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Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea
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The Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea is the supreme commander of the military and the most powerful person in the government of North Korea. According to law, the Chairman has the "highest administrative authority" of any official, and the post was confirmed in 1998 as the "highest office of state." The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) elects the Chairman for a period of five years. The election is held immediately subsequent to the election of a new People's Assembly.
The current Chairman is Kim Jong-il. The SPA first elected him as Chairman on April 9, 1993 in an election where he ran unopposed. He has since been re-elected in 1998 and 2003, although the outcome was predetermined and he controlled the election. In practice, he appears to be the dictator of the country and, regardless of theoretical restraints, exercises unlimited control of the country and its politics.
There is debate as to whether "highest office of state" should be considered equivalent to head of state. Kim Il Sung, the deceased leader of North Korea, has been declared Eternal President but it appears that the office is a facet of his extensive cult of personality. The Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, who handles the diplomatic functions that a head of state might normally undertake, is also sometimes considered the head of state. North Korea's constitutional arrangements are often unclear to outside observers and it is difficult to determine the Chairman's official standing. However, the Chairman is both in law and in practice the most powerful member of the North Korean government.