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The following is a list of national meetings of the Workers' Party of Korea. This article defines national meetings as party congresses (Korean: 조선로동당 당대회) and conferences of party representatives (Korean: 조선로동당 대표자회).
The party Congress is nominally the highest body of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) according to its charter.[1] The charter stated specifically that it should convene at least every fifth year; however, the congress has historically never managed to be convened in that time frame.[2] There was a gap of 36 years between the 6th Congress and the 7th Congress. However, two party conferences were convened in the period 2010–2012.[2] The 3rd Party Conference in 2010 formally deleted the five-year clause from the party charter,[3] but it was later restored at the 8th Congress in 2021.[4]
The Congress hears the reports of central authorities, makes amendments to the party's charter, sets the party's political line,[5] elects the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, elects the Central Committee and elects the Central Auditing Commission. The 1st Plenary Session of the elected Central Committee then elects the Politburo, the Secretariat, the Central Military Commission and other bodies of the Central Committee.[2] Despite this, as Fyodor Tertitskiy notes, "When it comes to the supreme leader of North Korea, it is not his position that makes him a leader; it is the person who makes a position one of leadership. Kim Jong Un may be called supreme commander, first chairman or even God-Emperor — it does not matter; he is in charge by right of bloodline."[2] For example, Kim Jong Un's election as Chairman of the WPK at the 7th Party Congress did not mean that said Congress was previously empowered to make decisions independent of Kim Jong Un.[2]
| Abbreviations | |
|---|---|
| CC | Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea |
| FM | Full member (a member with voting rights). |
| AM | Alternate member (a member without voting rights). |
| Political Report | Political Report to the Central Committee, a document which briefs delegates about the period since the last congress and future work. |
| Charter | Charter of the Workers' Party of Korea, the rules and regulations which governs the WPK. |
| PMR | Party members represented at the congress by delegates (the party membership at the time). |
| ND | Not disclosed by the WPK. |
| Congress | Duration (start—end) |
Delegates | CC elected |
Political Report (presented by) |
Charter | PMR | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Congress 3 days 1946 election |
28 August – 30 August 1946 |
801 | 43 | Kim Il Sung | Adopted | 336,399 | Pyongyang |
| 2nd Congress 4 days 1947–1948 election |
27 March – 30 March 1948 |
999 | 63 | Kim Il Sung | Amendment | 750,000 | Pyongyang |
| 3rd Congress 7 days 1955–1956 election |
23 April – 29 April 1956 |
916 | 71 FM – 43 AM |
Kim Il Sung | Amendment | 1,164,945 | Pyongyang |
| 4th Congress 8 days 1960–1961 election |
11 September – 18 September 1961 |
1,657 VD – 93 NVD |
85 FM – 50 AM |
Kim Il Sung | Amendment | 1,311,563 | Pyongyang |
| 5th Congress 12 days 1969–1970 election |
2 November – 13 November 1970 |
1,734 | 117 FM – 55 AM |
Kim Il Sung | Amendment | 1,600,000 | Pyongyang |
| 6th Congress 5 days 1979–1980 election |
10 October – 14 October 1980 |
3,062 VD – 137 NVD |
145 FM – 103 AM |
Kim Il Sung | Amendment | ND | April 25 House of Culture Pyongyang |
| 7th Congress 4 days 2016 election |
6 May – 9 May 2016 |
3,467 VD – 200 NVD |
129 FM – 106 AM |
Kim Jong Un | Amendment | ND | April 25 House of Culture Pyongyang |
| 8th Congress 6 days 2020–21 election |
5 January – 10 January 2021 |
TBD | 139 FM – 111 AM |
Kim Jong Un | Amendment | TBD | April 25 House of Culture Pyongyang |
| Conference | Duration (start—end) |
CC elected |
Charter (amendments) |
Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Conference 4 days 1958 election |
3 March – 6 March 1958 |
— | — | 1) "On First Five-year People’s Economic Development Plan" 2) "On Further Strengthening Party Unity and Cohesion" 3) On "organizational issues" |
| 2nd Conference 4 days 1966 election |
3 October – 6 October 1966 |
— | — | 1) "Current Situation and Our Party's Tasks" 2) "On Imminent Tasks of Socialist Economic Construction" 3) "On the Vietnam Issue" |
| 3rd Conference 1 day 2010 election[6] |
28 September 2010 | 124 FM – 105 AM |
Amendment | 1) "Decision To Unchangingly Elect High Great Leader Comrade Kim Jong Il as the WPK General Secretary" 2) "Decision on Revising the WPK Charter" 3) "Election of members to the central leadership organs of the WPK" |
| 4th Conference 1 day 2012 election |
11 April 2012 | — | Amendment | ND |
Articles and journals:
Information on congresses & conferences, number of delegates, number of people elected to CCs, party membership, the individual who presented the Political Report and information on when the congress was convened can be found in these sources:
