National Defence Commission of North Korea

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North Korea

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of North Korea

Constitution Constitution Juche Idea Songun Policy Eternal President Kim Il-sung Eternal General Secretary Kim Jong-Il Government Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un National Defence Commission First Chairman Kim Jong-un Premier (List) Choe Yong-rim Korean People's Army Supreme Commander Kim Jong-un Political parties Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee First Secretary Kim Jong-un Central Military Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland Korean Social Democratic Party Chondoist Chongu Party People's Assembly Chairman Choe Thae-bok Chairman of the Presidium Kim Yong-nam Elections 2003 2009 Judiciary Judiciary Subdivisions Subdivisions Related topics Korean reunification Human rights Foreign relations

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The National Defense Commission of North Korea (NDC) is defined by the 1998 constitution as “the highest guiding organ of the military and the managing organ of military matters.” The Chairman of the National Defense Commission controls the armed forces and, in this state where the military pre-dominates, is the most powerful position in the country and was held by Kim Jong-Il up until his death.

The First Session of the 12th Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK unanimously re-elected^[1] Kim Jong Il chairman of the NDC of the DPRK with Jo Myong-rok first vice-chairman. Kim Jong-il's brother-in-law Chang Song-taek was also elected an additional vice-chairman.

Currently Kim Jong-un is the First Chairman of the NDC.

History

The National Defense Commission was created in 1972, with a group of commissions subordinate to the Central People’s Committee, as part of the 1972 DPRK Constitution. The first National Defense Commission consisted of four members (Kim Il-sung; Choe Hyon; O Jin-u; and O Paek Ryong). The NDC was chartered in Chapter VII, Article 105:

The Central People’s Committee establishes a Domestic Policy Commission, a Foreign Policy Commission, a National Defense Commission, a Justice and Security Commission and other respective commissions to assist in its work.

At the Seventh Supreme People's Assembly on April 5, 1982, the Ministry of People's Armed Forces (along with the Ministry of Public Security and the State Inspection Commission) was separated from the State Administration Council, presently the DPRK Cabinet, and made responsible to the president alone. On December 24, 1991, however, the constitutional and legal requirements were muddied when it was announced that President Kim's son and heir apparent, Kim Jong Il, had been named supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, succeeding his father who was the KPA's commander-in-chief since its founding.

North Korea needed a legal basis if Kim Jong-il was to take full control of the military after he ascended to the position of supreme commander of the people's army, a position without legal or administrative power. The 3rd session of the Supreme People's Assembly revised the constitution in April 1992, abolishing the state president's concurrent chairmanship of the National Defence Commission, and made the commission an independent body.

The new 1992 constitution continued a trend of increasing the importance and independence of the National Defense Commission. Links to the Central People's Committee were apparently severed and the commission became directly subordinate to the Supreme People's Assembly. Under previous constitutions, the president was empowered as the supreme commander of the armed forces and as chairman of the National Defense Commission.

The 1992 state constitution deleted clauses in the 1972 constitution that stipulated that the president was supreme commander of the armed forces and chairman of the National Defense Commission, shifting powers instead to the Supreme People's Assembly and the National Defense Commission. Under the revisions, the president retains only the power to recommend the election or recall of the chairman of the National Defense Commission. The younger Kim assumed chairmanship of the commission in April 1993.

The National Defense Commission was separated from the Central People's Committee at the 1st session of the 9th-term Supreme People's Assembly in April, 1998, and was given a status equal to its former ruling body. The 1st session of the 10th-term Supreme People's Assembly on September 5, 1998 enhanced the status of the National Defence Commission to a top organ of the state by placing management and direction of all military affairs and defense projects under the commission's authority. The National Defense Commission, though nominally under the Supreme People's Assembly, was confirmed as the highest state body, with ultimate executive power (including responsibility for the armed forces) resting with its chairman.

The Fifth Session of the 12th Supreme People's Assembly, held on April 13, 2012, proclaimed Kim Jong-il as the "Eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission". The Constitution was revised to replace it with the First Chairman post, with the late leader's son and successor Kim Jong-un appointed to the new position.

Current composition of the DPRK NDC as of April 2012

• Eternal Chairman: Kim Jong-il
• First Chairman: Kim Jong-un
• Vice Chairmen:
  • Vice Marshal of the KPA Kim Yong-Chun
  • Vice Marshal of the KPA Ri Yong-mu
  • Reserve Gen. of the Army Chang Sung-taek, Secretary, WPK Administrative Department
  • General of the Army O Kuk-ryol
• Members of the Commission:
  • Ju Kyu-chang, 1st Deputy Secretary, Department of Military Industries
  • General of the Army Ri Myong-su, Minister of State Security
  • Vice Marshal of the KPA Kim Jong-gak, Minister of the People's Armed Forces
  • Vice Marshal of the KPA Choe Ryoe-hae, Director, KPA General Political Bureau
  • Pak To-chun
  • Paek Se-bong
  • Kim Won-hong

See also

• Government of North Korea
• Military of North Korea
• United States National Security Council

References

1. ^ "DPRK Holds Election of Local and National Assemblies". People's Korea. http://www1.korea-np.co.jp/pk/195th_issue/2003081602.htm. Retrieved June 28, 2008. 

Further reading

• Robbers, Gerhard (2007). "North Korea: The National Defense Commission". Encyclopedia of world constitutions. Infobase Publishing. p. 490. ISBN 978-0-8160-6078-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=M3A-xgf1yM4C&pg=PA490.