[2] It does this through local Organization Departments, which are a part of every KWP Committee and have political power due to their close link to the OGD.

[2] Due to a lack of information on the OGD from the North Korean government, there is a heavy reliance on defector testimony and expert analysis.

[7] According to North Korean defector Jang Jin-sung, the OGD is "the only entity that actually matters when it comes to decision-making or policy-making" and reflects the autocratic structure of the government.

The director is often referred to as the second most powerful figure in the country, exemplified by the first director of the OGD being Kim Il Sung, the founder of the North Korean state,[4] and his successor, Kim Jong Il (the Party General Secretary from 1997 to 2011) directing the OGD from September 1973 until his death in 2011.

The OGD is the largest department under the WPK Political Bureau, with a personnel of 1,000 and an estimated 25 deputy directors employed in its central sections, and all report to the office of the general secretary.

[19][2] The OGD's control over Party life through Organization Departments at a local level allows it to record and punish any North Korean who does not adhere to policy.

[19][2] North Koreans can be removed from positions of power, receive reeducation, or in severe cases be denied access to the food and medical systems or even send citizens to prison or labor camps.

[34] In 2016 the United States put North Korean human rights on its agenda, with the US Treasury placing sanctions on the OGD itself as well as Jo Yon-jun, Kim Kyong-ok and several other members of North Korean leadership who were added to the Office of Foreign Assets Control Specially Designated Nationals List (OFAC SDN) for human rights abuses.

[2][35] Later in 2017, Min Byong-chol, Jo Yong-won, and Kim Yo-jong were added to the OFAC SDN list for human rights abuses as well.

[37] The stability of the Mount Paektu bloodline depends on the party obligations that are largely created and enforced by the OGD, according to the Korean Institute for National Unification.

Combined Forces Command, there are external threats that could put strain on the OGD such as a manmade or natural disaster, or rebellion or war.