North Korea,officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK),is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu (Amnok) and Tumen rivers,and South Korea to the south at the Korean Demilitarized Zone. The country's western border is formed by the Yellow Sea,while its eastern border is defined by the Sea of Japan. North Korea,like its southern counterpart,claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands. Pyongyang is the capital and largest city.
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 encompasses the combined military forces 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.
The hammer and sickle is a communist symbol representing proletarian solidarity between agricultural and industrial workers. It was first adopted during the Russian Revolution at the end of World War I,the hammer representing workers and the sickle representing the peasants.
Juche,officially the Juche idea,is the state ideology of North Korea and the official ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea. North Korean sources attribute its conceptualization to Kim Il Sung,the country's founder and first leader. Juche was originally regarded as a variant of Marxism–Leninism until Kim Jong Il,Kim Il Sung's son and successor,declared it a distinct ideology in the 1970s. Kim Jong Il further developed Juche in the 1980s and 1990s by making ideological breaks from Marxism–Leninism and increasing the importance of his father's ideas.
The Supreme People's Assembly is the legislature of North Korea. It is ostensibly the highest organ of state power and the only branch of government in North Korea,with all state organs subservient to it under the principle of unified power. However,in practice it is a rubber stamp legislature which exists to approve decisions made by the ruling party as a formality,and which has little to no real power of its own.
The General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea is the sole legal trade union federation in North Korea. GFTUK was formed on November 30,1945 as the General Federation of Trade Unions of North Korea. In January 1951,it was reorganized and adopted its current name. The chairman of the central committee of GFTUK is Pak In-chol.
The Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the constitution of North Korea. It was approved by the 6th Supreme People's Assembly at its first session on 27 December 1972,and has been amended and supplemented in 1998,2009,2012,2013,2016,2019 (twice),2023 and 2024. It replaced the country's first constitution which was approved in 1948.
Kim Jong Un is a North Korean politician who has been supreme leader of North Korea since December 2011 and the general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim Jong Il,who was the second supreme leader of North Korea,and a grandson of Kim Il Sung,the founder and first supreme leader of the country.
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 a merger between 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 that 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.
Roh Hoe-chan was a South Korean politician. He was a member of the 17th,19th,and 20th National Assemblies. Roh was involved with multiple progressive-leaning parties,lately with the Justice Party from 2012 until his death in 2018.
Choe Ryong-hae is a North Korean politician and military officer who currently serves as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly and First Vice President of the State Affairs Commission,holding both positions since April 2019. Due to holding the first office,he was considered the head of state of North Korea before the country's constitution was amended to transfer this position to the President of the State Affairs Commission,Kim Jong Un. He is also a member of the Presidium of the Politburo and Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). He also served as Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un's military second-in-command,currently being third top-ranking official in North Korea after Kimulo Un and premier Kim Tok-hun.
The Justice Party is a centre-left to left-wing political party in South Korea. It has been described as liberal and progressive. It was founded on 21 October 2012 when the former New Progressive Party faction,former People's Participation Party faction,and moderates in the Unified Progressive Party split from the Unified Progressive Party. The Justice Party now takes a more moderate stance than the United Progressive Party or the Democratic Labor Party in the past. The Justice Party temporarily changed its name to,"Green-Justice Party" (녹색정의당) on 30 January 2024 in an electoral pact with the Green Party Korea for the 2024 South Korean legislative election. On 27 April 2024,the party reverted back to its original name.
The International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties (IMCWP) is an annual conference attended by communist and workers' parties from several countries. It originated in 1998 when the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) invited communist and workers' parties to participate in an annual conference where parties could gather to share their experiences and issue a joint declaration. The most recent and 23rd meeting of the IMCWP was held in October 2023 in Izmir and was hosted by the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP).
The Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) is a communist political party in the United States. PSL formed in 2004,when its members split from the Workers World Party.
The Labor Party (Korean: 노동당) is a democratic socialist political party in South Korea.
Progressivism in South Korea is broadly associated with social democracy,cultural progressivism and left-wing nationalism. South Korea's "progressivism" is often used in a similar sense to 'South Korean Left' or 'leftist'.
The Progressive Party (Korean: 진보당),formerly known as the Minjung Party until June 2020,is a left-wing progressive and nationalist political party in South Korea. The party was formed by the merger of the New People's Party and People's United Party on 15 October 2017.
Kim Jong Un has been the supreme leader of North Korea since the death of Kim Jong Il in 2011.
