National holiday: Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)
Foundation Day, 9 September (1948)
Constitution: adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992
Legal system: based on German civil law system with Japanese influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: KIM Chong-il [de facto]; note-President KIM Il-song was reelected without opposition 24 May 1990 and died 8 July 1994, leaving his son KIM Chong-il as designated successor; KIM Chong-il became General Secretary of the Korean Workers' Party on 8 October 1997, but has not assumed the presidency head of government: KANG Song-san is premier, but is in ill health; Vice Premier HONG Song-nam has been acting premier since NA February 1997 cabinet: State Administration Council appointed by the Supreme People's Assembly elections: premier elected by the Supreme People's Assembly election results: NA
Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 7-9 April 1990 (next to be held NA); note-the term of the Assembly expired in April 1995 without a new election and it has not been convened since the death of KIM Il-song in July 1994 election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-the KWP approves a single list of candidates who are elected without opposition; minor parties hold a few seats
Judicial branch: Central Court, judges are elected by the Supreme
People's Assembly
Political parties and leaders: major party-Korean Workers' Party
(KWP), KIM Chong-il, General Secretary; Korean Social Democratic
Party, KIM Pyong-sik, chairman; Chondoist Chongu Party, YU Mi-yong,
chairwoman
International organization participation: ESCAP, FAO, G-77, ICAO,
ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ISO,
ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note-North Korea has a
Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, headed by YI Hyong-chol