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Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea

The Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea (DFRK), also known as the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland (DFRF) or the Fatherland Front, was a North Korean popular front formed on 25 June 1949 and led by the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).^[1] It was initially called the Fatherland United Democratic Front.

The front initially consisted of 72 parties and social organizations from both the North and the South; at the time of its dissolution, it had 24 members.^[2][3] The three legal political parties of North Korea—the WPK, the Korean Social Democratic Party, and the Chondoist Chongu Party—all participated in the front.^[4] The country's four most important mass organizations—the Socialist Patriotic Youth League, Socialist Women's Union of Korea, General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea, and Union of Agricultural Workers of Korea—were member organizations.^[5][6] The Korean Children's Union was also a member organization.^[7]

All candidates for an elected office in North Korea had to be a member of the front, and were nominated and approved at mass meetings held by the front.^[8] The WPK led the front and all other member organizations were subservient to it.^[9] The WPK was thus able to predetermine the composition of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA). The Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front is ostensibly the South Korean counterpart to the DFRK, but it operates from North Korea.

At the time of its dissolution, the Director of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the DFRK was Maeng Kyong Il. Members of the Presidium of the Central Committee included Pak Myong Chol and Kim Wan Su.^[10]

History[edit]

The National Democratic Front (민주주의민족전선), a South Korean leftist organization, was founded with the Communist Party of Korea as its leading organization on 15 February 1946. It was formed from 40 leftist parties and consisted of 398 communists led by Lyuh Woon-hyung, Pak Hon-yong, and Ho Hon. The North Korean National Democratic Front (북조선 민주주의 민족통일전선) was founded on 22 July 1946.^[11] It was formed from 13 parties and organizations and led by Kim Il Sung, Kim Tu-bong, and Choe Yong-gon. It included the North Korean Branch of the Communist Party and the New People’s Party of Korea, which were soon merged to form the Workers' Party of North Korea, as well as the Korean Democratic Party and the Chondoist Chongu Party.^[12] The North Korean National Democratic Front absorbed the South Korean National Democratic Front on 25 June 1949, after South Korea outlawed the latter, leading to the establishment of the Fatherland United Democratic Front.^[13][12]

In the 1950s, the front outlived its original role as a way for the Workers' Party to consolidate its power. It was therefore assigned a new role; to serve as body to interact with South Korean organizations and political parties. It consequently changed the English rendering name to the Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea (DFRK). According to North Korea expert Andrei Lankov, in this capacity, the DFRK "handled relations with South Korea’s assorted progressive groups while also serving as a quasi-official voice of the North Korean government on matters related to the South".^[12]

In 2018, the DFRK was led by Pak Myong Chol.^[14] Presidium members during that time included Ri Kil Song and Kim Wan Su.^[15] On 23 March 2024, the Korean Central News Agency reported that the DFRK had officially dissolved its central committee, effectively dissolving the whole front. The move followed a speech by Kim Jong Un in which he stated that the North would give up its goal of peaceful reunification with the South and dissolve all organizations related to the goal.^[16]

Member organizations[edit]

In the SPA[edit]

Name (abbreviation)		Emblem	Ideology	Leader	Foundation	Seats in the SPA (2014)	Ref
	Workers' Party of Korea 조선로동당 Chosŏn Rodongdang		Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism	Kim Jong Un	29 July 1946	607 / 687	[17][18]
	Korean Social Democratic Party 조선사회민주당 Chosŏn Sahoe Minjudang		Social democracy (de jure)	Vacant	3 November 1945	50 / 687	[19][18]
	Chondoist Chongu Party 천도교청우당 Ch'ŏndogyo Ch'ŏngudang		Chondoist interests	Ri Myong-chol	18 February 1946	22 / 687	[20][18]
	Chongryon 총련		Zainichi interests	Pak Ku-ho	30 March 1955	6 / 687	[21]

With SPA observer status[edit]

Organization	Emblem	Korean name	Foundation	Ref
Socialist Patriotic Youth League		사회주의애국청년동맹	17 January 1946	[22]
Socialist Women's Union of Korea		조선사회주의녀성동맹	18 November 1945	[23]
General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea		조선직업총동맹	30 November 1945	[24]
Union of Agricultural Workers of Korea		조선농업근로자동맹	31 January 1946	[24]
Korean Children's Union		조선소년단	6 June 1946	[25]
Korean Journalists' Union		조선기자동맹	10 February 1946	[26][27]
Korean Federation of Literature and Arts		조선문학예술총동맹	25 March 1946	[26][28]
Korean Christian Federation		조선그리스도교연맹	28 November 1946	[29][30]
Korean Catholic Association [ko]		조선카톨릭교협회	30 June 1988	[31][32]
Korea Buddhist Federation		조선불교도련맹	26 December 1945	[31][33]
Chosun Cheondogyo Central Guidance Committee		조선천도교중앙지도위원회	1 February 1946	[31][34]

Electoral history[edit]

Supreme People's Assembly elections[edit]

Election	% of votes	Seats	+/−	Position	Government
1948	98.49%	572 / 572	572	1st	Sole legal coalition under the control of WPK
1957	99.92%	215 / 215	357	1st
1962	100%	383 / 383	168	1st
1967	100%	457 / 457	74	1st
1972	100%	541 / 541	84	1st
1977	100%	579 / 579	38	1st
1982	100%	615 / 615	36	1st
1986	100%	655 / 655	40	1st
1990	100%	687 / 687	32	1st
1998	100%	687 / 687		1st
2003	100%	687 / 687		1st
2009	100%	687 / 687		1st
2014	100%	687 / 687		1st
2019	100%	687 / 687		1st

See also[edit]

• Elections in North Korea
• List of political parties in North Korea

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

Sources[edit]

• Myers, Brian (2011). The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why it Matters. Melville House Publishing. ISBN 978-1933633916.
• North Korea Handbook. Seoul: Yonhap News Agency. 2002. ISBN 978-0-7656-3523-5.

Further reading[edit]

• Kim Il-sung (1981). "On the Formation of the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland: Report Delivered at the Sixth Meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of North Korea, June 11, 1949". Works. Vol. 5. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Publishing House. OCLC 311616915.