This Sunday (21st July) North Korea will have elections at a county level for the first time in 4 years, and the second time under the leadership of Chairman Kim Jong Un.

The elections held for the county, district and provincial assemblies will take place in accordance with Article 139 of the Socialist Constitution and decisions of the local people’s committees.

The elections are held every 4 years, with the last incarnation being on July 19th, 2015 with participation put at almost 100%, with absences being put down to Koreans working abroad at the time of the election.

The number of representatives elected by each area depends on the population of said jurisdiction with those elected.

The People’s Committee holds the authority to convene meetings to discuss and implement administrative plans and even have some say on economic output and decisions.

The local assemblies have quite a lot of responsibility and leeway and are usually made up of working-class members, such as farmers and labourers. Although (and much like in China) the locally elected assemblies are subservient to the locally appointed party chief.

So, what are elections like in North Korea? As a tourist, it is an interesting time to be in the country as elections in the DPRK tend to differ somewhat to those we have in the west! In some respects, they have an almost carnival-like atmosphere, with people stating that they intend to vote for the “Glorious Workers Party of Korea”!

Interestingly and not dissimilar to other countries, election done in North Korea is also a non-drinking day!

Whatever your opinion on the politics of North Korea they are certainly interesting for an outsider to watch (particularly in the current climate), and we look forward to seeing how Sunday’s election plays out.

Want to see North Korean politics for yourself? Join one of our tours!