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111-617: The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea is the highest organ between national meetings of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the ruling party of North Korea . According to WPK rules, the Central Committee is elected by the party congress and the party conference can be conferred the right to renew its membership composition. In practice, the Central Committee has the ability to dismiss and appoint new members without consulting with

222-431: A control commission , responsible for party discipline work, a central military commission , responsible for military affairs, an orgburo , responsible for organisational questions, or other organs. The politburo was the highest political organ of the central committee and directed party work between central committee sessions. While formally accountable to the central committee, and despite reporting on its work to it,

333-418: A purge . People often failed to get reelected since they lost or voluntarily left their political office. The central committees could be seen as representative organs of various political offices and institutions. Once an individual loses his or her political office, he or she also loses his or her central committee membership. In line with this reasoning, members lost reelection since the party leadership used

444-481: A central committee session, work under the central committee's leadership. The LCY Control Commission worked under the central committee's leadership until the 9th LCY Congress , held in 1969, which transformed it into the only statutory review organ of a ruling communist party, the Commission on Statutory Questions . The 9th Extraordinary PUWP Congress , held in 1981, amended the party statute to state explicitly that

555-516: A member of the CPCZ Presidium , accused the United States of being an anti-Soviet state that refused "to reconcile itself to the fact that it has lost its dominating position in the world policy and economy". The session made clear its support for "The Soviet peace initiatives aim at averting the danger of a world nuclear war" which it argued corresponded "to the vital interests and peace wishes of

666-564: A party congress usually elects the central committee. These sessions, especially in communist Eastern Europe, seldom lasted more than an hour. The congress closing session usually noted that the election of members and candidates to the central committee was carried out unanimously. However, this was not always the case: Nicolae Ceaușescu , the general secretary of the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party (RCP), told

777-399: A politburo are the highest-standing officials of the given communist party and are, in practice, the country's leading political elite. Members usually have varied political backgrounds and experience from party, executive, legislative, and judicial work. The secretariat is responsible for overseeing the execution of the decisions of the politburo and the central committee, communicating with

888-478: A session of the PUWP Central Committee, held on 4 September 1980, removed Edward Gierek, the incumbent first secretary of the PUWP Central Committee, due to his "health issues". Others were removed due to specific reasons; for instance, Edward Babiuch and Zdzislaw Zandarowski were removed for "allowing distortions in interparty life, for shaping an incorrect style of party work, and for inadequate concern for

999-618: A strong power base and depended on the party leader for their position. The Presidium was established at the 6th Congress in 1980 and is the highest decision-making organ within the WPK when the Politburo and the Central Committee are not in session. With the death of O Jin-u in 1995, Kim Jong Il remained the only member of the Presidium still alive; the four others (Kim Il Sung, Kim Il , O Jin-u, and Ri Jong-ok ) died in office. Between O Jin-u's death and

1110-666: A year for a plenary session ("meeting"), and shall function as a top forum for discussion about relevant policy issues. It operates on the principle of the Monolithic Ideological System and the Great Leader theory . The role of the Central Committee has varied throughout history. In its early history until the August Faction Incident it was a forum in which different factions competed. Since then, it has generally exercised power through formal procedures defined in

1221-564: Is "organisational matters", meaning personnel changes in party and state organs. The communiques published by these sessions are usually brief and say little to nothing about the reason for the changes. But this was not abnormal. For instance, the official communique of the 13th Session of the Central Committee of the 7th Congress of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), held on 11–12 December 1980, only notes that two politburo members, Günter Mittag and Gerhard Schürer , spoke at

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1332-598: Is also responsible for administering party life guidance to secure loyalty to the Kim dynasty and maintain Party ideology, overseeing guidance implementation down to a local and even workplace level. It does this through local Organization Departments, which are a part of every KWP Committee and have political power due to their close link to the OGD. Since every North Korean citizen experiences party life in some form, regardless of actually joining

1443-541: Is difficult to track the various offices and sections, which are often referred to by slightly different names. Below is a list of known sections under the OGD. According to the United Nations Human Rights Council , the OGD plays a role in North Korea's notorious human rights violations. Monitoring North Korea's human rights policy, although not a formal designation, falls under the responsibility of

1554-405: Is discussed is routine in nature. These sessions are in most cases organised identically, and the key speech is often delivered by a central committee secretary responsible, for example, for economic affairs or international affairs. The discussions at the sessions are very seldom made public, but adopted resolutions are sometimes made public and session communiques are nearly always distributed to

1665-400: Is institutionalised by giving the party two-thirds of the seats in the highest organ of state power , which has complete control over all state activities per the principle of unified power. These members are, in most cases, elected in non-competitive elections and stand as candidates on the approval of the central committee. Many central committee members also serve concurrently as members of

1776-490: Is only the case after a routine [session], when nothing unusual has happened." These communiques were structured similarly throughout the communist world. Such sessions usually dealt with public matters, such as the economic plan and the state budget. For example, the HSWP Central Committee session held on 3 December 1981 transparently informed about which guests participated in the session and specifically stated what

1887-457: Is organised on similar lines as the permanent organs. In some instances, the secretaries head permanent organs in tandem with their supervisory responsibilities. The leading organs of a central committee were elected organs delegated with the central committee's powers when it was not in session. Every ruling communist party had a politburo and secretariat , albeit the name might differ from party to party. Other central committees also elected

1998-636: Is the Extraordinary Plenary Session of the PUWP Central Committee on 9 February 1981 that removed Józef Pińkowski , the sitting head of government, and replaced him with Wojciech Jaruzelski . Ruling central committees normally can convene for three meeting types: sessions (also called plenums), extraordinary sessions, and joint sessions. These three types have two sub-forms: a closed session and an enlarged session in which non-members are invited to participate. Central committee sessions dealing with non-party issues are often enlarged, even if what

2109-465: Is the largest department under the WPK Political Bureau , with a personnel of 1,000 and an estimated 25 deputy directors employed in its central sections, and all report to the office of the general secretary. Sections under the OGD often overlap with other organizations within the party. This ensures security in the WPK and the OGD's power across the WPK. Due to the OGD's level of secrecy, it

2220-446: The 11th RCP Congress , held on 25–28 November 1974, that the central committee had been elected "quasi-unanimously". Criteria for membership differs from party to party. For example, Enver Hoxha , the general secretary of the Central Committee of the Party of Labour of Albania (PLA), stated on 6 November 1981 at the 8th PLA Congress , that members were nominated based on their loyalty to

2331-701: The Central Committee of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party (HSWP) "adopted recommendations for filling of jobs in the state apparatus" to the highest organ of state power, the National Assembly , on 29 March 1979. In other instances, the central committee could instruct its members to resign from state offices. The 7th Session of the Central Committee of the 8th PUWP Congress , held on 1–2 December 1980, instructed Edward Babiuch , Jerzy Łukaszewicz , Tadeusz Pyka , Jan Szydlak , Tadeusz Wraszczyk , and Zdzislaw Zandarowski to resign their seats in

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2442-595: The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea maintains that the OGD truly implements directives of the Great Leader, and Michael Madden of the North Korea Leadership Watch concludes the OGD is not powerful enough to introduce directives itself. High-ranking members of the OGD have significant power in the WPK. The director is often referred to as the second most powerful figure in the country, exemplified by

2553-637: The Control Commission worked independently of the PUWP Central Committee. In some parties, as in the CPCZ and the HSWP, the chairman and ordinary members of the party control commission are barred from holding office in the central committee. In other parties, as in China, the head of the control commission is also a member of its Central Committee, Politburo and Politburo Standing Committee. The second to last session of

2664-477: The Great National Assembly , convened and adopted the central committee's proposals. Moreover, the speakers that spoke at the central committee sessions usually speak at the session of the highest organ of state power. Very few debates take place at the session of the highest organ of state power, and in most cases, these organs adopt the central committee's recommendations unanimously. This was not always

2775-528: The KGB , while the Chinese Communist Party has a Publicity Department responsible for supervising party and state media across China. Outside of these departments, central committees usually have other units as well, such as a publishing house, party schools, scholarly institutes and a capital construction section, for example. The leaders of these permanent organs are usually called "heads". The Secretariat

2886-640: The League of Communists of Yugoslavia (LCY) opted to abolish its secretariat in 1966 to divide powers more equally. Later, in 1978, the 11th LCY Congress turned the Presidency , the Yugoslav counterpart to the politburo, into a "political-executive organ" in which no member could concurrently be a member and a secretary. Political work was headed by the president of the LCY Presidency , the party leader, and no member of

2997-645: The Office of Foreign Assets Control Specially Designated Nationals List (OFAC SDN) for human rights abuses. Later in 2017, Min Byong-chol, Jo Yong-won, and Kim Yo-jong were added to the OFAC SDN list for human rights abuses as well. South Korea sanctioned Hwang Pyong-so (OGD Deputy Director as of 2020) in 2016 and implemented the above-mentioned UN sanctions. In 2017, the United Kingdom put its own additional sanctions on

3108-587: The Organizational Leadership Department (Official translation in North Korea) created in 1946, is a department of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the ruling party of North Korea . Its central responsibility is to implement the directives and teachings of the Great Leaders comrade Kim Il Sung , comrade Kim Jong Il , and comrade Kim Jong Un . The department

3219-515: The Politburo rather than the Central Committee, the apparatus was the nominal government of North Korea under Kim Il Sung. The Central Committee was not convened for a plenary session between 1993 and 2010. It was a 37-year interval between the 6th Congress and the 7th Congress . The Central Committee and its apparatus were weakened greatly under Kim Jong Il, with several offices remaining unfilled. Beginning in 2005 he took several steps to revitalize

3330-743: The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union "on instructions of the Central Committee". Upon his election, Chernenko nominated Nikolai Tikhonov as chairman of the Council of Ministers , the Soviet government, also on the instructions of the Central Committee. Moreover, Chernenko and Gorbachev both stated that the instruction had also been "approved by the party group" of the Supreme Soviet. Marxist constitutional theorist Sylwester Zawadzk , and member of

3441-600: The Reconnaissance General Bureau . In 2010, North Korea renamed the Munitions Industry Department to "Machine Building Industry Department" as part of efforts to evade sanctions targeting of its defense industry ; it reverted to its former name in 2017. By the 3rd Conference, it was known by foreign observers that certain department heads ( Chong Pyong-ho , Kim Kuk-tae and Ri Ha-il , for example) had retired. A new legal affairs department

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3552-619: The Sejm , the highest organ of state power in the People's Republic of Poland , and instructing its former leader, Edward Gierek , to resign from his seat in the State Council . The central committee could also nominate individuals to state positions. On 11 April 1984, during the 1st Session of the 11th Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union , Mikhail Gorbachev nominated Konstantin Chernenko as chairman of

3663-686: The " Highway Law of the People's Republic of China " in 1999 and the " Property Law of the People's Republic of China " in 2006. In both cases, the proposed legislation was amended and passed at a later date. In some cases, the central committee adopts decisions on behalf of state organs despite it not being in their jurisdiction. This occurred at a session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (CPCZ) on 13–14 September 1979 when it removed Jan Gregor , Frantisek Hamouz and Bohuslav Vecera from their government posts. Another example

3774-470: The "historic" central committee were kept a secret. For instance, the contents of the BCP Central Committee session on 17 April 1956 that removed Valko Chervenkov as general secretary were deemed too sensitive to be published even thirty years after the event took place. Central committee sessions could also produce transparent communiques and resolutions. Scholar Hazan contends, "As a rule, this

3885-436: The 3rd Conference, there were no reports indicating that Kim Jong Il or the central party leadership was planning to change the composition of the Presidium. Stephan Haggard, Luke Herman and Jaesung Ryu, writing for Asian Survey in 2014, contended that the Presidium "was clearly not a functioning institution." The Secretariat, in its current form, was established at the 8th Congress, however, its history can be traced back to

3996-433: The CPCZ; the HSWP Central Committee rarely replaced members who died in office. Other times, the removal of certain members was not explained. The RCP Central Committee session, held on 26 November 1981, published a communique that stated Leonte Răutu had been removed but did not disclose why. The same RCP session removed Virgil Trofin and Vasilie Ogherlaci and noted in the session communique that they were "excluded from

4107-449: The Central Committee and punished by a vote of censure and warning." According to Hazan, its not certain that the decision to remove these figures was independently decided by central committee. The RCP Political Committee , the party's name for their politburo, had already decided to remove these members, and one can, therefore, construe the central committee's decision instead as a ratification of an already made decision. In some cases,

4218-741: The Czechoslovak people." A central committee, not always the case in non-ruling parties, has two components: one composed of elected officials and another composed of non-elected officials. The non-elected officials compose the permanent organs of the central committee, which makes up the central committee apparatus. The activity of a central committee is constant and does not cease in between its sessions. The central committee usually has several internal departments, commissions, committees, newspapers and other organs working continuously when not in session. These organisational sub-units do everything from greeting foreign delegations, issuing regulations, monitoring

4329-591: The First Deputy Head of the OGD, through his post as director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, was the real ruler of the country because he controlled the appointments and dismissals of military officers. However, none of the three following GPB Directors, Choe Ryong-hae , Kim Jong-gak and then Kim Su-gil , have been seen as true leaders of North Korea. Robert Collins at

4440-515: The North Korean establishment. Their position affords them privileges and a degree of secrecy that makes them "a kind of elite priesthood in the DPRK." Officials working within the OGD are not under the jurisdiction of state law or party bylaws, after a memorandum issued by Kim Jong Il in the 1980s turned the OGD into a partially secret organization. Sanctions against deputy heads are kept confidential from

4551-540: The OGD and the same individuals. The stability of the Mount Paektu bloodline depends on the party obligations that are largely created and enforced by the OGD, according to the Korean Institute for National Unification. Thus, the OGD is integral to the regime's survival. As assessed by Robert Collins, former Chief of Strategy at R.O.K.- U.S. Combined Forces Command, there are external threats that could put strain on

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4662-509: The OGD as well as key leadership: Min Byong-chol (OGD Deputy Director as of 2020), Jo Yon-jun (former OGD Deputy Director), Kim Kyong-ok (OGD First Director as of 2020), and Jo Yong-won (deputy director as of 2020). In 2016 the United States put North Korean human rights on its agenda, with the US Treasury placing sanctions on the OGD itself as well as Jo Yon-jun, Kim Kyong-ok and several other members of North Korean leadership who were added to

4773-420: The OGD is "the only entity that actually matters when it comes to decision-making or policy-making" and reflects the autocratic structure of the government.   Hwang Jang-yop , another high-ranking defector, stated that the leading figures of North Korea belong to the OGD. Its officials regularly accompany the Great Leader during inspections and field guidance appearances. Some of its powers were given to

4884-501: The OGD, which administers and guides North Korea's policy of human rights denial. The OGD's control over Party life through Organization Departments at a local level allows it to record and punish any North Korean who does not adhere to policy. North Koreans can be removed from positions of power, receive reeducation, or in severe cases be denied access to the food and medical systems or even send citizens to prison or labor camps. In 2017 United Nations (UN) Security Council sanctioned

4995-543: The PUWP Central Committee, but provincial delegations from the floor nominated a further 79 candidates. The congress delegates then elected the central committee by secret vote by crossing of 79 candidates. The result was that eleven out of fifteen incumbent members of the Politburo and the Secretariat were voted out of office. Normally, up to two-thirds of central committee members are reelected at party congresses. Those who fail to get reelected are usually not victims of

5106-475: The Politburo should meet at least once a month, there is little evidence that this actually happens. Politburo members may serve concurrently on party or state commissions, the government or the Central Committee apparatus. Evidence suggests that the Politburo functions much like the CPSU Politburo under Stalin, with Politburo members acting as the party leader's personal staff rather than as policymakers. This

5217-466: The Political Committee, was the main decision-making body of the WPK until the establishment of the Presidium . The Politburo has full (voting) and candidate (non-voting) members and is the highest WPK decision-making body when it convenes for meetings. Until the 3rd Conference, the Politburo was elected by the Central Committee immediately after a congress. Although the party charter specifies that

5328-554: The RCP Central Committee session of 25 March 1981 clarified the party's foreign affairs policy and how it differed from other Eastern European communist parties. In other situations, as was a normal occurrence in former communist Europe (bar Yugoslavia), the central committee convened to express support for Soviet foreign policy . This occurred at the CPCZ Central Committee session on 21 April 1982, where Vasiľ Biľak ,

5439-571: The Soviet Union (CPSU) as an example, since "each secretary has responsibility for one or more departments, and hence the departmental officials work as the staff assistants of the secretaries." The permanent organs are often organised on branch lines. For example, the CPSU Central Committee had the Administrative Organs Department responsible for supervising the works of the ministries of Civil Aviation , Defence and

5550-646: The WPK Administrative Department (AD), in a bid to weaken the influence of those working in the OGD. However the AD itself was abolished in February 2014, after the execution of the AD Head Jang Song-thaek . Some scholars and defectors argue that the leaders of the OGD are the real leaders of North Korea, that Kim Jong Un is a puppet. North Korean defector Jang Jin-sung argues that Hwang Pyong-so ,

5661-954: The WPK Charter, the CMC is the highest party body in military affairs and leads the Korean People's Army (KPA). It is responsible for the army's weapons and armaments development and procurement policies. The WPK General Secretary is by right the CMC Chairman. The Control Commission, formerly the Inspection Commission, was elected by the 1st CC Plenary Session after a party congress. It is responsible for regulating party membership and resolves disciplinary issues involving party members. Investigative subjects range from graft to anti-party and counter-revolutionary activities, generally encompassing all party rules violations. Lower-level party organizations (at

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5772-676: The case. The Assembly of the Yugoslavia rejected bills, the Polish Sejm voted against government appointments and, under Gorbachev's leadership, the Congress of People's Deputies and the Supreme Soviet regularly voted contrary to the wishes of the Soviet government and party leaders. There have been several attempts to reform the relationship between the central committee and the highest organ of state power. In China, according to scholar Anthony Saich, "the party cannot guarantee absolute support [in

5883-402: The central committee and holds it accountable. At the first central committee session held immediately after a congress, it elects the party leader , an office usually titled general secretary of the central committee , a political organ, commonly known as the politburo , and an executive organ , customarily named the secretariat . Communist parties are organised on Leninist lines based on

5994-557: The central committee and that the president of the LCY Central Committee served as an ex officio central committee member. However, unlike the other ruling communist parties, the party congress did not elect the LCY Central Committee from 1974 onwards. The congresses and conferences of the LCY branches nominated individuals to serve in the LCY Central Committee, and the LCY congress decided on

6105-461: The central committee is empowered to deal with any issue that falls under the party's purview. While formally retaining this role in socialist states , commonly referred to as communist states by outside observers, in practice, it delegates this authority to numerous smaller internal organs due to the infrequency of its meetings. The term of a central committee of a ruling communist party is usually five years. The party congress elects individuals to

6216-430: The central committee. Party members who serve in the highest organ of state power are also bound by party discipline and have to enact policies approved by the central committee. The leading role principle entails that the central committee adopts recommendations on state policy on behalf of the party to, most commonly, the highest organ of state power , but also to other state organs if deemed necessary. For instance,

6327-432: The central committee. The party leader, most often known as general secretary of the central committee , led the secretariat's work. As such, several scholars, like Darrell P. Hammer , Archie Brown and Wu Guoguang , have referred to the general secretary as the central committee's chief executive officer . While all ruling central committees have had secretariats at some points, some opted to abolish them. For example,

6438-496: The composition of the Central Committee; however, the power to give it a new term is held by the party congress. The Charter prescribes that the size of the central committee is determined by the congress presidium. The Central Committee Plenary Session is empowered to renew its rank if "necessary". Candidates can be nominated by the provincial committees, but the Central Committee through the Organization and Guidance Department has

6549-482: The congress as an occasion to rearrange which institutions were to be represented in the central committee. In this way, the party leadership could guarantee that certain sectors were represented in the central committee. Despite this, many ruling central committees had elders in their ranks who had been members their whole careers. For example, in the HSWP, Antal Apró , Sándor Gáspár , Károly Kiss , István Szabó and Rezső Nyers had been central committee members since

6660-499: The early 1950s. For example, the 3rd Extraordinary Session of the Central Committee of the 6th LCY Congress , held on 16–17 January 1954, was both publicly broadcast and made public in written form in the LCY Central Committee's theoretical journal, Komunist . This is against the norm in most communist parties as the majority of them did, and still do, keep proceedings secret. Sessions have, on several occasions, produced documents of an authoritative ideological nature. For instance,

6771-652: The economy or South Korean affairs (such as the Administrative Department, which was re-established in 2006 after being part of the Organization and Guidance Department since the 1990s) were frequently revamped. Although the United Front Department had its ups and downs during Kim Jong Il's rule, in 2006–2007 it was the centre of a purge. The Economic Planning and Agricultural Policy departments were abolished in 2002–2003 to strengthen cabinet control of

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6882-727: The economy. Further changes occurred in 2009 with the establishment of the Film and Light Industry Industrial Policy departments; Office 38 was merged into Office 39 (and later re-established), the External Liaison Department was moved from WPK jurisdiction to the Cabinet, while Office 35 (also known as the External Investigations and Intelligence Department) and the Operations Department were moved from WPK jurisdiction to

6993-419: The electoral procedure varies. For instance, the Communist Party of Vietnam 's control organ, the Central Inspection Commission , is elected by a session of the central committee. In contrast, the CCP counterpart, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection , is elected by the party congress . Control commissions in all these parties, whether elected by the central committee or congress, bear more or less

7104-620: The eligibility of the candidates proposed. The sitting party leadership usually controls congress proceedings, nominating candidates close to them and trying to remove opponents. Moreover, in some parties, as in the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP), the central committee was empowered to elect additional members between congresses, which the Central Committee of the 11th BCP Congress did do on two occasions. While most personnel changes did occur at congresses, removing or adding new central committee members between congresses occurred semi-regularly. The reasons for removing members varied. For instance,

7215-426: The establishment of the Secretariat at the 2nd Party Conference in October 1966. It mimics the role of its Soviet counterpart during the Stalin era. The WPK General Secretary is the Head of the Secretariat, and the other members have the title of "Secretary of the WPK Central Committee". The body is responsible for overseeing and implementing party policies and supervising party organs. The Central Military Commission

7326-405: The final say. In between sessions of party congresses and conferences, the Central Committee is the highest WPK institution. It is not a permanent body and, according to the WPK Charter, shall convene at least once a year. The Politburo summons the Central Committee for plenary sessions. A plenary session shall consist of, according to the WPK Charter, discussing and deciding on "important issues of

7437-412: The final word on dismissals; for instance, in the 1990s Yun Sung-gwan , as deputy head, assumed control over the affairs of the OGD for two years, but was removed when Kim Jong Il believed he had amassed too much power. A similar case took place in 2003, when Jang Song-thaek was dismissed. Kim Kyong-hui and Kim Jong Un were speculated to have led the OGD following Kim Jong Il's death. Ri Man-gon

7548-417: The first director of the OGD being Kim Il Sung , the founder of the North Korean state, and his successor, Kim Jong Il (the Party General Secretary from 1997 to 2011) directing the OGD from September 1973 until his death in 2011 . Under Kim Jong Il's stewardship, the OGD was turned into a center of power within the WPK. Therefore, OGD first deputy directors and deputy directors are leading figures within

7659-443: The great suryǒng, hold the entire party and people firmly around Kim Jong-il, and fight to secure political and ideological unity of the party." The editor-in-chief of the newspaper is appointed by the central committee in a plenary session. Central committee The central committee is designated as the highest organ of a communist party between congresses . Per the principles of democratic centralism and unified power ,

7770-402: The highest organ of state power of Poland, defined the relationship between the party and state as follows, "The Marxist-Leninist party gives political direction to the work of both the [Highest organ of state power] and the Government. [Highest organ of state power] and Government both work to carry out a common program for building socialism. It does not mean, however, that under these conditions

7881-430: The highest organ of state power. In the Soviet Union, 227 out of 241 members of the Central Committee of the 24th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) concurrently served in the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union . They tended to dominate the Supreme Soviet and occupied leading political positions within it. In 1971–1973, forty per cent of debate participants were either members or alternates of

7992-538: The highest organ of state power] and has accepted a looser form of control than during the Maoist days when the [National People's Congress] (NPC) was simply stocked with model workers and peasants, pliant intellectuals and senior party leaders." The first reforms were instituted in 1991, when the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) adopted a regulation that limited the party's interference in

8103-468: The importance of the [highest organ of state power's] constitutional functions is reduced." In practice, the party's central committee normally discusses and adopts the state plan and budget before the highest organ of state power does. On 25 November 1981, the RCP Central Committee convened to discuss and adopt the state plan and budget. Two days later, on 27 November, the Romanian highest organ of state power,

8214-435: The international policy stance of the HSWP and outlined the basic features of the 1982 plan and budget. However, in other instances, the session makes public the resolutions adopted. For instance, the RCP Central Committee session on 9 February 1982 made public the resolution on "Resetting of Prices and Augmentation of Remuneration of Working Personnel". According to Hazan, the RCP Central Committee took this move to help justify

8325-405: The majority. Secondly, he posited that lower-level organs were subservient to higher-level organs. Third, members willingly acquiesced to discipline, and political discipline was equally obligatory for all party members. Democracy, on the other hand, meant, according to Dobieszewski, that every member had equal opportunity to participate in the formulation of the party's programme and line, as well as

8436-608: The nationwide party organisation and being responsible for personnel appointments throughout the party. For example, the CPSU statute , adopted at the 22nd Congress in 1961, stated that the CPSU Secretariat was "to direct current work, chiefly the selection of personnel and the verification of the fulfilment of Party decisions." The most powerful individuals in the communist state system were politburo members who concurrently served as secretariat members, also referred to as secretaries of

8547-545: The party and people, fidelity to Marxism–Leninism and their participating in socialist construction. Another criterion was age, with Hoxha noting that newer members were younger than incumbent ones. He also stated that party organizations had put forward over 2,000 potential candidates to the leadership but had shortened the list to 125 nominees for central committee membership. Hoxha's statement was, according to Hazan, vague but more transparent on election practices than most of his communist counterparts. The exception to this rule

8658-775: The party as a whole and preparing agenda items and dossiers for politburo meetings. Because of the central committee's role in the political system of communist states, foreign observers often state that it has functions resembling parliaments in liberal democracies . For example, the central committee apparatus of the former communist ruling parties of Europe had twenty to thirty organisational subunits that covered everything from foreign relations and trade to sports and science, similar to parliamentary special committees . Some organisational units are deemed party secrets and not publicly acknowledged. Many organisational units are shared by all communist parties, such as having organisational units for agitation and propaganda and organisation. At

8769-522: The party leadership lost control or chose to democratise congress proceedings. For instance, the 9th Extraordinary Congress of the Polish United Workers' Party , held on 14–20 July 1981, was, according to Hazan, "the only time that the election of an East European Central Committee was subjected to democratic procedures", in the liberal democratic sense. The Electoral Commission of the 9th PUWP Congress originally proposed 200 nominees for 200 seats in

8880-451: The party rules. However, its actual ability to affect outcomes of national-level personnel decisions is non-existent, as that function has generally been, in practice, carried out by the Kim family and the Politburo . Nonetheless, Central Committee plenums function as venues whereby policy is formally implemented, and public announcements made. Decisions are released publicly in the form of "resolutions" or "decisions". The Central Committee

8991-597: The party" and is empowered to elect the Politburo and its Presidium, Executive Policy Bureau, the Central Military Commission, the Control Commission, WPK vice-chairmen, heads of CC departments and lower-level provincial posts. It was formerly empowered to elect the party's leader. It can elevate alternate, non-voting members to full members and appoint new voting and non-voting members to the Central Committee at its plenary sessions. The Politburo, formerly

9102-415: The party's seizure of power in 1948. Another interpretation, as outlined by Hazan, is that "the exercise of electing a new Central Committee is designed to remove those elements that had, for various reasons, become undesirable, while promoting people faithful to the party leader and his closest associates." Organization and Guidance Department The Organization and Guidance Department ( OGD ), or

9213-597: The party, appointing senior officials to new posts. Pak Nam Gi was appointed head of the Planning and Finance Department , and Jang Song-thaek was appointed head of the Administrative Department . Overseeing all security matters, Jang was indirectly restored to his duties and responsibilities as head of the Organization and Guidance Department . The 3rd Conference of Representatives (held in September 2010) renewed

9324-435: The party, the OGD and its guidance have a direct effect on the lives of every North Korean from the highest to lowest level. Due to a lack of information on the OGD from the North Korean government, there is a heavy reliance on defector testimony and expert analysis. Polish political scientist Nicolas Levi refers to the OGD as "The heart of the North Korean political system". According to North Korean defector Jang Jin-sung ,

9435-665: The politburo often ends up controlling the central committee. The politburos is often a small organ composed of anywhere from 10 to 30 members. In some parties, as in the RCP and in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the politburo has a standing committee that leads politburo work. In China, it is known as the Politburo Standing Committee , and in Romania, it was known as the Political Executive Committee . The members of

9546-419: The presidency could concurrently serve as a secretary, called executive secretary in the LCY. Executive work was led by the secretary of the LCY Presidency , and the officeholder was assisted by executive secretaries, who could not concurrently serve in the LCY Presidency but had to be members of the LCY Central Committee to be eligible to serve. A control commission is also widespread in communist parties, but

9657-502: The price increases to the population. In other cases, as with the PUWP Central Committee sessions from 1980 to 1982 and those of the LCY more generally, the agenda and proceedings of the sessions were made entirely public. In the PUWP, proceedings were aired live by state radio and television, while in Yugoslavia, public broadcasting of central committee sessions had been a normal occurrence since

9768-497: The principles of democratic centralism and unified power . Adolf Dobieszewski , an official of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party (PUWP), tried to define democratic centralism in 1980. He posited that centralism involves unifying party building and policy to construct a socialist society. To achieve unity in party building and policy, Dobieszewski contended that the minority had to be subordinate to

9879-633: The provincial or county level, for example) and individual members may appeal directly to the commission. It was abolished on 10 January 2021 and its functions moved to the Central Auditing Commission. Although under Kim Jong Il's rule the Central Committee apparatus underwent several reorganizations, some departments (mainly those responsible for internal and organizational party affairs: the Organization and Guidance, Propaganda and Agitation and Cadre Affairs departments) were left largely untouched. In contrast, departments responsible for overseeing

9990-399: The public that "measures to ensure the consistent and all-round implementation of the decisions of the 11th BCP Congress" had been adopted and discussed. What these measures were was not made public. The importance of the session was indicated by the fact that Todor Zhivkov , the first secretary of the BCP Central Committee, "read a detailed report" to the session. However, the report's content

10101-442: The public. In some instances, the number of non-members exceeds that of central committee members. The Romanian Communist Party (RCP) did this, and the Central Committee of the 12th RCP Congress convened an enlarged session on 1 June 1982 attended by 360 guests to discuss the "current stage of building socialism in Romania". Sessions dealing exclusively with party affairs are usually closed. These sessions' most common agenda item

10212-439: The quality of party ranks", while Jan Szydlak was removed "for errors in economic policy and support for arbitrary action in this field." In other cases, the central committee elected additional members on the death of sitting member. For example, a session of the CPCZ Central Committee, held on 1 December 1977, opted to elect Miloš Jakeš to the central committee to replace the recently deceased Jan Baryl . Not every party did as

10323-421: The rest of the party. Although lower ranking members of the OGD don't have these privileges to the same extent, any member of the OGD is considered to be in a position of power and privilege. Members of the OGD, especially directors and deputy directors, are under constant and heavy surveillance and can be dismissed at any time for any reason by the Great Leader. He, as the head of every chain of leadership, has

10434-414: The right to elect and recall officials at all levels. Unified power is the opposite of the separation of powers , and seeks to centralise all power into one organ. This meant that the unified power of the party was bestowed on the congress, which was often designated as the party's "supreme organ". This supreme organ is responsible for electing the central committee, which is typically tasked with directing

10545-424: The same functions and responsibilities. They are responsible for investigating disciplinary issues, screening party members, handling appeals against party decisions, combatting political corruption and, in instances where control and auditing functions have been merged, auditing the party's economic and financial affairs. In most cases, bar a few exceptions, these organs, no matter if they are elected by congress or

10656-536: The same time, others are unique, such as the Department of Western Affairs of the SED Central Committee . These organs are supervised by the secretariat , and this institutional function is usually vaguely stated in the party statute. The difference between elected and non-elected personnel in the apparatus is blurred, according to scholars Jerry F. Hough and Merle Fainsod , and using the Communist Party of

10767-634: The session, that fifteen central committee members participated in session discussions and that it approved the SED Politburo's report and the proposed economic plan for 1981. The same rule regards extraordinary sessions, both ordinary and enlarged, as well. In some cases, these sessions were made public long after the fact. For example, the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP) reported that an "important" Central Committee session had taken place 1–2 July 1976, but only informed

10878-407: The staff for the Central Committee and Central Military Committee , and controls key personnel in the government, WPK, and Korean People's Army (KPA). This control stems from the OGD's power to select and dismiss high-ranking officials based on the monitoring it does, records it collects, and investigations it runs, making it one of the most powerful and feared departments of the WPK. The OGD

10989-441: The wider party at its own plenary sessions . The 1st Central Committee was elected at the 1st WPK Congress in 1946. It was composed of 43 members. The numbers of Central Committee members have increased since then, with the 7th Congress in 2017 electing 235 members. Non-voting members, officially referred to as alternate members at the present, was introduced at the 2nd Congress . The Central Committee convenes at least once

11100-506: The work of China's highest organ of state power, the NPC. The document clarifies that the CPC has the right to review all proposed laws, but detailed scrutiny of articles and other legal features should be left to the NPC. In line with this, the number of negative votes by NPC deputies against proposed legislation and candidates has increased since 1991. The NPC has also rejected proposed legislation, such as

11211-452: The work of state organs, granting approval to the state plan and budget ahead of the discussions in the highest organ of state power , and endorsing the appointments of individuals to prominent state roles. However, more generally, central committees are empowered to deal with any issue that falls under the party's purview. Most communist states formally enshrine the communist party's leading or guiding role in state and society , and this

11322-515: The work of the communist party in between two congresses. According to scholar Baruch Hazan, the former ruling Eastern European communist parties provided nearly identical descriptions of the functions and powers of their central committees. Their responsibilities included representing the party externally, organising party organs, directing their activities, nominating personnel for internal organs, evaluating party cadres, and administering internal funds. Additionally, they were responsible for overseeing

11433-601: Was created in August 2020 and the 8th Congress in January 2021 revealed the existence of an economic policy office. During the 8th Congress a Discipline Inspection Department was created. The Rodong Sinmun is an organ of the WPK Central Committee and acts as the official mouthpiece of the party. Its task is to "achieve a revolutionary transformation of society and the people as demanded by revolutionary ideology and juche idea of

11544-421: Was discussed. In this, the communique stated, "The Central Committee discussed and approved: a report submitted by Comrade Andreas Gyenes , secretary of the Central Committee, on topical international issues; and a proposal submitted by Comrade Ferenc Havasi , member of the Politburo and secretary of the Central Committee, on guiding principles for the 1982 plan and state budget." The ensuing communique summarised

11655-493: Was dismissed in February 2020 by the Politburo from his position as WPK Vice-Chairman, and likely as OGD Director as well. This was due to, according to the North Korean Central News Agency , an abuse of power and corruption scandal in the WPK. Former premier Kim Jae-ryong was appointed to lead the OGD in 2020. First deputy directors (as of 2020) Deputy directors (as of 2020) The OGD

11766-487: Was established at the 1st Congress when its 1st composition was elected. It was composed of 43-members and has since expanded at all congresses. From 1948 to 1961 an average of 2.4 meetings per year were held, about the same rate as the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union . Meetings held during this period frequently did not exceed one day. The Central Committee's power lay not in how often (or for how long) it met but in its apparatus. Controlled by

11877-403: Was established in 1962 by a decision of the 5th Plenary Session of the 4th Central Committee. A 1982 amendment to the WPK charter is believed to have made the CMC equal to the Central Committee, enabling it (among other things) to elect the WPK leader. Despite this, some observers believe that at the 3rd Conference the CMC again became accountable to the Central Committee. According to Article 27 of

11988-573: Was initially a department within the WPK General Affairs Department, but eventually spun off and was established at the 3rd Plenary Session of the 2nd Central Committee as the Organization Committee. The OGD is a powerful department of the WPK that guides the implementation of all Party life policy, which extends to nearly every aspect of life in North Korea from civilian, to military, to government. The OGD also serves as

12099-429: Was not always the case; before Kim Il Sung purged the party opposition, the Politburo was a decision-making body where policy differences were discussed. Since Kim Il Sung's consolidation of power, the Politburo has turned into a rubber stamp body. Leading members have disappeared without explanation; the last case is that of Kim Tong-gyu who disappeared in 1977. Politburo members under Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il lacked

12210-484: Was not made public either. Despite the meeting's secretive nature, and the low level of transparency about it, the BCP Central Committee's main newspaper Rabotnichesko delo wrote, "the entire population is called upon to fulfill the 'program' contained in the report." That is, the Bulgarian people were called to participate in implementing resolutions they were not acquainted with. In other more extreme cases, details of

12321-545: Was the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (LCY), which had instituted clear and transparent rules on elections to the LCY Central Committee . For example, the Sixth Session of the Central Committee of the 10th LCY Congress , held on 20 March 1978, instituted a system in which each republican branch had twenty representatives, each autonomous province had fifteen members, that the army branch had fifteen members in

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