\t\t\t\tTable of Contents<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tTable of Contents<\/p>\n
Ask Anything<\/p>\n
\n Top Questions\n <\/p>\n
What is the Korean Workers\u2019 Party?<\/p>\n
Where is the Korean Workers\u2019 Party located?<\/p>\n
What is the main role of the Korean Workers\u2019 Party in North Korea?<\/p>\n
Who are some important leaders of the Korean Workers\u2019 Party?<\/p>\n
How does the Korean Workers\u2019 Party affect everyday life in North Korea?<\/p>\n
How did the Korean Workers\u2019 Party come to power in North Korea?<\/p>\n
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Korean Workers\u2019 Party (KWP), North Korean political party<\/a> that from its foundation (1946) in the early years of the Democratic People\u2019s Republic of Korea (North Korea<\/a>) was the state\u2019s primary agency of political power. According to the country\u2019s constitution as amended<\/a> in 1998, \u201cThe Democratic People\u2019s Republic of Korea shall conduct all activities under the leadership of the Workers\u2019 Party.\u201d<\/p>\n History<\/p>\n In 1945, as World War II<\/a> wound down and Korea\u2014which had been under Japanese<\/a> control for some four decades\u2014struggled to reestablish itself as an independent country, a political split emerged between the northern, Soviet-occupied portion and the southern, U.S.-occupied portion of the Korean peninsula. Kim Il-Sung<\/a>, a longtime guerrilla fighter against the Japanese who had been training with the Soviet army, returned to the northern portion that year, and he and the nascent<\/a> North Korean government subsequently established the Korean Workers\u2019 Party (August 1946). It quickly became the unquestioned dominant force in the political life of the north.<\/p>\n Until his death in July 1994, Kim held all key KWP party positions, including general secretary and chairman of the Central Military Commission, which controls the party\u2019s military<\/a> policy and the development of the defense industry. He was also a member of the standing committee of the Political Bureau<\/a> (Politburo). After his death the country\u2019s leadership passed to his son and designated successor, Kim Jong Il<\/a>. Although the younger Kim assumed his father\u2019s duties, a period of mourning elapsed before his official appointment as general secretary of the KWP in 1997. After Kim Jong Il\u2019s death in December 2011 and the elevation of his son Kim Jong-Un<\/a> as North Korea\u2019s leader, the late Kim was enshrined as \u201ceternal general secretary\u201d of the KWP. The title of first secretary was created for his son, who became the party\u2019s head.<\/p>\n Policy and structure<\/p>\n The KWP\u2019s highest authority is the party congress, led by an elected Central Committee<\/a>. Party congresses are to be held every five years, although in practice this rule was observed only through the Fifth Party Congress (1970); a Sixth Party Congress was held a decade later, but a seventh was not convened<\/a> until 2016, under Kim Jong-Un. Party policy is directed by its Political Bureau. The KWP controls the electoral system<\/a> and draws up lists of approved candidates. A number of other nominal<\/a> political parties and social organizations serve to support the KWP, but all political activities are directed by the KWP or require its sanction and must closely follow the party line and policies.<\/p>\n Party membership is technically open to all. In practice, however, members must meet standards of \u201creliability,\u201d such as political loyalty and class origin, The largest portion of the party\u2019s membership is made up of industrial workers, followed by peasants and \u201cintellectuals\u201d (office workers). Applicants must demonstrate their qualifications and be endorsed<\/a> by two party members who have maintained good standing for two years. KWP members are among the country\u2019s elite and receive special consideration in the allocation of housing, education, and food.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tQuick Facts<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDate: \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(Show\u00a0more)<\/p>\n The primacy of the KWP was believed to have slipped somewhat starting in the late 1990s as Kim Jong Il instituted a s\u014fngun (\u201cmilitary first\u201d) policy that increased the military\u2019s importance relative to the party. The KWP, however, continued to hold authority over mass organizations of various civilian groups, such as youth, farmers, and workers, and remained ultimately\u2014although not always directly\u2014in control of all economic activities in the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything Top Questions What is the Korean Workers\u2019 Party? 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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1946 – present<\/p>\n