Parliamentary elections were held in North Korea on 9 March 2014 to elect the members of the 13th Supreme People's Assembly.
Background These were the first elections since Kim Jong Un became leader of the country as the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea, following the death of his father Kim Jong Il and the execution of Jang Song-thaek.
Outside observers claimed the elections were an effective way to poll the population on their opinion on the government. In addition, it functioned as a way for the government to determine whether any of its citizens had illegally changed their voting district within the country, or if people had left the country. The North Korean Government did so by enforcing borders and surveillance, in order to make sure that the voter turnout is reflective of the population. If there were missing people, then the local workers and residents would be found responsible, so local workers tried to ensure order in their region.
On 4 February KCNA reported that a meeting of electorates in Paektusan Constituency 111 nominated WPK first secretary Kim Jong Un as deputy to the Supreme People's Assembly. According to a report in the Rodong Sinmun, the meeting to select him took place in the presence of senior military figures, such as KPA General Political Department Director Choe Ryong-hae, Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army Ri Yong-gil, and Minister of the People's Armed Forces Jang Jong-nam.
Voting practices and procedures The purpose of elections in North Korea that year was to determine the location of voters and, in theory, their political allegiance, as well as to fill parliament seats with new members who are loyal to Kim Jong Un. Members of the Supreme People's Assembly were elected in single-member constituencies, with one approved candidate put forward in each constituency. Large groups of voters were presented with a ballot while moving through a voting booth, on which there was a single box to tick a candidate's name. Voters had to stop to cross out the candidate, making the process a monitored event. Voting is also compulsory in North Korea.2014 North Korean parliamentary election#cite note-T-11 Some North Koreans in China who defected to South Korea after the famine in their home country in the mid-1990s had said that they did so because they feared punishment back home for failing to show up for parliamentary elections.
Results The main parties taking part were the Workers' Party of Korea, the Korean Social Democratic Party, the Chondoist Chongu Party as well as independent candidates. All candidates were also members of the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland. While there are officially four parties in North Korean politics, each candidate must be approved by the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland, the dominant party in North Korean politics.
Elected members The following were elected as members of parliament: