Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea

Chairman of the National Defense Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Coat of arms
Incumbent Kim Jong-il since 9 April 1993
Inaugural holder	Kim Jong-il
Formation	9 April 1993

North Korea

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of North Korea

Constitution Juche Eternal President Kim Il-sung Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il Supreme People's Assembly Chairman of the Presidium Kim Yong-nam National Defence Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il First Vice Chairman vacant Government Premier Choe Yong-rim Subdivisions Judiciary Political parties Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee General Secretary Kim Jong-il Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland Korean Social Democratic Party Chondoist Chongu Party Elections: 2003, 2009 Korean reunification Human rights Foreign relations Songun policy

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Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea
Chosŏn'gŭl	조선민주주의인민공화국 국방위원회 위원장
Hancha	朝鮮民主主義人民共和國國防委員會委員長
McCune–Reischauer	Chosŏn minjujuŭi inmin'gonghwaguk kukpangwiwŏnhoe wiwŏnjang
Revised Romanization	Joseon minjujuui inmin( )gonghwaguk gukbang( )wiwonhoe wiwonjang

The Chairman of the National Defense Commission of North Korea is the supreme commander of the armed forces of North Korea and the most powerful person in the government. According to law, the Chairman has the "highest administrative authority" of any official, and the post was confirmed on 5 September 1998 as the "highest office of state." The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) elects the Chairman for a period of five years. The election is held immediately subsequent to the election of a new People's Assembly.

The current Chairman is Kim Jong-il, first elected on 9 April 1993 in an election where he ran unopposed. He has since been re-elected in 1998, 2003 and 2009.

Authority, legal and constitutional position

There is debate as to whether "highest office of state" should be considered equivalent to head of state. Kim Il-sung, the deceased leader of North Korea, has been declared Eternal President but it appears that the office is a facet of his extensive cult of personality. The Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, who handles the diplomatic functions that a head of state might normally undertake, is also sometimes considered the head of state. North Korea's constitutional arrangements are often unclear to outside observers and it is difficult to determine the Chairman's official standing. However, the Chairman is both in law and in practice the most powerful member of the North Korean government.

Chairman

Name	Term	Life span
Kim Jong-Il	9 April 1993 – present	16 February 1941 – present (aged 70)

See also

• National Defence Commission of North Korea