Supreme Leader (North Korean title)

The supreme leader of North Korea (Korean: 최고령도자; MR: Ch'oego Ryŏngdoja) is the de facto hereditary leadership of the Workers' Party of Korea, the state and the Korean People's Army. Each individual North Korean leader have assumed different offices and positions, and different titles were used in North Korean propaganda that could be translated from Korean as "Great Leader", "Dear Leader", or "Supreme Leader".

Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Incumbent Kim Jong Un since 17 December 2011 (2011-12-17)
Personal Secretariat
Type	Supreme leader Party leader Head of state Commander-in-chief
Term length	Life tenure
Formation	9 September 1948; 76 years ago (1948-09-09)
First holder	Kim Il Sung

Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Korean name
Hangul	조선민주주의인민공화국최고령도자

Overview

"Supreme Leader" was originally a designation used for Kim Il Sung only, and only after his death.^[1] During his lifetime he was known as "Great Leader" (위대한 수령), a title to this day that only refers to him.^[1] His son, Kim Jong Il, was known as "Dear Leader" (친애하는 령도자) during his lifetime, and only after death did North Korean media begin calling him "Supreme Leader", in the tradition of his father.^[1] The grandson, Kim Jong Un, was first called "Supreme Leader" in a North Korean newspaper article dated October 3, 2020, with the frequency increasing since then, including sometimes "great Supreme Leader".^[1] He was the first to be frequently called "Supreme Leader" while still alive, and at the relatively young age of 37.^[1] The 2020 newspaper article was part of the official preparations to appoint Kim Jong Un as the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea ie. leader of the Workers' Party, the sole political body in the country and the paramount leader position.^[1][2] Since November 2021, South Korean media have all reported that Kim Jong Un is called "Supreme Leader" (Suryeong) in North Korea.^[1]

List

No	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Title(s)	Period	Tenure (Time in Office)	Ideological contribution(s)
1		Kim Il Sung 김일성 (1912–1994)	Premier of the Cabinet of the DPRK	9 September 1948[3] – 28 December 1972[4]	9 September 1948[3] — 8 July 1994[5] (45 years, 302 days)	Juche
			Chairman of the WPK	24 June 1949[6] – 12 October 1966[7]
			General Secretary of the WPK	12 October 1966[7] – 8 July 1994[5]
			President of the DPRK	28 December 1972[8] – 8 July 1994[5]
2		Kim Jong Il 김정일 (1941–2011)	Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK	9 April 1993[9] – 17 December 2011[10]	8 July 1994[9] — 17 December 2011[10] (17 years, 162 days)	Kimilsungism Songun Ten Principles
			General Secretary of the WPK	8 October 1997[9] – 17 December 2011[10]
3		Kim Jong Un 김정은 (born 1982 or 1983/1984)	First Secretary of the WPK	11 April 2012[11] – 9 May 2016[12]	17 December 2011[13] — present (13 years, 3 days)	Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism Byungjin
			First Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK	11 April 2012[14] – 29 June 2016[15]
			Chairman of the WPK	9 May 2016[16] – 10 January 2021[17]
			President of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK	29 June 2016[15] – present
			General Secretary of the WPK	10 January 2021[18] – present

• Bold offices refer to the highest positions in the Workers' Party of Korea, the lone political party of North Korea.

Timeline

See also

• North Korea portal

• Eternal leaders of North Korea
• Kim family
• Government of North Korea
• North Korean cult of personality
• Residences of North Korean leaders
• Paramount leader, the Chinese equivalent

References

1. Isozaki, Atsuhito (6 December 2021). "Kim Jong Un and the 'Supreme Leader System'". The Diplomat.
2. "Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un Cuts Tape for Completion of Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer Factory". Kim Il Sung University. Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). 2 May 2020. Archived from the original on 17 May 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020. Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and supreme commander of the armed forces of the DPRK, attended the ceremony.
3. "Background Note: North Korea". Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. United States Department of State. August 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
4. Based on the creation of the Constitution of North Korea, which established the Presidency of North Korea and abolished the Premier of North Korea position.
5. Based on date of death of Kim Il-Sung
6. Defense Language Institute (July 1971). "Korean: Basic Course: Area Background" (PDF). U. S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. p. 254. Retrieved 18 September 2023. the Korean Workers Party, under the chairmanship of Kim Il-sung, was formed on June 24, 1949, as the result of a merger between the North Korean Workers Party and the South Korean Workers Party
7. Yang, Sŏng-chʻŏl (1999). The North and South Korean Political Aystems: A Comparative Analysis. Elizabeth, NJ: Hollym. p. 270. ISBN 978-1-56591-105-5. The chairmanship post was replaced by the office of the general secretary at the Fourteenth Plenum of the WPK Fourth Central Committee (CC) on October 12, 1966, and Kim has been the WPK's general secretary ever since
8. Based on the outcome of the 1972 North Korean parliamentary election
9. "Timeline: Kim Jong-il". The Guardian. The Associated Press. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
10. Based on date of death of Kim Jong-Il
11. Sang-Hun, Choe (11 April 2012). "As Rocket Launching Nears, North Korea Continues Shift to New 'Supreme Leader'". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2023. The governing Workers' Party ... declared Mr. Kim "supreme leader" on Wednesday and awarded him the title of first secretary.
12. "North Korea leader Kim becomes chairman of ruling Workers' Party: NHK". Reuters. 9 May 2016. Archived from the original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2020. Kim Jong Un, who has been first secretary of the ruling party, became chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea
13. "Kim Jong Il, leader of North Korea, dies". History (American TV network). 15 December 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
14. Sang-Hun, Choe (11 April 2012). "As Rocket Launching Nears, North Korea Continues Shift to New 'Supreme Leader'". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2023. Per note at end of NYT article: 'An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the day on which North Korea had elevated Kim Jong-un to chairman of the Workers' Party's central military commission and granted him membership in the Politburo and its presidium. It was on Wednesday (11 April), not Thursday (12 April).'
15. Sang-Hun, Choe (29 June 2016). "Kim Jong-un Takes an Additional Title in North Korea". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2023. The Assembly revised North Korea's Constitution to create what the state media called a Commission on State Affairs, with Mr. Kim as its chairman. It replaces the National Defense Commission.
16. Madden, Michael (20 May 2016). "Deciphering the 7th Party Congress: A Teaser for Greater Change?". 38 North. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021. The major organizational change announced at the 7th Party Congress was the reinstatement of the WPK chairmanship, to which Kim Jong Un was elected
17. Frank, Rüdiger (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. Titles throughout all party levels were changed from "chairman" to three levels of "secretary".
18. Frank, Rüdiger (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. Kim Jong Un was elected as general secretary of the party. This is remarkable, considering that on April 11, 2012, Kim Jong Il had been named the "eternal general secretary".

External links

• World Statesmen – North Korea