State Affairs Commission of North Korea


The State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is constitutionally the supreme state policy organ of North Korea.
The State Affairs Commission was created by 2016 amendments to the North Korean Constitution to replace the previously military-dominated National Defence Commission. The Commission has the powers to deliberate and decide on major policies of the State including defence and security policies. It supervises the Cabinet of North Korea, as well as the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of State Security and the Ministry of Social Security and the Korean People's Army's General Staff Department and General Political Bureau.
The body is headed by the President of the State Affairs Commission, commonly styled in official North Korean releases as "President of State Affairs", who is defined as the head of state of the nation and the supreme leader. The position is held by the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea. The current President is Kim Jong Un. The first vice-president is Choe Ryong-hae, who is also the Chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly Standing Committee.

History

The predecessor body, National Defence Commission, was created in 1972 as sub-committee for defence and security affairs of the Central People's Committee, the later was headed by the President of the DPRK Kim Il Sung and exercised similar powers within the constitutional framework of the 1972 Constitution of North Korea.
The National Defence Commission was separated from the Supreme People's Committee in 1992 and Kim Jong Il was officially designated as chair of the body. In 1998, two years after the death of Kim Il Sung, the National Defence Commission was empowered as the supreme defence body, and in line with the Songun ideology, the supreme political authority of state and legal framework for Kim Jong Il's personal dictatorship.
After the 7th Congress of the Workers Party of Korea, the constitution was amended in June 2016 that reformed the National Defence Commission into the contemporary State Affairs Commission, with the amended text stipulating the body's control over national policy.

Powers and responsibilities

Article 106 of the Constitution of North Korea defines the State Affairs Commission as the supreme state organ of policy direction of state sovereignty. Article 109 of the Constitution states that the SAC's powers are to:
  • deliberate and decide on major policies of the State including defence and security policies;
  • exercise supervision over the fulfillment of the orders of the President of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the decisions and directives of the Commission, and take measures for their fulfillment;
  • abrogate decisions and directives of State organs which run counter to the orders of the President of the SAC-DPRK and the decisions and directives of the Commission in its meetings.
In practice, SAC supervises the Cabinet of North Korea. It also directly supervises the three ministries that are not under the Cabinet, namely the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of State Security and the Ministry of Social Security as well as the Korean People's Army, mainly the General Staff Department of the Korean People's Army and General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army. The Supreme Guard Command, which is responsible for the top leadership and government protection, is also under its command. One additional entity, the State Physical Culture and Sports Guidance Commission, is also under the SAC as its Chairman is appointed by the Commission.

Members

The following are the current members of the State Affairs Commission as of 29 September 2021:

Works cited

Category:Politics of North Korea
Category:Military of North Korea
Category:State Affairs Commission of North Korea
Category:2016 establishments in North Korea