With the surrender of the Empire of Japan in the World War II in August 1945, people's committees were set up throughout Korea.

An early attempt by the Soviets to create a centralized government in northern Korea was the Administrative Committee of Five Provinces.

This was established on 8 October 1945 and was headed by the nationalist and South Pyongan people's committee chairman Cho Man-sik, who was the most prominent figure in northern Korea and one of the Soviets' candidates for a future North Korean leader.

This new communist-dominated committee was headed by its chairman Kim Il Sung, a communist being backed by the Soviets to become the North Korean leader.

The Soviet Civil Administration continued to function concurrently with the Provisional People's Committee of North Korea, but in an advisory role.

[2] Kim Il Sung made a report on the political situation in North Korea and the issue of creating a provisional people's committee on the first day of the meeting on 8 February.