Historical Vice Presidents (Pre‑2016 Structure)

Before 2016, the National Defence Commission (NDC) was the highest state organ, and it included vice chairmen who acted as deputies to the chairman of the NDC (the top leader of the country). Those roles were broadly equivalent to vice presidents in state hierarchy.

One of the known holders of an older Vice President title in North Korea was Kim Pyong‑sik, who served as Vice President of North Korea from 1993 to 1997. He also chaired the Korean Social Democratic Party, one of North Korea’s small allied parties, and was part of the elite political establishment. After his tenure, the traditional Vice President office was abolished and no longer used in the same form.

Vice Presidents of the State Affairs Commission (Since 2016)

With constitutional reforms in 2016, North Korea replaced the National Defence Commission with the State Affairs Commission (SAC), a body intended to centralize supreme state authority under the country’s leader, formally called the President of the State Affairs Commission (Kim Jong Un). Within the SAC, there are now vice presidents — senior officials elected by the Supreme People’s Assembly — who act as deputies to the head of state and support implementation of state policy.

Choe Ryong‑hae — First Vice President

One of the most senior deputy leaders in North Korea is Choe Ryong‑hae, who has served as First Vice President of the State Affairs Commission since 2019. Choe is a long‑time senior official in the Workers’ Party of Korea and the government, and he also serves as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly — the nominal head of state when the supreme leader is not acting in that capacity. His role as first vice president places him immediately below the president in the SAC hierarchy.

Kim Tok‑hun — Vice President

Alongside Choe Ryong‑hae is Kim Tok‑hun, who has been Vice President of the State Affairs Commission since 2019. In addition to this deputy head‑of‑state role, Kim Tok‑hun has served as the Premier of North Korea’s Cabinet, making him a key figure in economic and governmental administration. As vice president, he supports the president and first vice president in state functions.

Role and Function

The vice presidents of the SAC are nominated by the president and elected by the Supreme People’s Assembly for terms that correlate with the assembly’s legislative period. They may undertake delegated tasks from the president and represent the state at official functions, though real power in North Korea remains highly centralized under the supreme leader.

In summary, North Korea’s vice presidential roles have shifted from older symbolic titles and vice chairmen of defense bodies to the current structured vice presidents within the SAC, reflecting broader constitutional and institutional changes in the DPRK’s governance.