Although nominally under the Central Committee of the WPK, the department reports directly to Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.

The department sets guidelines for all propaganda materials produced and all North Korean media is overseen by it.

However, in order to maintain its clandestine nature, actions relating to repression of the media are nominally attributed to the Ministry of Culture [ko].

[4] The Propaganda and Agitation Department (PAD) is under the supervision of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).

[6] It disseminates Juche, Songun, "Strong and Prosperous Nation",[7] and socialist ideologues and indoctrinates both party members and ordinary citizens with them.

[6] Although nominally under the Central Committee of the WPK, the PAD reports directly to Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.

[13] The PAD controls the press in North Korea, but in order to maintain its behind-the-scenes nature, actions relating to repression of the media are often publicly attributed to the Ministry of Culture [ko] instead.

[15] Likewise, radio and television broadcasts and the Korean Central News Agency are also under supervision of the PAD through the Korean Central Broadcasting Committee, to which it appoints personnel; only the Voice of National Salvation [ko] is controlled by the United Front Department of the party instead.

[7] The General Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Ministry of Defense maintains a separate structure, but the PAD cooperates with it.

[6] Kim Jong Il's years in the PAD were marked by his effort to become an expert in the field of propaganda,[6] as well as him developing his charisma.

[32] Kim Jong Il was known as a great fan of music, film, and theater since young age and his position within the department was natural fit.

[33] The PAD helped to create a cultural milieu in which Kim Jong Il was named his father's successor at the Sixth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in 1980.

[7] When his succession became urgent in the 1990s, the PAD fabricated a convincing personal history for him because he lacked any true military credentials.