What type of government is North Korea

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is an Asian country situated in the northern section of the Korean Peninsula – Pyongyang is the nation’s capital and largest city. North Korea is bordered by China and Russia to the north and northwest, and South Korea to the south, across it is bordered to the south across the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Both North and South Korea claim governance of the whole peninsula and associated islands.

North Korea characterises itself as a self-reliant socialist state. Kim Il-sung and his family essentially lead the entire country in what has been described as a Stalinist dictatorship – the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), which is led by a member of Kim Il-sung’s family, leads the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland.

All means of production in the country are controlled by the state, as well as public services like healthcare, education and housing. North Korea prioritises its military above all else, with a total of 9,495,000 active, reserve and paramilitary personnel throughout the nation. It’s army of 1.21 million is the fourth largest in the world, and it has well-documented nuclear capability.

North Korea is a member of the United Nations, though it repeatedly and grossly violates human rights to an unprecedented degree, an accusation that its leaders constantly deny.

The North Korean Government

North Korea is a one-party state that is guided by the Juche and Songun ideologies of self-reliance and military prioritisation. The country has a fixed constitution as well as the ‘Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System’ which sets standards for governance and the behaviour of the North Korean people. The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) comprises 3,000,000 members and essentially controls North Korean politics. Its two satellite organizations are the Korean Social Democratic Party and the Chondoist Chongu Party.

The Constitution of North Korea lays out three main branches of government. First, the State Affairs Commission of North Korea deliberates and determines the work of defence building of the State, including major North Korean governmental policies – it also exists to carry out the instructions of Kim Jong-Un.

The government also features a unicameral Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) with 687 members, each of whom are elected every five years. Sessions of the Supreme People's Assembly are overseen by the Presidium (Kim Yong-nam), who represents North Korea to foreign countries. Deputies are responsible for electing the President, the vice-presidents and all members of the Presidium – they also take part in the passing of laws, discussing domestic and foreign policies, appointing cabinet members, and reviewing and approving the state economic strategy. All elections to the assembly are based on a list of WPK-approved candidates who always run unopposed.

The Cabinet of North Korea is the seat of executive power in the government, and is led by Premier Pak Pong-ju, who represents the government, operating independently. He oversees two vice-premiers, 30 ministers, two cabinet commission chairmen, the cabinet chief secretary, the president of the Central Bank, the director of the Central Bureau of Statistics, and the president of the Academy of Sciences.

The Supreme Leader of North Korea is Kim Jong-un of the Kim dynasty. He is Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, and Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army. His grandfather Kim Il-sung retains the title of "Eternal President", while his father Kim Jong-il is “Eternal General Secretary.” Due to the hereditary nature of its leadership system, North Korea has become widely regarded as an absolute monarchy, or a hereditary dictatorship.

Foreign Relations

Since 2015, North Korea has had diplomatic relationships with 166 countries and embrassies in 47 countries around the world – it was, however, not officially recognised by a number of countries, including Argentina, Botswana, France, Estonia, Iraq, Israel, Japan, and the United States (by 2017, only France and Estonia still do not recognise North Korea). Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos remain strong allies of North Korea.

Six-Party Talks between the two Korean governments, the United States, Russia, China and Japan were established to find a peaceful solution to mounting tensions around North Koreas developing nuclear weapons program, but were abandoned in 2009.

D Freedom of Expression and Belief

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All domestic media outlets are run by the state. Televisions and radios are permanently fixed to state channels, and all publications and broadcasts are subject to strict supervision and censorship. The government occasionally allows a small number of foreign books, films, and television programs to be distributed and aired in the country, but this remains rare.

In recent years, several foreign news agencies have established bureau offices in Pyongyang, however their access is tightly controlled, and the government has been known to expel media crews in retaliation for their work. Select foreign media services are often invited to the country to cover key political events and holidays, although authorities strictly manage their visits.

Several US and South Korean media outlets broadcast shortwave and medium-wave Korean-language radio programming into North Korea, though the government works to jam their stations.

Campaigns to send information into the country via USB thumb drives, SD cards, and leaflets are common, and North Koreans often modify their radios to receive foreign broadcasts. However, South Korean authorities have banned the transmission of leaflets and other information across the border without government permission. The consumption of foreign radio broadcasts and possession of contraband devices are illegal, as are the facilitation and nonreporting of such activity; all are subject to severe punishment under North Korea’s “anti-reactionary thought” law, up to and including the death penalty.

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Although freedom of religion is guaranteed by the constitution, it does not exist in practice. State-sanctioned churches maintain a token presence in Pyongyang, and some North Koreans are known to practice their faith furtively. However, intense state indoctrination and repression preclude free and open exercise of religion. Crackdowns are common, and those caught are arrested and subjected to harsh punishments, including imprisonment in labor camps. Foreigners caught proselytizing also risk arrest and detention. As of May 2021, the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Christian Solidarity Worldwide estimates that approximately 200,000 people are being held in prison camps, many due to their Christian beliefs.

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There is no academic freedom. The state must approve all curriculums, including those of educational programs led by foreigners. Although some North Koreans are permitted to study abroad at both universities and short-term educational training programs, those granted such opportunities are subject to monitoring and reprisals for perceived disloyalty.

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Nearly all forms of private communication are monitored by a huge network of informants. Domestic third-generation (3G) mobile service has been available since 2008, with an estimated five or six million users nationally. Mobile phones operating on this network are used as surveillance tools by the state, which can review individuals’ application usage and intranet browsing history and take screenshots of their activity. Newer mobile phones have been designed to block users’ efforts to consume contraband media.

Ordinary mobile users do not have access to the global internet but can connect to a state-run intranet. Only a small number of elites have internet access, reaching it through their own service. Domestic and international mobile services are kept strictly separate, and crackdowns on users with Chinese-origin phones have been reported.

E Associational and Organizational Rights

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Freedom of assembly is not recognized, and participants in any unauthorized gatherings are subject to severe punishment, including prison sentences.

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There are no legal associations or organizations other than those created by the state and ruling party.

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Strikes, collective bargaining, and other organized labor activities are illegal and can draw severe punishment for participants, including prison sentences.

F Rule of Law

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North Korea’s judiciary is subordinate to the political leadership in law and in practice. According to the constitution, the Central Court, the country’s highest court, is accountable to the SPA, and its duties include protecting “state power and the socialist system.”

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Fundamental due process rights, including freedom from arbitrary detention and the right to a fair trial, are systematically denied. As many as 200,000 prisoners are believed to be held in internment camps in the country. Foreign visitors are also at risk of arbitrary detention. At least four South Korean citizens remain in custody as of 2021, having been accused of a range of crimes, including espionage and kidnapping.

In 2020, unofficial reports claimed the government had granted a mass amnesty to inmates who had displayed model behavior during their sentences. In August of that year, the SPA Presidium reportedly decreed an amnesty for those who had been convicted of crimes against the country and its people, set to take effect in September. It remains unclear how many prisoners were affected by the two reported amnesties.

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Documented North Korean human rights violations include widespread torture, public executions, forced labor by detainees, and death sentences for political offenses. Defectors who seek safety in third countries are sometimes returned to North Korea, where they are subject to torture and disproportionate punishment. China’s government considers North Korean escapees to be irregular economic migrants and regularly turns them back, violating international law.

There are currently strict pandemic containment measures and border controls in place, including shoot-to-kill orders for illegal exit or entry. In July 2021, soldiers allegedly killed three Chinese sailors on a fishing boat that landed on a North Korean island to avoid Typhoon In-Fa.

The unresolved conflict with South Korea around North Korea’s nuclear weapons program poses a threat to physical security, and negotiations with Seoul and Washington remained stalled in 2021. North Korean forces resumed missile testing in March after a year pause, showcasing a range of new missile capabilities.

A 2021 United Nations (UN) report on human rights in North Korea noted that forced labor and torture were still rampant in the prison system, and that citizens often paid bribes to avoid arrest, mitigate their treatment in detention, and secure family visits.

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Discrimination is commonly based on perceived political and ideological nonconformity. All citizens are classified according to their family’s level of loyalty and proximity to the leadership under a semihereditary caste-like system known as songbun. Those who are classified as “wavering” or “hostile” instead of “loyal” face official discrimination in employment, live in poorer housing, and receive limited educational opportunities, though rules can be manipulated through bribery. Relatives of suspected political and ideological dissidents, including defectors, are also subject to punishment in what amounts to guilt by association.

The ethnic Chinese population in North Korea has limited educational and employment opportunities, but somewhat more freedom of travel and trade. In 2021, the government reportedly began punishing those who slander China or North Korea’s ethnic Chinese residents.

Women have legal equality but face rigid discrimination in practice and are poorly represented in public employment and the military. Despite fewer opportunities in the formal sector, women are economically active outside the socialist system, which can expose them to arbitrary state interference.

The law does not explicitly prohibit same-sex relations, but the government maintains that the practice does not exist in the country.

North Korea has historically denied the rights of people living with disabilities. Defectors report that disabled people have been quarantined, exiled, forcibly sterilized, experimented on, and sometimes executed. The UN special rapporteur for disability rights visited North Korea in 2017 but was escorted by government minders, prohibited from reviewing internal data, and denied access to a mental health institution during her trip.

G Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights

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Residents have no freedom of movement, and forced internal resettlement is routine. Emigration is illegal. In recent years, authorities have employed stricter domestic controls to arrest the flow of defectors. The number of defectors arriving in South Korea dropped to only 63 in 2021 amid tighter pandemic-related travel restrictions across the region.

The regime imposed severe new limits on movement in response to COVID-19 during 2020 for security forces patrolling restricted border zones. In 2021, authorities reportedly enforced quarantines and other strict policies with fines and house searches to test for suspected coronavirus cases.

A person’s songbun classification affects their place of residence as well as employment and educational opportunities, access to medical facilities, and even access to stores. All foreign travel—whether for work, trade, or education—is strictly controlled by the government. Freedom of movement for foreigners is also limited and subject to arbitrary constraints.

Most North Korean workers cannot freely choose their employment, with the government assigning men and unmarried women to their positions and often denying monetary compensation. Workers, especially women, seek informal employment to earn an income; they pay official employers bribes to cover their absences.

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The formal economy remains both centrally planned and grossly mismanaged. A lack of infrastructure, scarcity of energy and raw materials, lingering foreign debt, and ideological isolation also hobble business activity in the country.

Informal and government-approved private markets and service industries have provided many North Koreans, especially women, a growing field of activity that is somewhat free from government control. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has hampered access to goods to sell in those markets, limiting people’s ability to earn discretionary income. This has also increased dependence on domestic food production and distribution, causing growing concerns about a humanitarian food crisis.

Local officials have had some discretion in the management of special economic zones and over small-scale experiments with market-oriented economic policies.

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Men and women have formal equality in personal status matters such as marriage and divorce. However, sexual and physical violence against women—in the home, prisons and labor camps, and in other contexts—is common, and victims have little legal recourse. There are no specific legal penalties for domestic violence. UN bodies have noted the use of forced abortions on pregnant women when forcibly repatriated from China and infanticide of half-Chinese children.

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Forced labor is common in prison camps, mass mobilization programs, and state-run contracting arrangements in which North Korean workers are sent abroad. Human trafficking networks, sometimes operating with the assistance of government officials, target North Korean women; those ensnared are subject to sex slavery and forced marriages, often in China. Some women have also turned to prostitution to survive in recent years and are exploited by their employers and the police.

Economic opportunities are also hampered by international sanctions imposed in response to North Korea’s continued nuclear pursuits. Since 2016, sanctions have targeted civilian industries including textiles and seafood. North Korea has also been cut off from the international banking system. While this has not deterred North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, it has created growing difficulties for those dependent on markets and quasi-private businesses.

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