Supreme People's Assembly
The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA; Korean: 최고인민회의; MR: Ch’oego Inmin Hoeŭi) is the highest organ of state power of North Korea. It is the only branch of government in North Korea, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs are subservient to it. It consists of one deputy from each of North Korea's 687 constituencies, elected to five-year terms.
Supreme People's Assembly 최고인민회의 最高人民會議 Ch'oego Inmin Hoeŭi | |
|---|---|
| 14th Supreme People's Assembly | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 687 |
Political groups | Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea (687)
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| Committees |
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| Elections | |
| Approval voting for single party-nominated candidate | |
Last election | 10 March 2019 |
| Meeting place | |
| Mansudae Assembly Hall Pyongyang Democratic People's Republic of Korea | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | |
|---|---|
| Hancha | |
| Revised Romanization | Choego Inmin Hoeui |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oego Inmin Hoeŭi |
| North Korea portal |
The constitution identifies the SPA as the "highest organ of state power" and all state positions, including the President of the State Affairs and the Premier of the Cabinet, trace their authority to it. The Assembly typically does not legislate directly but delegates that task to a smaller Standing Committee. Government officials carry out the policies legislated by the SPA subject to oversight and correction by the Workers' Party of Korea.
The Workers' Party of Korea, which the constitution recognizes as the state's leading party, dominates the Assembly in a monopoly coalition with the Social Democratic Party and the Chondoist Chongu Party called the Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea. Elections are held in five-year intervals, the most recent in 2019.