau | ||
| DPRK Central Bank | Kim Chon-gyun | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Cabinet Secretariat | Kim Jong-ha[16] | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Cabinet Political Bureau | Jon Pyong-ho | Workers' Party of Korea |
| State Commission for Science and Technology | Choe Sang-gon | Workers' Party of Korea |
See also
References
- ↑ Article 117 of the Constitution of North Korea
- ↑ Article 105 of the 1972 Constitution
- ↑ Articles 100-106 of the 1972 Constitution of North Korea
- ↑ A Country Study: North Korea- 1993- Library of Congress
- ↑ Jae-Cheon Lim. Kim Jong-il's Leadership of North Korea, p. 116
- ↑ Article 125 of the Constitution of North Korea
- ↑ Article 121 of the Constitution of North Korea
- ↑ Article 119 of the Constitution of North Korea
- ↑ Fifth Cabinet Vice Premier Appointed, May 1, 2014
- ↑ Members of DPRK Cabinet Appointed, April 9, 2014
- ↑ "DPRK FM Clarifies Principled Stand on Int'l Law". KCNA. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
- ↑ "DPRK elevates status of national resource development office". Retrieved 25 April 2013.
- ↑ Mongolian President Departs the DPRK
- ↑ "Ministry of Atomic Energy Industry Established". Korean Central News Agency. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
- ↑ Kim Jong Un Attends Basketball Game
- ↑ March Election for People's Assembly
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