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North Korea THE KOREAN WORKERS' PARTY
The Korean Workers' Party (KWP) is North Korea's most
politically significant entity. In theory, according to Article
21 of the Rules and Regulations of the Korean Workers' Party as
revised in October 1980 (hereafter referred to as the party
rules), the national party congress is the supreme party organ.
The party congress approves reports of the party organs, adopts
basic party policies and tactics, and elects members to the KWP
Central Committee and the Central Auditing Committee. The
election, however, is perfunctory because the members of these
bodies are actually chosen by Kim Il Sung and his few trusted
lieutenants. When the party congress is not in session, the
Central Committee acts as the official agent of the party,
according to Article 14 of the party rules. As of September 1992,
the KWP had 160 Central Committee members and 143 Central
Committee alternate (candidate) members. The Central Committee
meets at least once every six months. Article 24 of the party
rules stipulates that the Central Committee elects the general
secretary of the party, members of the Political Bureau Presidium
(or the Standing Committee), members of the Political Bureau (or
Politburo), secretaries, members of the Central Military
Commission, and members of the Central Inspection Committee. A
party congress is supposed to be convened every five years, but
as of 1993, one had not been held since the Sixth Party Congress
of October 1980. Party congresses are attended by delegates
elected by the members of provincial-level party assemblies at
the ratio of one delegate for every 1,000 party members.
The long-delayed Sixth Party Congress, convened from October
10-14, 1980, was attended by 3,220 party delegates (3,062 full
members and 158 alternate members) and 177 foreign delegates from
118 countries. Approximately 1,800 delegates attended the Fifth
Party Congress in November 1970. The 1980 congress was convened
by the KWP Central Committee to review, discuss, and endorse
reports by the Central Committee, the Central Auditing Committee,
and other central organs covering the activities of these bodies
since the last congress.
The Sixth Party Congress reviewed and discussed the report on
the work of the party in the ten years since the Fifth Party
Congress. It also elected a new Central Committee. In his report
to the congress, Kim Il Sung outlined a set of goals and policies
for the 1980s. He proposed the establishment of a Democratic
Confederal Republic of Kory as a reasonable way to achieve the
independent and peaceful reunification of the country. Kim Il
Sung also clarified a new ten-point policy for the unified state
and stressed that North Korea and South Korea (the Republic of
Korea, or ROK) should recognize and tolerate each other's ideas
and social systems, that the unified central government should be
represented by P'yongyang and Seoul on an equal footing, and that
both sides should exercise regional autonomy with equal rights
and duties. Specifically, the unified government should respect
the social systems and the wishes of administrative organizations
and of every party, every group, and every sector of people in
the North and the South, and prevent one side from imposing its
will on the other.
Kim Il Sung also emphasized the
Three Revolutions (see Glossary),
which were aimed at hastening the process of political
and ideological transformation based on chuch'e ideology,
improving the material and technical standards of the economy,
and developing socialist national culture. According to Kim,
these revolutions are the responsibility of the
Three Revolution Team Movement (see Glossary)--"a new method of guiding the
revolution, which combined political and ideological guidance
with scientific and technical guidance. This approach enabled the
upper bodies to help the lower levels and rouse masses of the
working people to accelerate the Three Revolutions." The teams
perform their guidance work by sending their members to
factories, enterprises, and cooperative farms. Their members are
party cadres, including those from the KWP Central Committee,
reliable officials of the government, persons from economic and
mass organizations, scientists and technicians, and young
intellectuals. Kim Il Sung left no question that the Three
Revolution Team Movement had succeeded the
Ch'llima Movement (see Glossary)
and would remain the principal vehicle through
which the party pursued its political and economic objectives in
the 1980s.
The linkage between party and economic work also was
addressed by Kim Il Sung. In acknowledging the urgent task of
economic construction, he stated that party work should be geared
toward efficient economic construction and that success in party
work should be measured by success in economic construction.
Accordingly, party organizations were told to "push forward
economic work actively, give prominence to economic officials,
and help them well." Party officials were also advised to watch
out for signs of independence on the part of technocrats.
The membership and organization of the KWP are specified in
the party rules. There are two kinds of party members: regular
and probationary. Membership is open to those eighteen years of
age and older, but party membership is granted only to those who
have demonstrated their qualifications; applications are
submitted to a cell along with a proper endorsement from two
party members of at least two years in good standing. The
application is acted on by the plenary session of a cell; an
affirmative decision is subject to ratification by a county-level
party committee. A probationary period of one year is mandatory,
but may be waived under certain unspecified "special
circumstances." Recruitment is under the direction of the
Organization and Guidance Department and its local branches.
After the application is approved, an applicant must successfully
complete a one-year probationary period before becoming a full
party member.
Data as of June 1993
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