General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea

head of the Workers' Party of Korea and the supreme leader of North Korea

The General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (Korean: 조선로동당 총비서) is the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the ruling party in North Korea and typically the supreme leader of North Korea.[1][2]

General Secretary of the
Workers' Party of Korea
조선로동당 총비서
Emblem of the WPK leader
Emblem of the Workers' Party of Korea
Incumbent
Kim Jong-un

since 10 January 2021
Workers' Party of Korea
StyleComrade
(Hangul: 동지; Hanja: 同志)
TypeParty leader
Supreme leader
ResidenceForbidden City
SeatPyongyang
NominatorWPK Congress
AppointerWPK Congress
Term lengthNo fixed term
Constituting instrumentWPK Charter
Inaugural holderKim Tu-bong
Formation12 October 1966
General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea
Hangul
조선로동당 총비서
Hanja
Revised RomanizationJoseon Rodongdang Chongbiseo
McCune–ReischauerChosŏn Rodongdang Ch'ongbisŏ

The office of WPK Chairman was abolished on 12 October 1966 and replaced with the office of General Secretary by a decision of the 14th Plenary Session of the 4th Central Committee. At the 8th WPK Congress in 2021, where the WPK Chairman was abolished and replaced by the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea.[3]

The current General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea is Kim Jong-un, who took office on 10 January 2021.

Officeholders

Chief Secretary of the North Korea Bureau of the Communist Party of Korea
조선공산당 북조선분국 책임비서
Chief SecretaryTermElection
Kim Yong-bom
김용범
1902–1947
13 October 194518 December 1945
Kim Il-sung
김일성
1912–1994


18 December 194531 August 1946
Chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of North Korea
북조선로동당 중앙위원회 위원장
ChairmanTermElection
Kim Tu-bong
김두봉
1889–1958
31 August 194630 March 19481st
Central
Committee
30 March 194830 June 19492nd
Central
Committee
Chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea
조선로동당 중앙위원회 위원장
ChairmanTermElection
Kim Il-sung
김일성
1912–1994
30 June 194929 April 19562nd
Central
Committee
29 April 195618 September 19613rd
Central
Committee
18 September 196112 October 19664th
Central
Committee
General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea
조선로동당 중앙위원회 총비서
General SecretaryTermElection
Kim Il-sung
김일성
1912–1994
12 October 196613 November 19704th
Central
Committee
13 November 197014 October 19805th
Central
Committee
14 October 19808 July 19946th
Central
Committee
Vacant
(8 July 1994–8 October 1997)
General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea
조선로동당 총비서
General SecretaryTermElection
Kim Jong-il
김정일
1941–2011
8 October 199728 September 20106th
Central
Committee
28 September 201017 December 2011
Vacant
(17 December 2011–11 April 2012)
First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea
조선로동당 제1비서
First SecretaryTermElection
Kim Jong-un
김정은
born 1983
11 April 20129 May 20166th
Central
Committee
Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea
조선로동당 위원장
ChairmanTermElection
Kim Jong-un
김정은
born 1983
9 May 201610 January 20217th
Central
Committee
General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea
조선로동당 총비서
General SecretaryTermElection
Kim Jong-un
김정은
born 1983
10 January 2021Present8th
Central
Committee

References