North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is formally a one-party state under the leadership of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) as the sole governing party. There are also two other minor parties, the Korean Social Democratic Party (KSDP) and the Chondoist Chongu Party, that must accept the WPK's leading role as a condition of their existence. As of the latest election in 2026, these three parties and one organization (Chongryon) are represented in the Supreme People's Assembly, the country's unicameral parliament.
History
A few days before the end of Japanese colonial rule, the last Japanese governor-general of Korea Nobuyuki Abe gave his approval for the formation of a political party in northern Korea. The founders of the party named it the National Party, which was founded on 30 August 1945. During the Soviet administration of northern Korea, the party was renamed to the National Socialist Party, intending to gain favor from the Soviet Union. However, the similarity of the party's name to the Nazi Party led it to be dissolved by Soviet authorities. In September 1945, several influential Christians including Yun Ha-young and Han Kyong-jik founded the Christian Social Democratic Party. The party was largely based in Sinuiju, and was later renamed to the Social Democratic Party to gain larger support, but eventually disintegrated after its suppression due to a student protest on 22 November.
On 12 October 1945, Soviet authorities allowed the creation of political parties in northern Korea, leading to the establishment of the North Korean Branch Bureau of the Communist Party of Korea. This was followed by the establishment of the Korean Democratic Party on 3 November by Cho Man-sik, who was later removed from his position as party leader in January 1946 due to his opposition to a four-power trusteeship plan for Korea backed by the Soviets. In January 1946, Kim Il Sung met with the representatives of Cheondoism and approved their request to form their own party, who then formed the Chondoist Chongu Party on 8 February. This was followed by the establishment of the New People's Party of Korea, featuring members of the Yan'an faction of independence fighters who had been to China. On 10 April, the North Korean Branch Bureau became independent of the CPK and changed its name to the Communist Party of North Korea. On 28 August, the Communist Party of North Korea and the New People's Party of Korea merged to form the Workers' Party of North Korea.
Current parties
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!colspan=2|Party
!Status
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|<br/><br/>Chosŏn Rodongdang
|Ruling party
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|<br/><br/>Chosŏn Sahoe Minjudang
|Minor party, subordinate to the WPK
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|style="background:"|
|<br/> (動勞人民黨)<br/>Kŭllo Inmindang
|South Korea-based party, last time won a seat with certainty in 1962
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|style="background:"|
|<br/><br/>Chosŏn Sinmindang
|Merged with the Communist Party of Korea in 1946 to form the Workers' Party of North Korea.
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|style="background:"|
|<br/><br/>Chosŏn Kongsandang
|Merged with the New People's Party of Korea in 1946 to form the Workers' Party of North Korea.
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- Free Joseon
- North Korea Freedom Coalition
- Fighters for a Free North Korea
- North Korean People's Liberation Front
- New Joseon (Free Democratic Party)
See also
- Elections in North Korea
- Politics of North Korea
- List of ruling political parties by country