Provisional People's Committee for North Korea

Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea
북조선인민위원회 Pukchosǒn Inmin Wiwŏnhoe
1946–1948
Flag Emblem
Anthem Aegukka 애국가 "Patriotic Song"
Location of the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula.
Capital		Pyongyang
Languages		Korean
Religion		Cheondoism, Shamanism
Government		Unitary Marxist–Leninist provisional government
Chairman
•	1946–1948	Kim Tu-bong
Chairman
•	1946–1948	Kim Il-sung
Legislature		People's Assembly
Historical era		Cold War
•	Formation	8 February 1946
•	Democratic People's Republic of Korea proclaimed	9 September 1948
Currency		Korean yen (1946–1947) North Korean won (1947–1948)
Preceded by Succeeded by Soviet Civil Administration Democratic People's Republic of Korea Committee for the Five Northern Korean Provinces
^a See Religion in North Korea. ^b As "Chairman of the Central Committee". ^c As "Chairman of the Provisional People's Committee".

The Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea (Chosŏn'gŭl: 북조선인민위원회, Hancha: 北朝鮮人民委員會, Revised Romanization: Bukjoseon Inmin Wiwonhoe, McCune–Reischauer: Pukchosǒn Inmin Wiwŏnhoe) was the official name of the provisional government governing the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula following its post-World War II partition by the United States and the Soviet Union after the defeat of the Empire of Japan in 1945. Soviet forces had seized and occupied the northern portion of Korea from the Japanese during World War II, while the Americans had managed to seize the southern portion from the Japanese. In the north, a pro-Soviet, ideologically communist government was established, officially succeeding a quasi-government composed of five provinces in 1946. The government was largely modeled after the Soviet Union.

In February 1946, the provisional government was formed under Kim Il-sung, who had spent the last years of the war training with Soviet troops in Manchuria. Conflicts and power struggles rose up at the top levels of government in Pyongyang as different aspirants maneuvered to gain positions of power in the new government. At the local levels, people's committees openly attacked collaborators and some landlords, confiscating much of their land and possessions. As a consequence many collaborators and others disappeared or were assassinated. It was out in the provinces and by working with these same people's committees that the eventual leader of North Korea, Kim Il-sung, was able to build a grassroots support system that would lift him to power over his political rivals who had stayed in Pyongyang. Throughout August Koreans organized throughout the country into people committees branches for the "Committee for the Preparation of Korean Independence" (CPKI, 건국준비위원회, 建國準備委員會). The Soviet Army allowed these committees to continue to function since they were friendly to the Soviet Union, but still established the Soviet Civil Administration to begin to centralize the independent committees. Further provisional committees were set up across the country putting Communists into key positions.