North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is formally a one-party state under the leadership of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) as the sole governing party. There are also two other minor parties that must accept the WPK's "leading role" as a condition of their existence.
As of the latest election in 2019, three parties (WPK, Korean Social Democratic Party, and Chondoist Chongu Party) and one organization (Chongryon) are represented in the Supreme People's Assembly, the country's unicameral parliament.
Party | seats (2014) | Status | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chosŏn Rodongdang | Ruling party | [1] | |||
Chosŏn Sahoe Minjudang | Minor party, subordinate to the WPK | ||||
Ch'ŏndogyo Ch'ŏngudang | Minor party, subordinate to the WPK | ||||
Chaeilbon Chosŏnin Ch'ongryŏnhaphoe | Not a party but a North Korean-aligned organization for Zainichi Koreans in Japan. Despite this, it still appoints members of the SPA. |
Party | Status | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Chosŏn-bulgyodo-ryŏnmaeng | Pseudo-party, last time won a seat with certainty in 1972 | |||
Minju Tongnipdang | Participated in elections between 1948 and 1967, last time won a seat with certainty in 1962 | |||
(動勞人民黨) Dongro Inmindang | Participated in elections between 1948 and 1967, last time won a seat with certainty in 1962 | |||
Gonminhoe | Participated in elections between 1957 and 1967, originally South Korea-based party, last time won a seat with certainty in 1957 and in 1962 | |||
Inmin Konghwadang | South Korea-based party, participated in elections between 1948 and 1967, last time won a seat with certainty in 1957 | [2] | ||
Kŭllo Inmindang | South Korea-based party, last time won a seat with certainty in 1962 |
Party | Status | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Pukchosŏn Rodongdang | Merged with the Workers' Party of South Korea in 1949 to form the Workers' Party of Korea. | [3] | ||
Chosŏn Sinmindang | Merged with the Communist Party of Korea in 1946 to form the Workers' Party of South Korea. | [4] | ||
Chosŏn Kongsandang | Merged with the New People's Party of Korea in 1946 to form the Workers' Party of South Korea. |
There is currently no known organized opposition within North Korea that is independently verifiable. However, there are various exiled dissident groups that advocate for regime change. In 2024, U.S state-run news outlet Radio Free Asia claimed there may be opposition parties within North Korea.[5]