North Korea ORGANIZATION OF THE GOVERNMENT
Figure 9. Structure of the Government, 1992
The Supreme People's Assembly
Supreme People's Assembly, P'yongyang
Courtesy Tracy Woodward
Hall inside the Supreme People's Assembly
Courtesy Tracy Woodward
Although under the constitution the Supreme People's Assembly
(SPA) is "the highest organ of state power," it is not
influential and does not initiate legislation independently of
other party and state organs. Invariably the legislative process
is set in motion by executive bodies according to the
predetermined policies of the party leadership. The assembly is
not known to have ever criticized, modified, or rejected a bill
or a measure placed before it, or to have proposed an alternative
bill or measure.
The constitution provides for the SPA to be elected every
five years by universal suffrage. Article 88 indicates that
legislative power is exercised by the SPA and the Standing
Committee of the SPA when the assembly is not in session.
Elections to the Ninth Supreme People's Assembly were held in
April 1990, with 687 deputies, or representatives, elected. The
KWP approves a single list of candidates who stand for election
without opposition. Deputies usually meet once a year in regular
sessions in March or April, but since 1985 they have also met
occasionally in extraordinary sessions in November or December.
Sessions are convened by the assembly's Standing Committee, whose
chairman as of 1992 was Yang Hyong-sop (also a full member of the
KWP Central Committee and a vice chairman of the Committee for
the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland). Assembly members
are elected by the deputies, as are the chairman and vice
chairmen. The assembly also has five committees: Bills, Budget,
Foreign Affairs, Qualifications Screening, and Reunification
Policy Deliberation.
Article 91 states that the assembly has the authority to
adopt or amend the constitution, laws, and ordinances; formulate
the basic principles of domestic and foreign policies; elect or
recall the president of the state and other top officials of the
government; approve the state economic plan and national budget;
and decide whether to ratify or abrogate treaties and questions
of war and peace. Matters deliberated are submitted by the
president, the Central People's Committee, the assembly's
Standing Committee, the State Administration Council (the
cabinet), or individual deputies.
Assembly decisions are made by a simple majority and
signified by a show of hands. Deputies, each representing a
constituency of approximately 30,000 persons, are guaranteed
inviolability and immunity from arrest. Between assembly
sessions, the Standing Committee does legislative work; this body
may also interpret and amend the laws and ordinances in force,
conduct the election of deputies to the SPA, organize the
election of deputies to local legislative bodies, conduct
election of deputies to the SPA, convene sessions of the SPA and
people's assessors or lay judges, and elect or recall judges of
the Central Court.
Data as of June 1993
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