List of political parties in North Korea

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North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is formally a one-party state under the leadership of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) as the sole governing party. There are also two other minor parties that must accept the WPK's "leading role" as a condition of their existence.

As of the latest election in 2019, three parties (WPK, Korean Social Democratic Party, and Chondoist Chongu Party) and one organization (Chongryon) are represented in the Supreme People's Assembly, the country's unicameral parliament.

Current parties

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Party SPA seats (2014) Status Ref
  Workers' Party of Korea (Workers' Party)
조선로동당
Chosŏn Rodongdang
607 / 687
 Ruling party [1][2]
  Korean Social Democratic Party (KSDP)
조선사회민주당
Chosŏn Sahoe Minjudang
50 / 687
 Minor party, subordinate to the WPK [1][2]
  Chondoist Chongu Party (Chondoist Chongu Party)
천도교청우당
Ch'ŏndogyo Ch'ŏngudang
22 / 687
 Minor party, subordinate to the WPK [1][2]
  Chongryon (CYJ)
재일본 조선인 총련합회
Chaeilbon Chosŏnin Ch'ongryŏnhaphoe
5 / 687
 Not a party but a North Korean-aligned organization for Zainichi Koreans in Japan. Despite this, it still appoints members of the SPA. [1][2]

Former parties

[edit]
Party Status Ref
  Korea Buddhist Federation[clarification needed] (KBF)
조선불교도련맹
Chosŏn-bulgyodo-ryŏnmaeng 		Pseudo-party, last time won a seat with certainty in 1972 [3]
  Democratic Independent Party (Democratic Independent Party)
민주독립당
Minju Tongnipdang 		Participated in elections between 1948 and 1967, last time won a seat with certainty in 1962 [1]
  Dongro People's Party (DPP)
동로인민당 (東路人民黨)
Dongro Inmindang 		Participated in elections between 1948 and 1967, last time won a seat with certainty in 1962 [1]
  Gonmin People's Alliance (GMH) (Sometimes translated as Union of People's Masses (UPM, 건민인민연합))
건민회
Gonminhoe 		Participated in elections between 1957 and 1967, originally South Korea-based party, last time won a seat with certainty in 1957 and in 1962 [3][4]
  People's Republic Party (IRP)
인민공화당
Inmin Konghwadang 		South Korea-based party, participated in elections between 1948 and 1967, last time won a seat with certainty in 1957 [1][4]
  Laboring People's Party(Laboring People's Party)
근로인민당 (動勞人民黨)
Kŭllo Inmindang 		South Korea-based party, last time won a seat with certainty in 1962 [4]

Dissolved parties

[edit]
Party Status Ref
  Workers' Party of North Korea (Workers' Party)
북조선로동당
Pukchosŏn Rodongdang 		Merged with the Workers' Party of South Korea in 1949 to form the Workers' Party of Korea. [5]
  New People's Party of Korea
조선신민당
Chosŏn Sinmindang 		Merged with the Communist Party of Korea in 1946 to form the Workers' Party of South Korea. [6]
  Communist Party of Korea
조선공산당
Chosŏn Kongsandang 		Merged with the New People's Party of Korea in 1946 to form the Workers' Party of South Korea. [6]

North Korean opposition parties

[edit]

There is currently no known organized opposition within North Korea that is independently verifiable. However, there are various exiled dissident groups that advocate for regime change. In 2024, U.S state-run news outlet Radio Free Asia claimed there may be opposition parties within North Korea.[7]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g Suh 2001, p. 404.
  2. ^ a b c d "IPU PARLINE Database: Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Choe Go In Min Hoe Ui". Inter-Parliamentary Union. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  3. ^ a b Suh 2001, pp. 404–405.
  4. ^ a b c Tertitskiy, Fyodor (19 September 2017). "1959: Secret elections in North Korea". Daily NK. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  5. ^ Lankov, Andrei (2002). From Stalin to Kim Il Song: The Formation of North Korea, 1945-1960. London: Hurst & Company. p. 84. ISBN 978-1-85065-563-3.
  6. ^ a b Hoare, James E. (2012). "Korean Communist Party". Historical Dictionary of Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-8108-6151-0.
  7. ^ ""한류영향으로 북한서 '자유민주주의' 신당 창건 시도"". Radio Free Asia. 2024-01-29.

Works cited

[edit]
  • Suh, Mark B. (2001). "Korea (Democratic People's Republic / North Korea)". In Nohlen, Dieter; Grotz, Florian; Hartmann, Christof (eds.). Elections in Asia and the Pacific: A Data Handbook. Vol. 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 395–409. ISBN 0-19-924959-8.

Further reading

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