Park Sung-chul (Gyeongju, September 2, 1913 - Pyongyang, October 28, 2008) was a North Korean statesman. Park Sung-chul was a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Korean Labor Party (CND). He was also a member of parliament.
Park Sung-chul studied in Japan and joined the Japanese Communist Party in 1945. After the war (in 1946) he returned to (North Korea) and made a career within the state apparatus. During the Korean War he was Commander of the 15th Division of the Korean People's League (with the rank of Lieutenant General).
In 1954, Park Sung-chul became Ambassador in Bulgaria. In 1956 he became Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the CND Central Committee. In November 1956 he became Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and from 1959 to 1971 he served as Secretary of State of North Korea. In September 1961 he was elected to the CND Central Committee. In 1964 he became a member of the Politburo.
In 1972, Park Sung-chul became a member of the Central People's Committee, a type of cabinet in the cabinet that was composed of prime ministers. From 1976 to 1977 he was prime minister. In 1977 he was appointed vice president.
In February 1982 he was elected vice-president. He remained in office until 1997. Between 1994 and 1997 there was no president, which meant that the (4) vice presidents acted as head of state.
Bron: North-Korea, a Political Handbook door: Tai Sung An (1983)
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