North Korea
Workers’ Party of Korea
Juche / hereditary single-party rule
The ruling party of North Korea. Its charter establishes Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism as its guiding ideology and the party as the supreme organ of state and society, with leadership held within one family since 1948.
- Founded
- 1949
- Positions as of
- 2021 party charter
- Last verified
What does it believe?
Nation and the world
Juche self-reliance and Songun military-first policy are constitutional commitments, with nuclear status written into the state constitution in 2012.
Power and its limits
The party charter names it the supreme guiding force; no competing organisation is permitted and leadership is hereditary.
Where it sits on each dimension
Wealth and inequality
Evidence: Well documented
The state in the economy
Evidence: Well documented
Personal liberty
Evidence: Well documented
Nation and the world
Evidence: Well documented
Religion and the state
Evidence: Well documented
Power and its limits
Evidence: Well documented
Crime and punishment
Evidence: Documented
Sources
Sources are prioritised in this order: official manifestos, official party documents, parliamentary records, academic research, then high-quality reporting.
- Charter of the Workers’ Party of Korea · Workers’ Party of Korea · 2021
- Socialist Constitution of the DPRK · Supreme People’s Assembly · 2019
Logo: WPK symbol.svg · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons. Registered trademark of its owner.