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Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea

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

Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea
Established25 June 1949 (1949-06-25)
FounderKim Il Sung
Dissolved23 March 2024 (2024-03-23)
PurposePromote the peaceful reunification of Korea under the government of North Korea
HeadquartersPyongyang, North Korea
Region served
Korea
Director
Maeng Kyong Il (last)
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl
조국통일민주주의전선
Hancha
祖國統一民主主義戰線
Revised RomanizationJoguk Tongil Minjujuui Jeonseon
McCune–ReischauerChoguk T'ongil Minjujuŭi Chŏnsŏn

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.

History

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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 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.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12][11]

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".[11]

In 2018, the DFRK was led by Pak Myong Chol.[13] Presidium members during that time included Ri Kil Song and Kim Wan Su.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16]

Member organizations

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In the SPA

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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 Kim Ho-chol 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

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Supreme People's Assembly elections

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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

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Notes

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ "Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland". Naenara. 2004. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008.
  2. ^ 조국통일민주주의전선(조국전선) - 개요. nk.chosun.com (in Korean). 30 October 2010. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Korea". The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). 1970–1979. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  4. ^ "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.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Lansford, Tom (2015). Political Handbook of the World 2015. Singapore: CQ Press. p. 3330. ISBN 978-1-4833-7155-9.
  7. ^ "Korea, Democratic People's Republic of (DPRK) - Organizations". Retrieved 31 August 2006.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ Savada, Andrea Matles. "Mass Organizations." North Korea: A country study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1993.
  10. ^ Andrei N. Lankov (2001). "The Demise of Non-Communist Parties in North Korea (1945–1960)". jhu.edu. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  11. ^ a b c Lankov, Andrei (16 April 2024). "The communist front that North Korea targeted in its unification policy overhaul". NK News. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  12. ^ "조국통일민주주의전선". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture.
  13. ^ "Vietnam's Party, State delegation visits DPRK". Nhân Dân. NDO/VNA. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  14. ^ "National Foundation Day Marked". KCNA Watch. Uriminzokkiri. 5 October 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  15. ^ "N. Korea Dissolves Organization Managing Inter-Korean Relations". KBS World.
  16. ^ "Foundation Day of Korea Marked". Korean Central News Agency. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ a b c "IPU PARLINE Database: Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Choe Go In Min Hoe Ui". Inter-Parliamentary Union.
  19. ^ North Korea Handbook 2002, p. 1128.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ "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.
  22. ^ North Korea Handbook 2002, p. 391.
  23. ^ North Korea Handbook 2002, p. 390.
  24. ^ a b North Korea Handbook 2002, p. 389.
  25. ^ North Korea Handbook 2002, p. 929.
  26. ^ a b 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.
  27. ^ Lent, John A. (1982). Newspapers in Asia: Contemporary Trends and Problems. Hong Kong: Heinemann Asia. p. 127. ISBN 978-962-225-079-6.
  28. ^ North Korea Handbook 2002, p. 1121.
  29. ^ 조국통일민주주의전선. North Korea Information Portal (in Korean). Ministry of Unification. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  30. ^ Hoare, James (2012). Historical Dictionary of Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. p. xxix. ISBN 978-0-8108-6151-0.
  31. ^ a b c <통일부 수탁과제 최종보고서> 북한개요 개정판 (in Korean). 통일부. 24 December 2008. p. 49. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  32. ^ Kwon Oh-guk (2013). "script-ko:조선카톨릭협회(朝鮮카톨릭協會)". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  33. ^ Ryu Gil-jae (2009). 조선불교도연맹(朝鮮佛敎徒聯盟). Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  34. ^ 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

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Further reading

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  • 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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