Supreme Leader (North Korean title)
Political term for the top leader in North Korea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The supreme leader (Korean: 최고령도자) is the de facto hereditary leader of the Workers' Party of Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Korean People's Army. The title is honorary, given only after death in the first two cases. More broadly it can also refer to the "Supreme Leader system" (Suryeong-je), which is defined as "a system that aims to ensure continuous leadership by the Supreme Leader across generations."[1] Different titles were used in North Korean propaganda that could be translated from Korean as "Great Leader", "Dear Leader", or "Supreme Leader". Similar to other one-party states, the post of General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (titled as chairman from 1948 to 1966, as First Secretary from 2012 to 2016, and Chairman again from 2016 to 2021) is the first priority political position of the supreme leader.[2]
- Respected Comrade (informal)
- General Secretary (formal)
| Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea | |
|---|---|
Emblem of the Workers' Party of Korea | |
| Style |
|
| Type | |
| Residence | Ryongsong Residence |
| Seat | Pyongyang |
| Appointer | Hereditary (de facto) |
| Term length | Life tenure |
| Formation | 9 September 1948 |
| First holder | Kim Il Sung |
Overview
"Supreme Leader" was originally a designation used for Kim Il Sung only, and only after his death.[1] During his lifetime he was known as "Great Leader" (위대한 수령), a title that to this day is most often used to refer to him.[1] His son, Kim Jong Il, was known as "Dear Leader" (친애하는 령도자) during his lifetime, and only after death did North Korean media begin calling him "Supreme Leader", in the tradition of his father.[1]
The grandson, Kim Jong Un, was first called "Supreme Leader" in a North Korean newspaper article dated October 3, 2020, with the frequency increasing since then, including sometimes "great Supreme Leader".[1] He was the first to be frequently called "Supreme Leader" while still alive, and at the relatively young age of 37.[1] The 2020 newspaper article was part of the official preparations to appoint Kim Jong Un as the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea i.e. leader of the Workers' Party, the sole political body in the country and the top leader position.[3]
Since November 2021, South Korean media have all reported that Kim Jong Un is called "Supreme Leader" (Suryeong) in North Korea.[1]
Starting from January 2026, North Korea stopped calling Kim Jong Un “supreme leader”. In that month, the 8th WPK Congress changed the provision regarding he general secretary from "the supreme leader of the Party" to "the head of the WPK". Starting from September 2024, North Korean state media has referred to Kim Jong Un as the "head of state".[4]
List
| No | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Title(s) | Period | Tenure (Time in office) |
Ideological contribution(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Kim Il Sung 김일성 (1912–1994)  |
Premier of the Cabinet of the DPRK | 9 September 1948[5] – 28 December 1972[6] | 9 September 1948[5] — 8 July 1994[7] (45 years, 302 days) |
Juche |
| Chairman of the WPK | 24 June 1949[8] – 12 October 1966[9] | |||||
| General Secretary of the WPK | 12 October 1966[9] – 8 July 1994[7] | |||||
| President of the DPRK | 28 December 1972[10] – 8 July 1994[7] | |||||
| 2 | .jpg) |
Kim Jong Il 김정일 (1941–2011)  |
Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK | 9 April 1993[11] – 17 December 2011[12] | 8 July 1994[11] — 17 December 2011[12] (17 years, 162 days) |
Kimilsungism Songun Ten Principles |
| General Secretary of the WPK | 8 October 1997[11] – 17 December 2011[12] | |||||
| 3 | _12_(cropped).jpg) |
Kim Jong Un 김정은 (born 1982 or 1983/1984)  |
First Secretary of the WPK | 11 April 2012[13] – 9 May 2016[14] | 17 December 2011[15] — present (14 years, 134 days) |
Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism Byungjin |
| First Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK | 11 April 2012[16] – 29 June 2016[17] | |||||
| Chairman of the WPK | 9 May 2016[18] – 10 January 2021[19] | |||||
| President of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK | 29 June 2016[17] – present | |||||
| General Secretary of the WPK | 10 January 2021[20] – present |
- Bold offices refer to the highest positions in the Workers' Party of Korea, the lone political party of North Korea.
Timeline
