Kim Jong-il died in 1982.
The following is a list of political leaders of North Korea , officially called the Democratic People 's Republic of Korea -LRB- DPRK -RRB- .. Korea. Korea. At the end of World War II , the Soviet Union occupied the northern half of Korea and in 1946 established the Provisional People 's Committee for North Korea chaired by Kim Il-sung .. Soviet Union. Soviet Union. occupied. Soviet Civil Administration. Korea. Korea. Kim Il-sung. Kim Il-sung. On 9 September 1948 , the DPRK was proclaimed , also led by Kim Il-sung .. Kim Il-sung. Kim Il-sung. The supreme leaders of the DPRK have been Kim Il-sung , his son Kim Jong-il , and his grandson Kim Jong-un .. Kim Il-sung. Kim Il-sung. Kim Jong-il. Kim Jong-il. Kim Jong-un. Kim Jong-un. In this role they have not held consistent titles , though they were each leaders of the Workers ' Party of Korea -LRB- WPK -RRB- -- titled as Chairman from 1948 to 1966 , General Secretary from 1966 to 2011 , First Secretary from 2011 to 2016 , and finally Chairman again since 2016 -- for almost all of their period in power .. Korea. Korea. Chairman. Chairman of the National Defence Commission. Even though they have the appearance of a dynasty , there is no formal succession .. the appearance of a dynasty. Kim dynasty ( North Korea ). From 1948 to 1972 , the nominal head of state was the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People 's Assembly -LRB- SPA -RRB- .. Chairman. Chairman of the National Defence Commission. head of state. List of heads of state of North Korea. In 1972 , the constitution was amended to create an executive presidency .. Kim Il-sung , who had served as Premier of North Korea since the DPRK 's inception , was unanimously elected President of North Korea by the Supreme People 's Assembly on December 28 .. Korea. Korea. Kim Il-sung. Kim Il-sung. Premier of North Korea. Premier of North Korea. President of North Korea. President of North Korea. He held this office until his death on 8 July 1994 when he was proclaimed the `` Eternal President of the Republic '' .. his death. Death and state funeral of Kim Jong-il. Eternal President of the Republic. Eternal President of the Republic. Since then , the practical functions of the head of state have been exercised by the President of the Presidium of the SPA .. head of state. List of heads of state of North Korea. After the death of Kim Il-sung , his son Kim Jong-il was understood to have inherited his father 's near-absolute control over the country .. Kim Il-sung. Kim Il-sung. Kim Jong-il. Kim Jong-il. Although he had been his father 's designated successor since at least 1991 , it took him three years to fully consolidate his power .. He was elected general secretary of the party in 1997 , and was reelected Chairman of the National Defence Commission -LRB- NDC -RRB- in 1998 .. Chairman. Chairman of the National Defence Commission. National Defence Commission. National Defence Commission. During his rule he was given a range of titles .. range of titles. List of Kim Jong-il's titles. He ruled the country until his death on 17 December 2011 .. his death. Death and state funeral of Kim Jong-il. He was succeeded by his son , Kim Jong-un , who was revealed to be in charge of the country since his father 's death by the Rodong Sinmun and finally publicly acknowledged as supreme leader at the military review ending Kim Jong-il 's funeral on 29 December 2011 .. Kim Jong-il. Kim Jong-il. Kim Jong-un. Kim Jong-un. Rodong Sinmun. Rodong Sinmun. The government is headed by the Premier of the Cabinet , formerly called Premier of the Administration Council .. The government. Government of North Korea. Cabinet. Cabinet of North Korea. Other important institutions include the SPA , whose sessions are chaired by the Chairman of the Supreme People 's Assembly , and , since 1993 , the Chairman of the NDC , which holds supreme command of the DPRK 's armed forces .. Chairman. Chairman of the National Defence Commission. supreme command. Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army. armed forces. Korean People's Army. While two other parties , the Korean Social Democratic Party and the Chondoist Chongu Party , nominally exist , only the WPK holds any power at the national level .. Korean Social Democratic Party. Korean Social Democratic Party. Chondoist Chongu Party. Chondoist Chongu Party. The other parties , and indeed all other mass organizations in the country , are completely subservient to the WPK .. They exist solely to keep up the appearance that the country is a pluralist society .. Almost nothing is mentioned about the minor parties except the names of their current leaders .. Since 1997 , the SPA chairman , premier and NDC chairman have officially formed a triumvirate heading the executive branch , with powers equivalent to one-third of a president 's powers in other presidential systems .. The SPA chairman conducts foreign affairs and receives the credentials of ambassadors , the premier handles domestic policy and the NDC chairman commands the armed forces .. armed forces. Korean People's Army. In practice , however , the real power is vested in the NDC chairman -LRB- who has also been leader of the WPK -RRB- , an office constitutionally defined as the `` highest post in the state . ''