Founded in 1945 as the North Korea Democratic Women's League, it is the oldest and one of the most important mass organizations in the country.

The Union has committees on every level of administrative divisions of North Korea, from ri (village) all the way up to provinces.

The Union has had an important role in achieving gender equality and increasing political participation of women in North Korea.

[3] At its inception, the Union worked to enact laws regarding equality of the sexes as well as to bring women into politics.

[6] Some of the political goals of the Union had to do with supporting the communists rather than specifically focusing on women's issues.

[7] The Union platform consisted of supporting the Provisional People's Committee for North Korea and Kim Il Sung for leadership of the country, as well as opposing "fascism", "traitors", feudal customs and superstition.

[9] Official North Korean histories date the origins of the present organization to either December 1926 or January 1951, although both of these accounts are disputed.

[10] The early 2000s economic reforms, which allowed people to pursue profits, weakened the ideological reach of the Union, whose membership of housewives were now busy in the marketplace.

[13] Membership is reserved for those who are not members of the Workers' Party of Korea or any other mass organization, which is the case for women who do not work outside their home.

[18] Officially, the Union represents women who are not members in any other mass organizations, but in reality it is used to pass on decisions made by the government of North Korea and for political mobilization.

[4][16] There is a committee affiliated with the Union for every administrative division of North Korea, all the way from ri (village) to province level.

[27] It was thought that Kim Jong Il would appoint his own wife, Ko Yong-hui, following the precedent of his father, but this did not happen.