ABSTRACT
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is one of the most closed societies in the world. Like south Korea, north Koreas political culture is based on more than a millennium of tradition, containing native and Confucian elements. The supreme leader is surrounded by members of the Politburo of the Korean Workers' Party and advised by a somewhat wider circle of senior Party and government leaders. A remarkable feature of north Korean politics is the ongoing cult of Kim Il-sung. The most visible part of the political process has to do with carrying out decisions, not making them: party congresses and the legislature meet briefly and infrequently to ratify decisions already formulated. The Constitution of the DPRK recognizes the leading role of the Korean Workers Party, which, as in other Communist states until recently, has more political power and authority than the traditional organs of government. The Constitution establishes a judicial system modeled generally on that of the Soviet Union.
