Provincial Party Committees

(Photo: NK Leadership Watch graphic).

updated April 25, 2016

Provincial party committees are the Workers’ Party of Korea’s [WPK]  power organizations in the DPRK’s nine (9) provinces and three (3) directly-governed cities.

Provincial party committees are responsible for managing party government work (through provincial people’s committees), mobilizing party cadres and party organizations within the provinces, ensuring party guidance over political, economic and cultural activities, conducting public affairs and cultural activities and guide the province’s chapters of reserve military training units.

The functions of a provincial party committee are to:

• implement the Monolithic Leadership System (i.e. the leadership of the Suryo’ng; rule by the Kims), party ideology and party policies
• ensure the compliance of worksites, production units and provincial cultural organizations with party policies
• manage the activities of party members and city (municipal) and county party committees
• manage provincial party finances
• direct public affairs and cultural activities (propaganda and agitation) within the province
• manager the affairs and activities of provincial workers’ and social organizations
• provide guidance to the province’s reserve military training units, particularly the Worker-Peasant Red Guard and the Young Red Guards and ensure their “combat power”
• render assistance to the Korean People’s Army [KPA]
• issue routine reports to the WPK Central Committee

Provincial party committees hold plenary meetings every four [4] months  which communicate and discuss the party’s policies and decide on their implementation.  The plenary meeting also elects the provincial party committee’s executive committee, the Secretariat, Military Committee and Inspection Committee.

Provincial party committees are led by a Chief Secretary and an executive committee.  The provincial party committee’s executive committee meets at least twice a month and serves as the provincial party committee’s power organization between plenary meetings.  Provincial party committees consist of members of the Secretariat, a Military Committee and an Inspection Committee.  The executive committee meets twice a month.

The Secretariat consists of a Chief Secretary and deputy (vice) secretaries and is tasked with deliberating and acting on all internal party affairs including personnel matters.  The Military Committee deliberates and implements the party’s military policies.  The Inspection Committee deals with discipline of party members, including violations of the party’s bylaws, disciplinary decisions of city (municipal) and county party committees, and reviews and decides on petitions and appeals of the discipline of party members.

Provincial party committees report and link to the WPK Organization Guidance Department’s [OGD] section on provincial party guidance and the Local Party Affairs Section.  OGD generally appoints and approves members of the provincial party committee’s Secretariat and appoints the Chief Secretaries of WPK provincial party committees.  The provincial party committee’s Military Committee reports and coordinates its work and activities with the WPK Military Affairs Department and the Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces.  The WPK Propaganda and Agitation Department supervises the work and activities of propaganda secretaries who serve as members of the provincial party committee’s Secretariat.

City (Municipal) and County Party Conferences

In accordance with instructions from the WPK Central Committee, provincial party committees convene party conferences.  Party representatives are selected from the membership of basic party organizations (party cells, primary party and branch party organizations) and elected at city (municipal) and county party conferences

Provincial party conferences include a summary of the work of the provincial party committee and the provincial party auditing committee.  The party conference also elects members of the provincial party committees and members of the provincial party auditing committees.  Finally, provincial party conferences elect delegate to attend Party Congresses and Party Conferences of the Workers’ Party of Korea.