Chairman of the State Affairs Commission

The Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the head of state and supreme commander of the armed forces of North Korea and the most powerful person in the government as the Supreme Leader of North Korea. Originally titled Chairman of the National Defence Commission, it was confirmed as the highest position in the country on 5 September 1998. The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) elects the Chairman for a period of five years. The election is held immediately subsequent to the election of a new People's Assembly.

The past holder of the position was Kim Jong-il, who was elected on 9 April 1993, running unopposed, and was re-elected on 1998, 2003 and 2009. He died on 17 December 2011. On 13 April 2012, during the session of the Supreme People's Assembly, Kim Jong-il was designated as "Eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea", while his son, Kim Jong-un was appointed as the "First Chairman". On 24 December 2011, the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea formally appointed Kim Jong-un as the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army. In June 2016, the Constitution was amended to replace the National Defence Commission with the State Affairs Commission, and its chairman becoming head of state.

Legal and Constitutional Position
There is debate as to whether "highest office of state" should be considered equivalent to head of state. Kim Il-sung, the first leader of North Korea, was declared Eternal President, but it appears that the office is a facet of his extensive cult of personality. The Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, who handles the diplomatic functions that a head of state might normally undertake, is also sometimes considered the de jure head of state.

However, a 2009 amendment to the country's 1972 constitution named the Chairman of the National Defense Commission as the "supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea." This means the NDC chairman is the highest government official in the country. In reality, the chairman holds absolute authority in governing the country.

Powers and responsibilities
Here are the duties and functions of the Chairman of the National Defense Commission as the supreme leader of North Korea.


 * Direct the overall affairs of the State;
 * Personally guide the work of the National Defence Commission;
 * Appoint or remove key cadres in the field of national defence;
 * Ratify or rescind major treaties concluded with other countries;
 * Exercise the right of granting special pardon;
 * Proclaim a state of emergency, a state of war and mobilization order within the country.

At the 10th Supreme People’s Assembly, newly installed SPA President Kim Yong-nam spoke about the powers of the NDC Chairman: