Presidium of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea
The Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Workers' Party of Korea, or simply the Presidium, and formerly known as the Standing Committee (1946–61), is a committee consisting of the top leadership of the Workers' Party of Korea. Historically, it has been composed of one to five members, and currently has five members. Its officially mandated purpose is to conduct policy discussions and make decisions on major issues when the Politburo, a larger decision-making body, is not in session. While the Presidium in theory reports to the Politburo, which in turn reports to the larger Central Committee, in practice the Presidium is supreme over its parent bodies and acts as the most powerful decision-making body in North Korea. As North Korea is a one-party state, the Presidium's decisions de facto have the force of law. Its role is roughly analogous to that of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.
Image: 18th Summit of Non Aligned Movement gets underway in Baku 005 (cropped)
The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from a merger between the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party of South Korea, the WPK is the oldest active party in Korea. It also controls the Korean People's Army, North Korea's armed forces. The WPK is the largest party represented in the Supreme People's Assembly and coexists with two other legal parties that are completely subservient to the WPK and must accept the WPK's "leading role" as a condition of their existence. The WPK is banned in the Republic of Korea under the National Security Act and is sanctioned by the United Nations, the European Union, Australia, and the United States.
Kim Il Sung (left) with Pak Hon-yong in Pyongyang, 1948
Propaganda mosaic depicting Kim Il Sung's first public speech given in Pyongyang in September 1945, after the liberation of Korea from Japanese occupation.
Although Kim Jong Il headed the WPK with no pretence of following the party rules, it was revitalized at the 3rd Conference at the end of his rule.
The Monument to Party Founding in Pyongyang, erected in 1995.