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
Incumbent
Kim Jong-un

since 10 January 2021
Workers' Party of Korea
StyleComrade
(Hangul: 동지; Hanja: 同志)
TypeParty leader
Supreme leader
ResidenceForbidden City
SeatPyongyang
NominatorWPK Congress
AppointerWPK Congress
Term lengthNo fixed term
Constituting instrumentWPK Charter
Inaugural holderKim Tu-bong
Formation12 October 1966
General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea
Hangul
조선로동당 총비서
Hanja
Revised RomanizationJoseon Rodongdang Chongbiseo
McCune–ReischauerChosŏn 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
  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
  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
  1. 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.
  2. Madden, Michael. "Party Secretariat". North Korea Leadership Watch. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  3. 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.