Minister of National Defence

History

Until December 1972, the Minister of the People's Armed Forces was called the Minister of National Defence (민족보위상). It then changed to the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces.

Prior to 1992, it was under the direct control of commander-in-chief and president, with guidance from the National Defence Commission and the Workers' Party Central Military Commission. The 1992 amendment to the Constitution of North Korea shifts its control to the National Defence Commission. The 2016 amendment shifted its control to the State Affairs Commission. It was renamed to the Ministry of National Defence in October 2020.

Duties

The Ministry of Defence handles the KPA's logistical, administrative, and diplomatic functions and components. The ministry also coordinates relations with foreign militaries.

Until the late 2000s, the General Staff Department (GSD)--which is responsible for the daily operational planning and management of the KPA's ground, naval, and air commands--and the General Political Bureau (GPB) fell under the ministry. During that time, the ministry conveyed the orders and guidance of the KPA Commander-in-Chief and--through the GSD and GPB--developed strategy, conducted education and training, and completed certain signals intelligence tasks. However, the ministry's role is currently limited to military administration, logistics, and diplomacy.

The ministry reportedly has or had departments tasked with regulating Government-owned corporations related to the defence industry and other foreign currency earning ventures.

Departments

The Ministry of National Defence contains the following departments:

General Political Bureau

General Staff Department

Security Command

Both the Director of the General Political Bureau and Chief of the General Staff have more power than the Minister.