List of Presidents of North Korea
Encyclopedia
The following is a list of de jure
and de facto
heads of state in North Korea
.
Kim Il-sung died on 8 July 1994, but has since been posthumously named the "Eternal President of the Republic
". His son and successor as leader, Kim Jong-il
, is thus not given the title of President.
As Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly
, Kim Yong-nam has the role of accepting the credentials of ambassadors, conducting foreign relations and signing treaties, making him the de facto head of state.
De jure
De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".De jure = 'Legally', De facto = 'In fact'....
and de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
heads of state in North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
.
Chairmen of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (1948–1972)
| A# | I# | Name | Took office | Left office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Kim Tu-bong Kim Tu-bong Kim Tu-bong was a Korean linguist and politician. He formed the New People's Party. After the New People's Party merged into the Workers Party of North Korea in 1946, he became Chairman of the Workers Party. He was the first head of state of North Korea from 1948 to 1957... |
9 September 1948 | 20 September 1957 | Workers' Party of Korea Workers' Party of Korea The Workers' Party of Korea is the ruling Communist party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , commonly known as North Korea. It is also called the Korean Workers' Party... |
| 2 | 2 | Choi Yong-kun Choi Yong-kun Choi Yong-kun was the Korean People's Army chief commander from 1948 to 1953 North Korean defence minister from 1953 to 1957, and the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea from 1957 to 1972. Choi Yong-kun was born in T'aech'ŏn County in North Pyongan,... |
20 September 1957 | 28 December 1972 | Workers' Party of Korea |
President of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (1972–Present)
| A# | I# | Name | Took office | Left office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Kim Il-sung Kim Il-sung Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death... |
28 December 1972 | Incumbent | Workers' Party of Korea |
Kim Il-sung died on 8 July 1994, but has since been posthumously named the "Eternal President of the Republic
Eternal President of the Republic
The appellation Eternal President of the Republic was established by a line in the preface to the North Korean constitution, amended on September 5, 1998...
". His son and successor as leader, Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
, is thus not given the title of President.
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (1998–Present)
| A# | I# | Name | Took office | Left office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | Kim Yong-nam Kim Yong-nam Kim Yong-nam is the current North Korean Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, a position held since 1998. He was elected a member of the presidium of the politburo of the central committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in 2010.He was born in the Central District, Heijo ,... |
5 September 1998 | Incumbent | Workers' Party of Korea |
As Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly
Supreme People's Assembly
The Supreme People's Assembly is the unicameral parliament of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , commonly known as North Korea...
, Kim Yong-nam has the role of accepting the credentials of ambassadors, conducting foreign relations and signing treaties, making him the de facto head of state.
See also
- President of North KoreaPresident of North KoreaThe President of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was established in the Constitution of North Korea, 1972. Until then, Kim Il-sung, the ruler of North Korea, used the posts Premier and General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea...
- List of Premiers of North Korea
- Government of North KoreaGovernment of North KoreaThe North Korean government is the executive branch of the state, according to the Constitution of North Korea. In practice, the highest decisions are made by the National Defence Commission of North Korea which is led by its Chairman Kim Jong-il....
- Politics of North KoreaPolitics of North KoreaThe politics of North Korea take place within a nominally democratic multi-party system within the framework of the official state philosophy, Juche, a concept created by the founder of the North Korean state, Kim Il-sung, and his son and successor as leader, Kim Jong-il. In practice, North Korea...