DC high-temperature superconducting(HTS) cable system has attracted a great deal of interest from the view point of low loss, dense structure and large capacity. A HTS cable system is made of cable and termination. The insulating materials and insulation technology must be solved for the long life, reliability and compact of cable system. In this paper, we will report on the dielectric breakdown characteristics of insulating materials for HTS cable and termination. The AC, DC and lightning impulse breakdown strength of laminated polypropylene paper(PPLP) and glass fiber reinforced plastic(GFRP) have been measured under nitrogen pressures in the range of 0.l-0.4MPa. PPLP and GFRP are found to have a significantly higher DC breakdown strength. Also, DC surface flashover voltage of negative polarity is slightly higher than that of positive polarity in GFRP.