Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea

The Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea, also known as the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland (DFRF) or the Fatherland Front, is a North Korean popular front formed on 22 July 1946 and led by the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).[2] It was initially called the North Korean Fatherland United Democratic Front.[3]

Not to be confused with the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland.

Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea
조국통일민주주의전선
Supreme LeaderKim Jong Un
DirectorMaeng Kyong-il
FounderKim Il Sung
Founded22 July 1946 (1946-07-22)
HeadquartersPyongyang
Ideology
Political positionFar-left[B]
Supreme People's Assembly
687 / 687
^ A: A number of scholars, such as B. R. Myers and Michael J. Seth, argue that the ideology of Workers' Party of Korea, which leads the DFRK has little in common with communism, despite the party's official stance.
^ B: B. R. Myers describes the Workers' Party of Korea as far-right due to its emphasis on Korean ethnic nationalism.[1]
Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea
Chosŏn'gŭl
조국통일민주주의전선
Hancha
Revised RomanizationJoguk Tong(-)il Minju Juui Jeonseon
McCune–ReischauerChoguk T'ongil Minju Chuŭi Chŏnsŏn

Initially 72 parties and social organizations,[4] from both the North and the South, comprised the front.[5] Today it has 24 members.[4] The three political parties of North Korea—the WPK, the Korean Social Democratic Party, and the Chondoist Chongu Party—all participate in the front.[6] The 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—are also members.[7][8] The Korean Children's Union is also a member organization.[9]

All candidates for elective office must be members of the front, and are elected by it; mass meetings are held to decide which candidates will be nominated and their names can go on the ballot paper only with the approval of the meeting.[10] In practice, however, the minor parties and mass organizations in the front are completely subservient to the WPK.[11] The WPK is thus able to predetermine the composition of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA).

There is an ostensible South Korean counterpart for the DFRK, known as the Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front, which operates in North Korea.

The current Director of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the DFRK is Maeng Kyong-il. Members of the Presidium of the Central Committee include Pak Myong-chol and Kim Wan-su.[12]

History
Members of the North Korean National Democratic Front in front of the organization's complex, June 1947. Future North Korean supreme leader Kim Il Sung is standing in the center of the front row.

The South Korean National Democratic Front was founded with the Communist Party of Korea at its centre 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 was founded with the Workers' Party of North Korea at its centre on 22 July 1946. It was formed from 13 organizations and led by Kim Il Sung, Kim Tu-bong, and Choe Yong-gon. The North Korean National Democratic Front absorbed the South Korean National Democratic Front on 25 June 1949, after South Korea outlawed the latter.[13]

In 2018, DFRK had Pak Myong-chol as its leader.[14] Presidium members during that time included Ri Kil-song and Kim Wan-su.[15]

Members

Political parties
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
 [16][17]
Korean Social Democratic Party
조선사회민주당
Chosŏn Sahoe Minjudang		 Social democracy
(de jure)		 Vacant 3 November 1945
50 / 687
 [18][17]
Chondoist Chongu Party
천도교청우당
Ch'ŏndogyo Ch'ŏngudang		 Chondoist interests Ri Myong-chol 18 February 1946
22 / 687
 [19][17]
Chongryon[lower-alpha 1]
총련		 Zainichi interests Pak Ku-ho 30 March 1955
6 / 687
 [20]

Other organizations
Organization Emblem Korean name Foundation Ref
Socialist Patriotic Youth League 사회주의애국청년동맹 17 January 1946 [21]
Socialist Women's Union of Korea 조선사회주의녀성동맹 18 November 1945 [22]
General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea 조선직업총동맹 30 November 1945 [23]
Union of Agricultural Workers of Korea 조선농업근로자동맹 31 January 1946 [23]
Korean Children's Union 조선소년단 6 June 1946 [24]
Korean Journalists' Union 조선기자동맹 10 February 1946 [25][26]
Korean Federation of Literature and Arts 조선문학예술총동맹 25 March 1946 [25][27]
Korean Christian Federation 조선그리스도교연맹 28 November 1946 [28][29]
Korean Catholic Association 조선카톨릭교협회 30 June 1988 [30][31]
Korea Buddhist Federation 조선불교도련맹 26 December 1945 [30][32]
Chosun Cheondogyo Central Guidance Committee 조선천도교중앙지도위원회 1 February 1946 [30][33]

Electoral history

Supreme People's Assembly elections
Election  % of votes Seats +/− Position Government
1948 98.49%
572 / 572
 Increase 572 Increase 1st Sole legal coalition

under the control of WPK

1957 99.92%
215 / 215
 Decrease 357 Steady 1st
1962 100%
383 / 383
 Increase 168 Steady 1st
1967 100%
457 / 457
 Increase 74 Steady 1st
1972 100%
541 / 541
 Increase 84 Steady 1st
1977 100%
579 / 579
 Increase 38 Steady 1st
1982 100%
615 / 615
 Increase 36 Steady 1st
1986 100%
655 / 655
 Increase 40 Steady 1st
1990 100%
687 / 687
 Increase 32 Steady 1st
1998 100%
687 / 687
 Steady Steady 1st
2003 100%
687 / 687
 Steady Steady 1st
2009 100%
687 / 687
 Steady Steady 1st
2014 100%
687 / 687
 Steady Steady 1st
2019 100%
687 / 687
 Steady Steady 1st

See also

Notes
  1. Chongryon is not a political party but sends members to the Supreme People's Assembly to represent the organisation as part of the Democratic Front.

    References

    Citations
    1. Myers 2011, pp. 9, 11–12.
    2. "Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland". Naenara.kp. 2004. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008.
    3. Andrei N. Lankov (2001). "The Demise of Non-Communist Parties in North Korea (1945–1960)". jhu.edu. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
    4. 조국통일민주주의전선(조국전선) - 개요. nk.chosun.com (in Korean). 30 October 2010. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
    5. "Korea". The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). 1970–1979. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
    6. "Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland". An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Marxism, Socialism and Communism: Economic, Philosophical, Political and Sociological Theories, Concepts, Institutions and Practices. Macmillan International Higher Education. 1981. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-349-05806-8.
    7. Scalapino, Robert A.; Chun-yŏp Kim (1983). North Korea Today: Strategic and Domestic Issues. Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley, Center for Korean Studies. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-912966-55-7.
    8. Lansford, Tom (2015). Political Handbook of the World 2015. Singapore: CQ Press. p. 3330. ISBN 978-1-4833-7155-9.
    9. "Korea, Democratic People's Republic of (DPRK) - Organizations". Retrieved 31 August 2006.
    10. "The Parliamentary System of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" (PDF). Constitutional and Parliamentary Information. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2006. Retrieved 1 October 2006.
    11. Savada, Andrea Matles. "Mass Organizations." North Korea: A country study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1993.
    12. "Foundation Day of Korea Marked". Korean Central News Agency. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
    13. "조국통일민주주의전선". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture.
    14. "Vietnam's Party, State delegation visits DPRK". Nhân Dân. NDO/VNA. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
    15. "National Foundation Day Marked". KCNA Watch. Uriminzokkiri. 5 October 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
    16. Lanʹkov, Andreĭ Nikolaevich (2002). From Stalin to Kim Il Song: The Formation of North Korea, 1945-1960. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-85065-563-3.
    17. "IPU PARLINE Database: Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Choe Go In Min Hoe Ui". Inter-Parliamentary Union.
    18. North Korea Handbook 2002, p. 1128.
    19. Tertitskiy, Fyodor (26 November 2014). "Being a minor party in the North: In a totalitarian regime, what do N. Korea's other political blocs do?". NK News. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
    20. "No re-entry for Chongryon execs who go to Kim's funeral". Asahi Shimbun. 23 December 2011. Archived from the original on 23 June 2013.
    21. North Korea Handbook 2002, p. 391.
    22. North Korea Handbook 2002, p. 390.
    23. North Korea Handbook 2002, p. 389.
    24. North Korea Handbook 2002, p. 929.
    25. 조국통일민주주의전선(祖國統一民主主義戰線). Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
    26. Lent, John A. (1982). Newspapers in Asia: Contemporary Trends and Problems. Hong Kong: Heinemann Asia. p. 127. ISBN 978-962-225-079-6.
    27. North Korea Handbook 2002, p. 1121.
    28. 조국통일민주주의전선. North Korea Information Portal (in Korean). Ministry of Unification. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
    29. Hoare, James (2012). Historical Dictionary of Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. p. xxix. ISBN 978-0-8108-6151-0.
    30. <통일부 수탁과제 최종보고서> 북한개요 개정판 (in Korean). 통일부. 24 December 2008. p. 49. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
    31. Kwon Oh-guk (2013). "script-ko:조선카톨릭협회(朝鮮카톨릭協會)". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Retrieved 31 January 2021.
    32. Ryu Gil-jae (2009). 조선불교도연맹(朝鮮佛敎徒聯盟). encykorea.aks.ac.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 31 January 2021.
    33. Kwon Oh-guk (2013). 조선천도교중앙지도위원회(朝鮮天道敎中央指導委員會). Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Retrieved 31 January 2021.

    Sources

    Further reading
    • 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.
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