An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was occupied by Japan in 1905 following the Russo-Japanese War. Five years later, Japan formally annexed the entire peninsula. Following World War II, Korea was split with the northern half coming under Soviet-sponsored Communist domination. After failing in the Korean War (1950-53) to conquer the US-backed Republic of Korea (ROK) in the southern portion by force, North Korea (DPRK), under its founder President KIM Il Sung, adopted a policy of ostensible diplomatic and economic "self-reliance" as a check against excessive Soviet or Communist Chinese influence. The DPRK demonized the US as the ultimate threat to its social system through state-funded propaganda, and molded political, economic, and military policies around the core ideological objective of eventual unification of Korea under Pyongyang's control. KIM's son, the current ruler KIM Jong Il, was officially designated as his father's successor in 1980, assuming a growing political and managerial role until the elder KIM's death in 1994. After decades of economic mismanagement and resource misallocation, the DPRK since the mid-1990s has relied heavily on international aid to feed its population while continuing to expend resources to maintain an army of approximately 1 million. North Korea's history of regional military provocations, proliferation of military-related items, and long-range missile development - as well as its nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons programs and massive conventional armed forces - are of major concern to the international community. In December 2002, following revelations that the DPRK was pursuing a nuclear weapons program based on enriched uranium in violation of a 1994 agreement with the US to freeze and ultimately dismantle its existing plutonium-based program, North Korea expelled monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In January 2003, it declared its withdrawal from the international Non-Proliferation Treaty. In mid-2003 Pyongyang announced it had completed the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel rods (to extract weapons-grade plutonium) and was developing a "nuclear deterrent." Beginning in August 2003, North Korea, China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the US have participated in the Six-Party Talks aimed at resolving the stalemate over the DPRK's nuclear programs. North Korea pulled out of the talks in November 2005. It test-fired ballistic missiles in July 2006 and conducted a nuclear test in October 2006. North Korea returned to the Six-Party Talks in December 2006 and subsequently signed two agreements on denuclearization. The 13 February 2007 Initial Actions Agreement shut down the North's nuclear facilities at Yongbyon in July 2007. In the 3 October 2007 Second Phase Actions Agreement, Pyongyang pledged to disable those facilities and provide a correct and complete declaration of its nuclear programs.

Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea
40 00 N, 127 00 E
Asia
total: 120,540 sq km ; land: 120,410 sq km ; water: 130 sq km
slightly smaller than Mississippi
total: 1,673 km ; border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km
2,495 km
territorial sea: 12 nm ; exclusive economic zone: 200 nm ; note: military boundary line 50 nm in the Sea of Japan and the exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea where all foreign vessels and aircraft without permission are banned
temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m ; highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m
coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
arable land: 22.4% ; permanent crops: 1.66% ; other: 75.94% (2005)
14,600 sq km (2003)
77.1 cu km (1999)
Total: 9.02 cu km/yr (20%/25%/55%) ; Per capita: 401 cu m/yr (2000)
late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall
water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterborne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation
party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution ; signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated
23,301,725 (July 2007 est.)
0-14 years: 23.3% (male 2,758,826/female 2,679,093) ; 15-64 years: 68.1% (male 7,852,282/female 8,024,429) ; 65 years and over: 8.5% (male 709,599/female 1,277,496) (2007 est.)
total: 32.4 years ; male: 30.9 years ; female: 33.8 years (2007 est.)
0.785% (2007 est.)
15.06 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
7.21 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female ; under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female ; 15-64 years: 0.979 male(s)/female ; 65 years and over: 0.555 male(s)/female ; total population: 0.945 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
total: 22.56 deaths/1,000 live births ; male: 24.2 deaths/1,000 live births ; female: 20.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total population: 71.92 years ; male: 69.18 years ; female: 74.8 years (2007 est.)
2.05 children born/woman (2007 est.)
NA
NA
NA
noun: Korean(s) ; adjective: Korean
racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese
traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way) ; note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom
Korean
definition: age 15 and over can read and write ; total population: 99% ; male: 99% ; female: 99%


conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea ; conventional short form: North Korea ; local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk ; local short form: Choson ; abbreviation: DPRK
Communist state one-man dictatorship
name: Pyongyang ; geographic coordinates: 39 01 N, 125 45 E ; time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4 municipalities (si, singular and plural) ; provinces: Chagang-do (Chagang), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong), Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae), Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae), Kangwon-do (Kangwon), P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan), Yanggang-do (Yanggang) ; municipalities: Kaesong-si (Kaesong), Najin Sonbong-si (Najin-Sonbong), Namp'o-si (Namp'o), P'yongyang-si (Pyongyang)

15 August 1945 (from Japan)
Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948)
adopted 1948; completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992, and September 1998
based on Prussian civil law system with Japanese influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
17 years of age; universal
chief of state: KIM Jong Il (since July 1994); note - on 3 September 2003, rubberstamp Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) reelected KIM Jong Il chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded nation's "highest administrative authority"; SPA reelected KIM Yong Nam president of its Presidium also with responsibility of representing state and receiving diplomatic credentials ; head of government: Premier KIM Yong Il (since 11 April 2007); Vice Premiers KWAK Pom Gi (since 5 September 1998), JON Sung Hun (since 3 September 2003), RO Tu Chol (since 3 September 2003), THAE Jong Su (since 16 October 2007) ; cabinet: Naegak (cabinet) members, except for Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by SPA ; elections: last held in September 2003 (next to be held in September 2008) ; election results: KIM Jong Il and KIM Yong Nam were only nominees for positions and ran unopposed
unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) ; elections: last held 3 August 2003 (next to be held in August 2008) ; election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; ruling party approves a list of candidates who are elected without opposition; some seats are held by minor parties
Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly)
major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Jong Il]; minor parties - Chondoist Chongu Party [RYU Mi Yong] (under KWP control), Social Democratic Party [KIM Yong Dae] (under KWP control)
none
ARF, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side of the red band is a white disk with a red five-pointed star
none; North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York
none; note - Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang represents the US as consular protecting power





North Korea, one of the world's most centrally directed and least open economies, faces chronic economic problems. Industrial capital stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of years of underinvestment and shortages of spare parts. Industrial and power output have declined in parallel from pre-1990 levels. Due in part to severe summer flooding followed by dry weather conditions in the fall of 2006, the nation suffered its 13th year of food shortages because of on-going systemic problems including a lack of arable land, collective farming practices, and persistent shortages of tractors and fuel. Large-scale international food aid deliveries have allowed the people of North Korea to escape widespread starvation since famine threatened in 1995, but the population continues to suffer from prolonged malnutrition and poor living conditions. Large-scale military spending draws off resources needed for investment and civilian consumption. Since 2002, the government has formalized an arrangement whereby private "farmers' markets" were allowed to begin selling a wider range of goods. It also permitted some private farming on an experimental basis in an effort to boost agricultural output. In October 2005, the government tried to reverse some of these policies by forbidding private sales of grains and reinstituting a centralized food rationing system. By December 2005, the government terminated most international humanitarian assistance operations in North Korea (calling instead for developmental assistance only) and restricted the activities of remaining international and non-governmental aid organizations such as the World Food Program. External food aid now comes primarily from China and South Korea in the form of grants and long-term concessional loans. During the October 2007 summit, South Korea also agreed to develop some of North Korea's infrastructure and natural resources. Firm political control remains the Communist government's overriding concern, which will likely inhibit the loosening of economic regulations.
$40 billion ; note: North Korea does not publish any reliable National Income Accounts data; the datum shown here is derived from purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP estimates for North Korea that were made by Angus MADDISON in a study conducted for the OECD; his figure for 1999 was extrapolated to 2006 using estimated real growth rates for North Korea's GDP and an inflation factor based on the US GDP deflator; the result was rounded to the nearest $10 billion (2007 est.)
$NA (2006 est.)
1.6% (2006 est.)
$1,900 (2007 est.)
agriculture: 30% ; industry: 34% ; services: 36% (2002 est.)
10 million ; note: estimates vary widely (2002 est.)
agriculture: 36% ; industry and services: 64% (2002 est.)
NA%
NA%
lowest 10%: NA% ; highest 10%: NA%

NA%

revenues: $NA ; expenditures: $NA

rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs
military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, limestone, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism
NA%
22.19 billion kWh (2005)
fossil fuel: 29% ; hydro: 71% ; nuclear: 0% ; other: 0% (2001)
18.57 billion kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
141 bbl/day (2005 est.)
24,000 bbl/day (2005)
0 bbl/day (2004)
23,520 bbl/day (2004 est.)
NA (1 January 2006)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005)
0 cu m (1 January 2006)

$1.437 billion f.o.b. (2006)
minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments), textiles, agricultural and fishery products
China 35%, South Korea 24%, Thailand 9%, Japan 9% (2005)
$3.181 billion c.i.f. (2006)
China 27%, South Korea 16%, Thailand 9%, Russia 7% (2005)


$12 billion (1996 est.)



North Korean won (KPW)
KPW
official: North Korean won per US dollar - NA (2007), 141 (2006), 170 (December 2004), market: North Korean won per US dollar - 2,500-3,000 (December 2006)
calendar year
$81.11 million ; note: approximately 350,000 metric tons in food aid through the World Food Program appeal in 2005, plus additional aid from bilateral donors and non-governmental organizations (2005)
980,000 (2003)

general assessment: NA ; domestic: NA ; international: country code - 850; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Russian (Indian Ocean region); other international connections through Moscow and Beijing
AM 17 (including 11 stations of Korean Central Broadcasting Station; North Korea has a "national intercom" cable radio station wired throughout the country that is a significant source of information for the average North Korean citizen; it is wired into most residences and workplaces and carries news and commentary), FM 14, shortwave 14 (2006)
3.36 million (1997)
4 (includes Korean Central Television, Mansudae Television, Korean Educational and Cultural Network, and Kaesong Television targeting South Korea) (2003)
1.2 million (1997)
.kp

1 (2000)
NA

77 (2007)
total: 36 ; over 3,047 m: 2 ; 2,438 to 3,047 m: 22 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 1 ; under 914 m: 3 (2007)
total: 41 ; 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 13 ; under 914 m: 7 (2007)
23 (2007)
oil 154 km (2006)
total: 5,214 km ; standard gauge: 5,214 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) (2006)
total: 31,200 km ; paved: 1,997 km ; unpaved: 29,203 km (1999 est.)
2,250 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2007)
total: 171 ships (1000 GRT or over) 854,268 GRT/1,225,453 DWT ; by type: bulk carrier 12, cargo 131, chemical tanker 1, container 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 14, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 3 ; foreign-owned: 29 (Egypt 1, India 1, Israel 1, Lebanon 3, Lithuania 1, Pakistan 1, Romania 6, Russia 1, Syria 7, Turkey 1, UAE 4, Yemen 2) ; registered in other countries: (unknown 1) (2007)
Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin, Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan

North Korean People's Army: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force; civil security forces (2005)
17 years of age (2004)
males age 17-49: 5,851,801 ; females age 17-49: 5,850,733 (2005 est.)
males age 17-49: 4,810,831 ; females age 17-49: 4,853,270 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 194,605 ; females age 17-49: 187,846 (2005 est.)
NA

risking arrest, imprisonment, and deportation, tens of thousands of North Koreans cross into China to escape famine, economic privation, and political oppression; North Korea and China dispute the sovereignty of certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers; Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic incidents in the Yellow Sea with South Korea which claims the Northern Limiting Line as a maritime boundary; North Korea supports South Korea in rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima)
IDPs: 50,000-250,000 (government repression and famine) (2006)
for years, from the 1970s into the 2000s, citizens of the Democratic People's Republic of (North) Korea (DPRK), many of them diplomatic employees of the government, were apprehended abroad while trafficking in narcotics, including two in Turkey in December 2004; police investigations in Taiwan and Japan in recent years have linked North Korea to large illicit shipments of heroin and methamphetamine, including an attempt by the North Korean merchant ship Pong Su to deliver 150 kg of heroin to Australia in April 2003
current situation: North Korea is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; North Korea's own system of political repression includes forced labor in a network of prison camps where an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 persons are incarcerated; the illegal status of North Koreans in China and other countries increases their vulnerability to trafficking schemes and sexual and physical abuse; North Koreans forcibly returned from China may be subject to hard labor in prison camps operated by the government ; tier rating: Tier 3 - North Korea does not fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so
