North Korea

^a Died 1994, named "Eternal President" in 1998.
^b Kim Jong-il is the nation's most prominent leading figure and government figure head, although he is neither the head of state nor the head of government; his official title is Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea, a position which he has held since 1994.
^c Kim Yong-nam is the "head of state for foreign affairs".

North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK^[4]), a state located in East Asia, in the northern half of the Korean Peninsula, with its capital in the city of Pyongyang.

To the south, separated by the Korean Demilitarized Zone, lies South Korea, with which it formed one nation until division following World War II. At its northern Amnok River border are China and, separated by the Tumen River in the extreme north-east, Russia.

North Korea is widely considered to be a Stalinist dictatorship.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10] The country's government styles itself as following the Juche ideology of self reliance, developed by Kim Il-sung, the country's former leader. The current leader is Kim Jong-il, the late president Kim Il-sung's son. Relations are strongest with other officially socialist states, Vietnam, Laos, especially China and Russia, as well as with Cambodia and Myanmar. Following a major famine in the early 1990s, due partly to the collapse of the Soviet Union (previously a major economic partner), leader Kim Jong-il instigated the "Military-First" policy in 1995, increasing economic concentration and support for the military.

North Korea's culture is officially promoted and heavily controlled by the government. The Mass Games are government-organized events glorifying its two leaders, involving over 100,000 performers.

History

Main article: History of North Korea

See also: History of Korea and Division of Korea

Formation

In the aftermath of the Japanese occupation of Korea, which ended with Japan's defeat in World War II in 1945, the Soviet Union accepted the surrender of Japanese forces and controlled the area north of the 38th parallel, with the United States controlling the area south of this parallel. Virtually all Koreans welcomed liberation from Japanese imperial rule, yet objected to the re-imposition of foreign rule upon their country. The Soviets and Americans disagreed on the implementation of Joint Trusteeship over Korea, with each establishing its socio-economic system upon its jurisdiction, leading, in 1948, to the establishment of ideologically opposed governments.^[11] The United States and the Soviet Union then withdrew their forces from Korea. Growing tensions and border skirmishes between north and south led to the Korean War.

On June 25, 1950, the (North) Korean People's Army crossed the 38th parallel, with the war aim of peninsular reunification under their political system. The war continued until July 27, 1953, when the United Nations Command, the Korean People's Army, and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army signed the Korean War Armistice Agreement.^[12] Since that time the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) has separated the North and South.

Economic evolution

In the aftermath of the Korean War and throughout the 1960s, the country's state-controlled economy grew at a significant rate. It was considered the second most industrialized nation in Asia, after Japan.^{[citation needed]} During the 1970s, the expansion of North Korea's economy, with the accompanying rise in living standards, came to an end, and a few decades later went into reverse. The country struggled throughout the 1990s, largely due to the loss of strategic trade arrangements with the USSR,^[13] and strained relations with China following China's normalization with South Korea in 1992.^[14] In addition, North Korea experienced record-breaking floods in 1995 and 1996, followed by several years of equally severe drought, beginning in 1997.^[15] This situation, compounded by the existence of only 18 percent arable land^[16] and an inability to import goods necessary to sustain industry,^[17] led to an immense famine and left North Korea in economic shambles. Large numbers of North Koreans illegally entered the People's Republic of China in search of food. Faced with a country in decay, Kim Jong-il adopted a "Military-First" policy to reinforce the regime.^[18]

Although private property is still formally prohibited, the volume of private trade with China grows year by year. The collapse of the system of state allowances has also contributed to the growth of a multi-sector market economy.^[19] Collapse of large state-owned enterprises released a huge amount of workers who engage in cross-border trade with China.

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of North Korea

The Tower of Juche Idea, in Pyongyang.

North Korea is a self-described Juche (self-reliance) state.^[20] Government is organized as a dictatorship, with a pronounced cult of personality organized around Kim Il-sung (the founder of North Korea and the country's first and only president) and his son and heir, Kim Jong-il. Following Kim Il-sung's death in 1994, he was not replaced but instead received the designation of "Eternal President", and was entombed in the vast Kumsusan Memorial Palace in central Pyongyang.

Although the active position of president has been abolished in deference to the memory of Kim Il-sung,^[21] the de facto head of state is Kim Jong-il, who is Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea. The legislature of North Korea is the Supreme People's Assembly, currently led by President Kim Yong-nam. The other senior government figure is Premier Kim Yong-il.

North Korea is a single-party state. The governing party is the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland, a coalition of the Workers' Party of North Korea and two other smaller parties, the North Korean Social Democratic Party and the Chondoist Chongu Party. These parties nominate all candidates for office and hold all seats in the Supreme People's Assembly.

Human rights

Main article: Human rights in North Korea

Multiple international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, accuse North Korea of having one of the worst human rights records of any nation.^[22] North Koreans have been referred to as "some of the world's most brutalized people", due to the severe restrictions placed on their political and economic freedoms.^[23] North Korean defectors have testified to the existence of prison and detention camps with an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 inmates (about 0.85% of the population), and have reported torture, starvation, rape, murder, medical experimentation, forced labour, and forced abortions. By comparison, the United States Prison System makes up about 0.82% of the total US population, however the U.S. also has one of the highest per-capita imprisonment rates in the world. ^[24]

The system changed slightly at the end of 1990s, when population growth became very low. In many cases, where capital punishment was de facto, it was replaced by less severe punishments. Bribery became prevalent throughout the country. For example, just listening to South Korean radio could result in capital punishment. However, many North Koreans wear clothes of South Korean origin, listen to Southern music, watch South Korean videotapes and even receive Southern broadcasts,^[25]^[26] although they are still prohibited; in most cases punishment is nothing more than a pecuniary fine, and many such problems are normally solved "unofficially", through bribery.^{[citation needed]}

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of North Korea

See also: North Korea-United States relations

Since the ceasefire of the Korean War in 1953, the relations between the North Korean government and South Korea, the United States, and Japan have remained tense. Fighting was halted in the ceasefire, but both Koreas are still technically at war. Both North and South Korea signed the June 15th North-South Joint Declaration in 2000, in which both sides made promises to seek out a peaceful reunification.^[27] Additionally, on October 4, 2007, the leaders of North and South Korea pledged to hold summit talks to officially declare the war over and reaffirmed the principle of mutual non-aggression.^[28]

In 2002, U.S. President George W. Bush labelled North Korea part of an "axis of evil" and an "outpost of tyranny". The highest-level contact the government has had with the United States was with U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who made a visit to Pyongyang in 2000,^[29] but the two countries do not have formal diplomatic relations.^[2] In 2006, approximately 37,000 American soldiers remained in South Korea, with plans to reduce the number to 25,000 by 2008.^[30] Kim Jong-il has privately stated his acceptance of U.S. troops on the peninsula, even after a possible reunification.^[31] It is claimed by U.S. sources that if North Korea and the United States normalize relations, both Koreas would wish to maintain the presence of US troops, out of fear of China and Japan, but North Korea strongly denies that and demands the removal of American troops (see North Korea-United States relations).^[31]

North Korea has long maintained close relations with the People's Republic of China and Russia. The fall of communism in eastern Europe in 1989, and the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, resulted in a devastating drop in aid to North Korea from Russia, although China continues to provide substantial assistance. North Korea continues to have strong ties with its socialist southeast Asian allies in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.^[32] North Korea has started installing a concrete and barbed wire fence on its northern border, in response to China's wishing to curb refugees fleeing from North Korea. Previously the shared border with China and North Korea had only been lightly patrolled.^[33]

As a result of the North Korean nuclear weapons program, the Six-party talks were established to find a peaceful solution to the growing unrest between the two Korean governments, the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China, Japan, and the United States.

On July 17, 2007, United Nations inspectors verified the shutdown of five North Korean nuclear facilities, according to the February 2007 agreement.^[34]

On October 4, 2007, South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il signed an 8-point peace agreement, on issues of permanent peace, high-level talks, economic cooperation, renewal of train, highway and air travel, and a joint Olympic cheering squad.^[35]

Propaganda towards South Korea

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) government officially states on its website ^[36] that the U.S. government controls South Korea, and maintains an army of 40,000 US military personnel there to "avoid the union of the Korean people".

The DPRK also advises that any South Korean attempting to cross into North Korea will be killed by U.S. soldiers. According to the DPRK, any South Korean citizen who talks or reads about North Korea will be punished with incarceration or capital punishment.

This perspective is rejected by the international community at large.

Military

Main article: Korean People's Army

Kim Jong-il is the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army and Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea. The Korean People's Army (KPA) is the name for the collective armed personnel of the North Korean military. The army has four branches: Ground Force, Naval Force, Air Force, and the Civil Securities Force.

According to the U.S. Department of State, North Korea has the fourth-largest military in the world, at an estimated 1.21 million armed personnel, with about 20% of men aged 17-54 in the regular armed forces.^[37] North Korea has the highest percentage of military personnel per capita of any nation in the world, with approximately 40 enlisted soldiers per 1,000 citizens.^[38] Military strategy is designed for insertion of agents and sabotage behind enemy lines in wartime,^[37] with much of the KPA's forces deployed along the heavily fortified Korean Demilitarized Zone.

Nuclear weapons program

Main article: North Korea and weapons of mass destruction

On October 9, 2006, North Korea conducted its first nuclear test.^[39] The blast was smaller than expected and U.S. officials suggested that it may have been an unsuccessful test or a partially successful fizzle.^[40] North Korea has previously stated that it has produced nuclear weapons and according to U.S. intelligence and military officials it has produced, or has the capability to produce, up to six or seven such devices.^[41]

On March 17, 2007, North Korea told delegates at international nuclear talks it would begin shut down preparations for its main nuclear facility. This was later confirmed on 14 July 2007 as International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors observed the initial shut-down phases of the currently operating 5 MW Yongbyon nuclear reactor, despite there being no official time line declared. In return, the reclusive nation has received 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil shipped from South Korea. Once the old small nuclear reactor is permanently shut down, North Korea will receive the equivalent of 950,000 tons of fuel oil when the six-nation talks reconvene. Following breakthrough talks held in September 2007, aimed at hastening the end of North Korea's nuclear program, North Korea was to "disable some part of its nuclear facilities" by the end of 2007, according to the US Assistant Secretary of State.

The details of such an agreement are due to be worked out in a session held in the People's Republic of China which will involve South Korea, China, Russia and Japan. Terms for the agreement have thus far not been disclosed, nor has it been disclosed what offer was made on the United States's part in exchange. The possibility of removing North Korea from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism has been discussed, which imposes a ban on all arms related trade with countries on the list, along with withholding US aid. Should these bans be lifted, the US may help North Koreans following devastating floods in August 2007.

On 25 April 2008 the US released a video of a Syrian Military complex which featured Chon Chibu the nuclear scientist from the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center on a sight-seeing trip of Syria.

Geography

Main article: Geography of North Korea

See also: Korean Peninsula

Map of North Korea

North Korea is on the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula, covering an area of 120,540 square kilometres (46,541 sq mi). North Korea shares land borders with China and Russia to the north, and borders South Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone. To its west are the Yellow Sea and Korea Bay, and to its east lies Japan across the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea). The highest point in North Korea is Paektu-san Mountain at 2,744 metres (9,003 ft). The longest river is the Amnok River which flows for 790 kilometres (491 mi).^[42]

North Korea's climate is relatively temperate, with precipitation heavier in summer during a short rainy season called changma, and winters that can be bitterly cold.^[43] For a week from 7 August 2007 the most devastating floods in 40 years caused the North Korean Government to ask for international help. NGOs, such as the Red Cross, asked people to raise funds because they feared a humanitarian catastrophe.^[44]

The capital and largest city is Pyongyang; other major cities include Kaesong in the south, Sinuiju in the northwest, Wonsan and Hamhung in the east and Chongjin in the northeast.

Economy

A satellite photo of the Korean Peninsula at night. The largest northern group of lights, Pyongyang is dwarfed by the massive southern group showing Seoul, illustrating large differences in outdoor illumination between North Korea and its neighbours.

Main article: Economy of North Korea

See also: Tourism in North Korea

In the aftermath of the Korean War and throughout the 1960s and '70s, the country's state-controlled economy grew at a significant rate before collapsing. State-owned industry produces nearly all manufactured goods. The government focuses on heavy military industry, following Kim Jong-il's adoption of the Songun "Military-First" policy. Estimates of the North Korean economy cover a broad range, as the country does not release official figures and the secretive nature of the country makes outside estimation difficult. According to accepted estimates, North Korea spends $5 billion out of a gross domestic product (GDP) of $20.9 billion on the military, compared with South Korea's $24 billion out of a GDP of $1.196 trillion. Part of the reason for this is that the military serves a number of roles in addition to national defense. The military assists farmers with crops, local areas with building of infrastrucure, and, as is similar to the National Guard in the United States, assisting during natural disasters.^[45]^[46]

1990s famine

Main article: North Korean famine

In the 1990s North Korea faced significant economic disruptions, including a series of natural disasters, economic mismanagement, serious fertilizer shortages, and the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. These resulted in a shortfall of staple grain output of more than 1 million tons from what the country needs to meet internationally-accepted minimum dietary requirements.^[47] The North Korean famine known as "Arduous March" resulted in the deaths of between 300,000 and 800,000 North Koreans per year during the three year famine, peaking in 1997, with 2.0 million total being "the highest possible estimate."^[48] The deaths were most likely caused by famine-related illnesses such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, and diarrhea rather than starvation.^[48]

In 2006, Amnesty International reported that a national nutrition survey conducted by the North Korean government, the World Food Programme, and UNICEF found that 7 percent of children were severely malnourished; 37 percent were chronically malnourished; 23.4 percent were underweight; and one in three mothers was malnourished and anaemic as the result of the lingering effect of the famine. The inflation caused by some of the 2002 economic reforms, including the Songun or "Military-first" policy, was cited for creating the increased price of basic foods.^[49]

The history of Japanese assistance to North Korea is quite tumultuous; from a large pro-Pyongyang community of North Koreans in Japan to public outrage over the 1998 North Korean missile launch and revelation of the abductions of Japanese citizens.^[50] In June 1995 an agreement was reached that the two countries would act jointly (Snyder1999).^[51] South Korea would provid 150,000 MT of grain in unmarked bags, and Japan would provide 150,000 MT gratis and another 150,000 MT on concessional terms.^[52] In October 1995 and January 1996, North Korea again approached Japan for assistance. On these two accasions, which at a crucial moment in the evolution of the famine, opposition from both South Korea and domestic political sources quashed the deals.^[53] Beginning in 1997, the U.S. began shipping food aid to North Korea through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to combat the famine. Shipments peaked in 1999 at nearly 700,000 tons making the U.S. the largest foreign aid donor to the country at the time. Under the Bush Administration, aid was drastically reduced year after year from 350,000 tons in 2001 to 40,000 in 2004.^[54] The Bush Administration took criticism for using "food as a weapon" during talks over the North's nuclear weapons program, but insisted the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) criteria were the same for all countries and the situation in North Korea had "improved significantly since its collapse in the mid-1990s." Agricultural production had increased from about 2.7 million metric tons in 1997 to 4.2 million metric tons in 2004.^[55]

Foreign commerce

Pyongyang Metro.

China and South Korea remain the largest donors of unconditional food aid to North Korea. The U.S. objects to this manner of donating food due to lack of oversight.^[55] In 2005, China and South Korea combined to provide 1 million tons of food aid, each contributing half.^[56] In addition to food aid, China reportedly provides an estimated 80 to 90 percent of North Korea's oil imports at "friendly prices" that are sharply lower than the world market price.^[57]

On 19 September 2005, North Korea was promised fuel aid and various other non-food incentives from South Korea, the U.S., Japan, Russia, and China in exchange for abandoning its nuclear weapons program and rejoining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Providing food in exchange for abandoning weapons programs has historically been avoided by the U.S. so as not to be perceived as "using food as a weapon".^[58] Humanitarian aid from North Korea's neighbors has been cut off at times to provoke North Korea to resume boycotted talks, such as South Korea's "postponed consideration" of 500,000 tons of rice for the North in 2006 but the idea of providing food as a clear incentive (as opposed to resuming "general humanitarian aid") has been avoided.^[59] There have also been aid disruptions due to widespread theft of railroad cars used by mainland China to deliver food relief.^[60]

In July 2002, North Korea started experimenting with capitalism in the Kaesong Industrial Region.^[61] A small number of other areas have been designated as Special Administrative Regions, including Sinŭiju along the China-North Korea border. China and South Korea are the biggest trade partners of North Korea, with trade with China increasing 15% to US$1.6 billion in 2005, and trade with South Korea increasing 50% to over 1 billion for the first time in 2005.^[58] It is reported that the number of mobile phones in Pyongyang rose from only 3,000 in 2002 to approximately 20,000 during 2004.^[62] As of June 2004, however, mobile phones became forbidden again.^[63] A small number of capitalistic elements are gradually spreading from the trial area, including a number of advertising billboards along certain highways. Recent visitors have reported that the number of open-air farmers' markets has increased in Kaesong and Pyongyang, as well as along the China-North Korea border, bypassing the food rationing system.

In an event in 2003 dubbed the "Pong Su incident", a North Korean cargo ship allegedly attempting to smuggle heroin into Australia was seized by Australian officials, strengthening Australian and United States' suspicions that Pyongyang engages in international drug smuggling. The North Korean government denied any involvement.^[64]

Tourism

Tourism in North Korea is organized by the state owned Tourism Organisation ("Ryohaengsa"). Every group of travelers as well as individual tourist/visitors are permanently accompanied by one or two "guides" who normally speak the mother tongue of the tourist. The whole program is dictated by the guides; any contact with North Koreans is subdued, whenever possible. While tourism has increased over the last few years, tourists from Western countries remain few. The majority of the tourists that do go come from China and Japan. For citizens of the US and South Korea it is practically impossible to obtain a visa for North Korea. Exceptions for US citizens are made for the yearly Arirang Festival.

In the area of the Kŭmgangsan-mountains, the company Hyundai established and operates a special Tourist area. Traveling to this area, one of the nicest regions on the Korean peninsula, is also possible for South Koreans and US citizens, but only in organized groups from South Korea. ("see also Kŭmgangsan Tourist Region").

Transport

Main articles: Communications in North Korea, Transportation in North Korea, and Tourism in North Korea

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of North Korea

North Korea's population of roughly 23 million is one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous in the world, with very small numbers of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, South Korean and European expatriate minorities.

Religion

North Korea religiosity
religion			percent
Atheist			71.2%
Cheondoism			12.9%
Korean shamanism			12.3%
Christianity			2.1%
Buddhism			1.5%

Main article: Religion in North Korea

Both Koreas share a Buddhist and Confucian heritage and a recent history of Christian and Cheondoism ("religion of the Heavenly Way") movements. The North Korean constitution states that freedom of religion is permitted.^[65] According to Human Rights Watch, free religious activities no longer exist in the DPRK as the government sponsors religious groups only to create an illusion of religious freedom.^[66] In practical terms all religion in North Korea is superseded by a cult of personality devoted to the deceased ruler Kim Il-Sung and his heir, Kim Jong-Il.

Pyongyang was the centre of Christian activity in Korea before the Korean War. Today, two state-sanctioned churches exist, which freedom of religion advocates say are showcases for foreigners.^[67]^[68] Official government statistics report that there are 10,000 Protestants and 4,000 Roman Catholics in North Korea.^[69]

According to a ranking published by Open Doors, an organization that supports persecuted Christians, North Korea is currently the country with the most severe persecution of Christians in the world.^[70] Human rights groups such as Amnesty International also have expressed concerns about religious persecution in North Korea.^[71]

According to government's statistics, as of 2000 Cheondoism is the largest organized religion in North Korea, which adherents constitute about 12.9% of the total population.^[72] Cheondoists are followed by Christians (2.1%) and Buddhists (1.5%).^[73] Korean shamanism, an unorganized system of beliefs, is followed by 12.3% of the North Koreans.^[74]

Language

North Korea shares the Korean language with South Korea. There are dialect differences within both Koreas, but the border between North and South does not represent a major linguistic boundary. While prevalent in the South, the adoption of modern terms from foreign languages has been limited in North Korea. Hanja (Chinese characters) are no longer used in North Korea, although still occasionally used in South Korea. Both Koreas share the phonetic writing system called Chosongul in North Korea and Hangul South of the DMZ. The official Romanization differs in the two countries, with North Korea using a slightly modified McCune-Reischauer system, and the South using the Revised Romanization of Korean.

Culture

Scene from Mass Games in Pyongyang.

Main articles: Culture of Korea and Contemporary culture of North Korea

There is a vast cult of personality around Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il and much of North Korea's literature, popular music, theater, and film glorify the two men.

A popular event in North Korea is the Mass Games. The most recent and largest Mass Games was called "Arirang". It was performed six nights a week for two months, and involved over 100,000 performers. Attendees to this event report that the anti-West sentiments have been toned down compared to previous performances. The Mass Games involve performances of dance, gymnastic, and choreographic routines which celebrate the history of North Korea and the Workers' Party Revolution. The Mass Games are held in Pyongyang at various venues (varying according to the scale of the Games in a particular year) including the May Day Stadium.

Culture is officially protected by the North Korean government. Large buildings committed to culture have been built, such as the People's Palace of Culture or the Grand People's Palace of Studies, both in Pyongyang. Outside the capital, there's a major theatre in Hamhung and in every city there are State-run theatres and stadiums.

Korean culture came under attack during the Japanese rule from 1910-1945. Japan enforced a cultural assimilation policy. Koreans were forced to learn and speak Japanese, adopt the Japanese family name system and Shinto religion, and forbidden to write or speak the Korean language in schools, businesses, or public places.^[75] In addition, the Japanese altered or destroyed various Korean monuments including Gyeongbok Palace and documents which portrayed the Japanese in a negative light were revised. This methodical alteration process was done by the Editing Agency of Korean History.

In July 2004, the Complex of Goguryeo Tombs became the first site in the country to be included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

Administrative divisions

Main articles: Administrative divisions of North Korea and Cities of North Korea

See also: Provinces of Korea and Special cities of Korea

North Korea is divided into nine provinces, three special regions, and two directly-governed cities (chikhalsi, 직할시, 直轄市) :

Provinces

Division	Transliteration	Hangul	Hanja
Province
Chagang	Chagang-do	자강도	慈江道
North Hamgyong	Hamgyŏng-pukto	함경북도	咸鏡北道
South Hamgyong	Hamgyŏng-namdo	함경남도	咸鏡南道
North Hwanghae	Hwanghae-pukto	황해북도	黃海北道
South Hwanghae	Hwanghae-namdo	황해남도	黃海南道
Kangwon	Kangwŏndo	강원도	江原道
North Pyongan	P'yŏngan-pukto	평안북도	平安北道
South Pyongan	P'yŏngan-namdo	평안남도	平安南道
Ryanggang *	Ryanggang-do	량강도	兩江道
Special regions
Kaesŏng Industrial Region	Kaesŏng Kong-ŏp Chigu	개성공업지구	開城工業地區
Kumgangsan Tourist Region	Kŭmgangsan Kwangwang Chigu	금강산관광지구	金剛山觀光地區
Sinuiju Special Administrative Region	Sinŭiju T'ŭkpyŏl Haengjŏnggu	신의주특별행정구	新義州特別行政區
Directly-governed cities
Pyongyang	P'yŏngyang Chikhalsi	평양직할시	平壤直轄市
Rason	Rasŏn (Rajin-Sŏnbong) Chikhalsi	라선(라진-선봉) 직할시	羅先(羅津-先鋒) 直轄市

* - Sometimes rendered "Yanggang" (양강도).

Major cities

Notes and references

^ Administrative Divisions and Population Figures (#26) (PDF). DPRK: The Land of the Morning Calm. Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use (2003-04). Retrieved on 2006-10-10.
^ ^a ^b Korea, North. CIA World Factbook (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-01. North Korea itself does not disclose figures.
^ Country Profile: North Korea. Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK (2007-07-20). Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ Another acronym occasionally used in the media is DPRNK, as for Democratic People's Republic of North Korea.
^ Spencer, Richard (2007-08-28). North Korea power struggle looms. The Telegraph (online version of UK national newspaper). Retrieved on 2007-10-31. “A power struggle to succeed Kim Jong-il as leader of North Korea's Stalinist dictatorship may be looming after his eldest son was reported to have returned from semi-voluntary exile.”
^ Brooke, James (2003-10-02). North Korea Says It Is Using Plutonium to Make A-Bombs. The New York Times (online version of New York, United States newspaper). Retrieved on 2007-10-31. “North Korea, run by a Stalinist dictatorship for almost six decades, is largely closed to foreign reporters and it is impossible to independently check today's claims.”
^ Parry, Richard Lloyd (2007-09-05). North Korea's nuclear 'deal' leaves Japan feeling nervous. The Times (online version of UK's national newspaper of record). Retrieved on 2007-10-31. “The US Government contradicted earlier North Korean claims that it had agreed to remove the Stalinist dictatorship’s designation as a terrorist state and to lift economic sanctions, as part of talks aimed at disarming Pyongyang of its nuclear weapons.”
^ Walsh, Lynn (2003-02-08). The Korean crisis. CWI online: Socialism Today, February 2003 edition, journal of the Socialist Party, CWI England and Wales. socialistworld.net, website of the committee for a worker’s international. Retrieved on 2007-10-31. “Kim Jong-il's regime needs economic concessions to avoid collapse, and just as crucially needs an end to the strategic siege imposed by the US since the end of the Korean war (1950-53). Pyongyang's nuclear brinkmanship, though potentially dangerous, is driven by fear rather than by militaristic ambition. The rotten Stalinist dictatorship faces the prospect of an implosion. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, which deprived North Korea of vital economic support, the regime has consistently attempted to secure from the US a non-aggression pact, recognition of its sovereignty, and economic assistance. The US's equally consistent refusal to enter into direct negotiations with North Korea, effectively ruling out a peace treaty to formally close the 1950-53 Korean war, has encouraged the regime to resort to nuclear blackmail.”
^ Oakley, Corey (October 2006). US is threat to peace not North Korea. Edition 109 - October-November 2006. Socialist Alternative website in Australia. Retrieved on 2007-10-31. “In this context, the constant attempts by the Western press to paint Kim Jong Il as simply a raving lunatic look, well, mad. There is no denying that the regime he presides over is a nasty Stalinist dictatorship that brutally oppresses its own population. But in the face of constant threats from the US, Pyongyang's actions have a definite rationality from the regime's point of view.”
^ Baruma, Ian. Leader Article: Let The Music Play On. The Times of India. Retrieved on 2008-03-27. “North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is one of the world's most oppressive, closed, and vicious dictatorships. It is perhaps the last living example of pure totalitarianism - control of the state over every aspect of human life. Is such a place the right venue for a western orchestra? Can one imagine the New York Philharmonic, which performed to great acclaim in Pyongyang, entertaining Stalin or Hitler?”
^ Korean Embassy (2000). Establishment of the Republic of Korea. AsianInfo.org. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
^ Text of the Korean War Armistice Agreement. Find Law (1953). Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ United States Department of Agriculture (April 1992). Prospects for trade with an integrated Korean market. Agricultural Outlook. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ Kwan, Chi Hung (2003-04-18). China in Transition. Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ Olson, Al (2005-12-28). An Antidote to disinformation about North Korea. Global Research. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress (2007). North Korea Agriculture. Country Studies. Retrieved on 2007-03-11.
^ Federation of American Scientists (2000-06-15). Other Industry - North Korean Targets. Weapons of Mass Destruction.
^ Hodge, Homer T. (2003-02-07). North Korea’s Military Strategy. US Army War College Quarterly. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ Russia’s East Asian Strategy: The Korean Challenge - Brookings Institution
^ 18. Is North Korea a 'Stalinist' state?. DPRK FAQ; Document approved by Zo Sun Il. Official Webpages of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (2005-05-05). Retrieved on 2007-10-31.
^ 10th Supreme People's Assembly. (1998-09-15). DPRK's Socialist Constitution (Full Text). The People's Korea. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ Amnesty International (2007). Our Issues, North Korea. Human Rights Concerns. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ Seok, Kay (2007-05-15). Grotesque indifference. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ Hawk, David (2003). The Hidden Gulag: Exposing North Korea’s Prison Camps - Prisoners' Testimonies and Satellite Photographs. U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ "South Korean Dramas Are All the Rage among North Korean People", The Daily NK, 2007-11-02.
^ "North Korean People Copy South Korean TV Drama for Trade", The Daily NK, 2008-02-22.
^ North-South Joint Declaration. Naenara (2000-06-15). Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ Reuters. Factbox - North, South Korea pledge peace, prosperity. Retrieved on 2007-10-04.
^ Bury, Chris (November 2000). Interview - Madeleine Albright. Nightline Frontline, on PBS.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-11.
^ Xinhua (2005-01-13). S. Korea to cut 40,000 troops by 2008. People's Daily Online. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ ^a ^b Oberdorfer, Don (2005-07-28). North Korea: Six-Party Talks Continue. The Washington Post Online. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ Kim Yong Nam Visits 3 ASEAN Nations To Strengthen Traditional Ties. The People's Korea (2001). Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ Report: N. Korea building fence to keep people in
^ CNN. U.N. verifies closure of North Korean nuclear facilities. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
^ Reuters. Factbox - North, South Korea pledge peace, prosperity. Retrieved on 2007-10-04.
^ DPRK. Korea Reunification. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
^ ^a ^b Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (April 2007). Background Note: North Korea. United States Department of State. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ Army personnel (per capita) by country. NationMaster (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ US confirms nuclear claim. New York Times (2006-10-15). Retrieved on 2006-10-16.
^ US says Test points to N. Korea nuclear blast. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ Post-election push on N Korea. BBC News (2005-11-06). Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ Caraway, Bill (2007). Korea Geography. The Korean History Project. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ Federal Research Division of the US Library of Congress (2007). North Korea - Climate. Country Studies. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ "Emergency appeal for DPRK flood survivors", website of the Red Cross
^ Research Library: Korea, South. ICONS Project (2007-05-29). Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ CIA - The World Factbook - Korea, South
^ Federal Research Division of the US Library of Congress (2007). North Korea - Agriculture. Country Studies. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ ^a ^b Lee, May (1998-08-19). Famine may have killed 2 million in North Korea. CNN. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ Asia-Pacific : North Korea. Amnesty International (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ Stephan Haggard and Marcus Noland,'Ch6 The political Economy of Aid' Femine in North Korea, Columbia University Press, New York, 2007, Pg 137
^ Stephan Haggard and Marcus Noland,'Ch6 The political Economy of Aid' Femine in North Korea,Columbia University Press,New York,2007,Pg 137Insert footnote text here
^ Stephan Haggard and Marcus Noland,'Ch6 The political Economy of Aid' Femine in North Korea,Columbia University Press,New York,2007,Pg 137Insert footnote text here
^ Stephan Haggard and Marcus Noland,'Ch6 The political Economy of Aid' Femine in North Korea,Columbia University Press,New York,2007,Pg 137Insert footnote text here
^ Solomon, Jay (2005-05-20). US Has Put Food Aid for North Korea on Hold. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ ^a ^b Report on U.S. Humanitarian assistance to North Koreans (PDF). United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs (2006-04-15). Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ North Korea: Ending Food Aid Would Deepen Hunger. Human Rights Watch (2006-10-11). Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
^ Nam, Sung-wook (2006-10-26). China's N.K. policy unlikely to change. The Korea Herald. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
^ ^a ^b Fourth round of Six-Party Talks. CanKor, on Korean Peace and Security (2005-09-27). Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
^ Faiola, Anthony (2006-07-14). S. Korea Suspends Food Aid to North. Washington Post. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
^ China halts rail freight to North Korea. Financial Times (2007-10-18). Retrieved on 2007-10-18.
^ French, Howard W. (2002-09-25). North Korea to Let Capitalism Loose in Investment Zone. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
^ MacKinnon, Rebecca (2005-01-17). Chinese Cell Phone Breaches North Korean Hermit Kingdom. Yale Global Online. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
^ North Korea recalls mobile phones. The Sydney Morning Herald (2004-06-04). Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
^ N Korean heroin ship sunk by jet. BBC News (2006-03-23). Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
^ Chapter 5, Article 68 of the DPRK constitution.
^ Human Rights in North Korea. Human Rights Watch (July 2004). Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
^ United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (2004-09-21). Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Nautilus Institute. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
^ N Korea stages Mass for Pope. BBC News (2005-04-10). Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
^ North Korean Religion. Windowss on Asia. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
^ Open Doors International : WWL: Focus on the Top Ten
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^ North Korea
^ North Korea
^ North Korea
^ Cumings, Bruce G.. "The Rise of Korean Nationalism and Communism", A Country Study: North Korea. Library of Congress. Call number DS932 .N662 1994.

Pictorials

Christian Kracht, Eva Munz, Lukas Nikol, "The Ministry Of Truth. Kim Jong Ils North Korea", Feral House, Oct 2007, 132 pages, 88 color photographs, ISBN 978-932595-27-7

External links

Korea Portal

Find more about North Korea on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Dictionary definitions
	Textbooks
	Quotations
	Source texts
	Images and media
	News stories
	Learning resources

KCNA - Korean Central News Agency, the official news agency of the DPRK
Naenara - ("My country") DPRK's Official Web Portal run by Korea Computer Company
North Korea at the Open Directory Project
Official Website of the DPR Korea
Official Website of the DPR Korea in Switzerland

v • d • e

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v • d • e Regions and administrative divisions of North Korea

Regions	Kwanbuk (Kwannam) · Kwansŏ · Kwandong (Ryŏngdong • Ryŏngsŏ) · Haesŏ

Provinces	Chagang · Hamgbuk · Hamgnam · Hwangbuk · Hwangnam · Kangwŏn · P'yŏngbuk · P'yŏngnam · Ryanggang

Special administrative regions	Kaesŏng · Kŭmgangsan · Sinŭiju

Directly-governed cities	P'yŏngyang · Rasŏn