| 조선인민군 총정치국 | |
| Type | Bureau of the Ministry of Defence |
|---|---|
Director | Colonel General Jong Kyong-thaek |
Parent organization | Ministry of Defence |
The General Political Bureau (GPB) is a department of the Ministry of Defence, used by the leadership of the North Korean government to exert political control over the Korean People's Army (KPA). The GPB operates under the direction of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea. [1] 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, it also controls troop movements. [2]
As of January 2023 [update] , the Director of the General Political Bureau is Jong Kyong-thaek, who succeeded Kwon Yong-jin.
During Kim Jong Il's Songun (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. [3] During this time, it has been called as the internal politburo of the KPA.
However, the influence of the GPB has decreased under Kim Jong Un's rule; after the 7th Congress of the WPK 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. [4] The GPB director Hwang Pyong-so was punished, and removed from his position as Standing Commissioner. [3] 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. [3]
The politics of North Korea takes place within the framework of the official state philosophy, Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism. Juche, which is a part of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, is the belief that only through self-reliance and a strong independent state, can true socialism be achieved.
The Korean People's Army is the military force of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The KPA consists of five branches: the Ground Force, the Naval Force, the Air Force, Strategic Force, and the Special Operation Force. It is commanded by the WPK Central Military Commission, which is chaired by the WPK general secretary, and the president of the State Affairs; both posts are currently headed by Kim Jong Un.
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The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from the merger of the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party of South Korea, the WPK is the oldest active party in Korea. It also controls the Korean People's Army, North Korea's armed forces. The WPK is the largest party represented in the Supreme People's Assembly and coexists with two other legal parties making up the Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea. However, these minor parties are completely subservient to the WPK and must accept the WPK's "leading role" as a condition of their existence. The WPK is banned in the Republic of Korea under the National Security Act and is sanctioned by the United Nations, the European Union, Australia, and the United States.
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Kim Won-hong is a North Korean politician and military general.
Kim Kuk-thae was an elder apparatchik of the Workers' Party of Korea, the ruling party in North Korea.
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Jong Kyong-thaek is a North Korean politician. He served as the Minister of State Security from 2018 to 2022, a member of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), an alternate member of the Politburo of the WPK, and a member of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea.
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