Established in 1949, the committee is officially responsible for the administration of the five Korean provinces located entirely north of the 38th Parallel, also known as the Military Demarcation Line, as the South Korean government formally claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entirety of the Korean Peninsula.

The President of South Korea appoints governors for each of the five provinces.

[2] However, their role is largely symbolic (comparable to titular bishops), as the territory is under the effective jurisdiction of North Korea.

[2] In the event of a North Korean collapse, contingency plans call for a new government body to be set up to administer the North under the leadership of the Unification Minister.

Pyeongannam-do is divided into 2 cities (si) and 14 counties (gun): Cities: Counties: Two South Korean provinces, Gyeonggi and Gangwon, officially have parts of their territory in North Korea.