North Korea
21255
225551515
2008-07-14T07:37:55Z
Nunquam Dormio
1122047
/* Further reading */ Remove links to publishers, Amazon
{{semiprotect|small=yes}}
{{for|the history of Korea|Korea}}
{{Infobox Country
|native_name = {{lang|ko|조선민주주의인민공화국}}<br />{{lang|ko|朝鮮民主主義人民共和國}}<br />''Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk''<ref>{{cite web |title=Administrative Divisions and Population Figures (#26) |work=DPRK: The Land of the Morning Calm |publisher=Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use |date=2003-04 |url=http://www.pcgn.org.uk/North%20Korea-%20Land%20of%20the%20Morning%20Calm-%202003.pdf |format=PDF |accessdate=2006-10-10}}</ref><br />
|conventional_long_name = Democratic People's Republic of Korea
|conventional_short_name = DPR Korea
|common_name = North Korea
|image_flag = Flag of North Korea.svg
|image_coat = North Korea coa.png
|image_map = LocationNorthKorea.png
|motto = 강성대국<sub><br>(Powerful and prosperous nation)</sub>
|national_anthem = ''[[Aegukka]]''
|official_languages = [[Korean language|Korean]]
|demonym = North Korean, Korean
|capital = [[Pyongyang]] |latd=39 |latm=2 |latNS=N |longd=125 |longm=45 |longEW=E
|government_type = [[Juche]]<!-- <<<--DO NOT CHANGE! --> [[Socialist Republic]]
|leader_title1 = [[Eternal President of the Republic]]
|leader_title2 = [[National Defence Commission of North Korea|Chairman of the National Defence Commission]]
|leader_title3 = [[Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly#President of the Presidium of the SPA|President of the Supreme People's Assembly]]
|leader_title4 = [[Premier of North Korea|Premier]]
|leader_name1 = [[Kim Il-sung]]<br><small>(deceased)</small> <sup>a</sup>
|leader_name2 = [[Kim Jong-il]]<sup>b</sup>
|leader_name3 = [[Kim Yong-nam]]<sup>c</sup>
|leader_name4 = [[Kim Yong-il]]
|largest_city = [[Pyongyang]]
|area_km2 = 120,540
|area_sq_mi = 46,528 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
|area_rank = 98th
|area_magnitude = 1 E11
|percent_water = 4.87
|population_estimate = 23,301,725<ref name="cia">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kn.html |title=Korea, North |accessdate=2007-08-01 |date=2007 |work=[[The World Factbook|CIA World Factbook]] }} North Korea itself does not disclose figures.</ref>
|population_estimate_year = 2007
|population_estimate_rank = 48th
|population_census =
|population_census_year =
|population_density_km2 = 190
|population_density_sq_mi = 492 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
|population_density_rank = 55th
|GDP_PPP_year = 2006<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029394365&a=KCountryProfile&aid=1019041562185 |title=Country Profile: North Korea |accessdate=2007-08-01 |date=[[2007-07-20]] |work=[[Foreign and Commonwealth Office]], UK }}</ref>
|GDP_PPP = [[United States dollar|$]]40.00 billion
|GDP_PPP_rank = 91st
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $1,900
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 147th
|HDI_year =
|HDI =
|HDI_rank =
|HDI_category =
|FSI = 97.7 {{increase}} 0.4
|FSI_year = 2007
|FSI_rank = 13th
|FSI_category = <font color="#FF0000">Alert</font>
|sovereignty_type = [[Division of Korea#In the North|Establishment]]
|established_event1 = [[March 1st Movement|Independence declared]]
|established_event2 = [[Victory over Japan Day|Liberation]]
|established_event3 = Formal declaration
|established_date1 = [[March 1]] [[1919]]
|established_date2 = [[August 15]] [[1945]]
|established_date3 = [[September 9]] [[1948]]
|currency = [[North Korean won]] (₩)
|currency_code = KPW
|time_zone = [[Korea Standard Time]]
|utc_offset = +9
|time_zone_DST =
|utc_offset_DST =
|cctld = [[.kp]]
|calling_code = 850
|footnotes = <sup>a</sup> Died 1994, named "Eternal President" in 1998.<br /><sup>b</sup> [[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.<br /><sup>c</sup> [[Kim Yong-nam]] is the "[[Head of State|head of state]] for foreign affairs".<br />
}}
'''North Korea''' is the commonly used short form name for the '''Democratic People's Republic of Korea''' (or '''DPRK'''),<ref>Another acronym occasionally used in the media is '''DPRNK''', as for ''Democratic People's Republic of North Korea''.</ref> 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 [[Korea|one nation]] until division following [[World War II]]. At its northern [[Yalu River|Amnok River]] border are [[People's Republic of China|China]] and, separated by the [[Tumen River]] in the extreme north-east, [[Russia]].
North Korea is widely considered to be a [[Stalinism|Stalinist]] [[dictatorship]].<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/28/wnkorea128.xml
|title = North Korea power struggle looms
|accessdate = 2007-10-31
|last = Spencer
|first = Richard
|authorlink = Richard Spencer
|date = 2007-08-28
|work = The Telegraph (online version of UK national newspaper)
|quote = 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.
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/02/international/asia/02CND-KORE.html?ex=1380513600&en=a29d7f1e49aabee0&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND
|title = North Korea Says It Is Using Plutonium to Make A-Bombs
|accessdate = 2007-10-31
|last = Brooke
|first = James
|authorlink = James Brooke
|date = 2003-10-02
|work = The New York Times (online version of New York, United States newspaper)
|quote = 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.
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2388356.ece
|title = North Korea's nuclear 'deal' leaves Japan feeling nervous
|accessdate = 2007-10-31
|last = Parry
|first = Richard Lloyd
|authorlink = Richard Lloyd Parry
|date = 2007-09-05
|work = The Times (online version of UK's national newspaper of record)
|quote = 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.
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url = http://socialistworld.net/eng/2003/02/08korea.html
|title = The Korean crisis
|accessdate = 2007-10-31
|last = Walsh
|first = Lynn
|authorlink = Lynn Walsh
|date = 2003-02-08
|work = CWI online: Socialism Today, February 2003 edition, journal of the Socialist Party, CWI England and Wales
|publisher = socialistworld.net, website of the committee for a worker’s international
|quote = 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.
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.sa.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=333&Itemid=106
|title = US is threat to peace not North Korea
|accessdate = 2007-10-31
|last = Oakley
|first = Corey
|authorlink = Corey Oakley
|year = 2006
|month = October
|work = Edition 109 - October-November 2006
|publisher = Socialist Alternative website in Australia
|quote = 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.
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Let_The_Music_Play_On/articleshow/2859521.cms
|title = Leader Article: Let The Music Play On
|accessdate = 2008-03-27
|last = Baruma
|first = Ian
|authorlink =
|date =
|work = The Times of India
|quote = 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?
}}</ref> 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 [[North Korean famine|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 [[Songun|"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|History of North Korea}}
{{seealso|History of Korea|Division of Korea}}
=== Formation ===
In the aftermath of the [[Korea under Japanese rule|Japanese occupation of Korea]], which ended with [[Japan]]'s defeat in [[World War II]] in 1945, the [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|Soviet Union]] accepted the surrender of Japanese forces and controlled the area north of the [[38th parallel north|38th parallel]], with the [[United States]] controlling the area south of this [[Circle of latitude|parallel]]. Virtually all Koreans welcomed [[liberation]] from [[Korea under Japanese rule|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/korea/history/establishment_of_the_republic_of.htm |title=Establishment of the Republic of Korea |accessdate=2007-03-13 |author=Korean Embassy |date=2000 |work=AsianInfo.org }}</ref> 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 [[Korean People's Army|(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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/korea/kwarmagr072753.html |title=Text of the Korean War Armistice Agreement |accessdate=2007-08-01 |date=1953 |work=Find Law }}</ref> 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 of North Korea|economy]] grew at a significant rate. It was considered the second most [[industrialized]] nation in Asia, after [[Japan]].{{Fact|date=April 2008}} 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 [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|USSR]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3778/is_1992_April/ai_12151027 |title=Prospects for trade with an integrated Korean market |accessdate=2007-08-01 |author=[[United States Department of Agriculture]] |date=April 1992 |work=Agricultural Outlook }}</ref> and strained relations with China following China's normalization with South Korea in 1992.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rieti.go.jp/en/china/03041801.html |title=China in Transition |accessdate=2007-08-01 |author=Kwan, Chi Hung |date=[[2003-04-18]] |work=Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry }}</ref> In addition, North Korea experienced record-breaking [[floods]] in 1995 and 1996, followed by several years of equally severe [[drought]], beginning in 1997.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=OLS20051228&articleId=1663 |title=An Antidote to disinformation about North Korea |accessdate=2007-08-01 |author=Olson, Al |date=[[2005-12-28]] |work=Global Research }}</ref> This situation, compounded by the existence of only 18 percent arable land<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.country-studies.com/north-korea/agriculture.html |title=North Korea Agriculture |accessdate=2007-03-11 |author=Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress |date=2007 |work=Country Studies }}</ref> and an inability to import goods necessary to sustain industry,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/dprk/target/industry.htm |title=Other Industry - North Korean Targets |accessdate= |author=[[Federation of American Scientists]] |date=[[2000-06-15]] |work=Weapons of Mass Destruction }}</ref> 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 [[Songun|"Military-First" policy]] to reinforce the regime.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/03spring/hodge.htm |title=North Korea’s Military Strategy |accessdate=2007-08-01 |author=Hodge, Homer T. |date=[[2003-02-07]] |work=US Army War College Quarterly }}</ref>
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.<ref>[http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2007/11_korea_toloraya.aspx Russia’s East Asian Strategy: The Korean Challenge - Brookings Institution<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Collapse of large state-owned enterprises released a huge amount of workers who engage in cross-border trade with China.
== Government and politics ==
{{main|Politics of North Korea}}
[[Image:Juche Tower.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Juche Tower|Tower of Juche Idea]], in [[Pyongyang]].]]
North Korea is a self-described ''[[Juche]]'' (self-reliance) state.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.korea-dpr.com/faq.htm#18
|title = 18. Is North Korea a 'Stalinist' state?
|accessdate = 2007-10-31
|last =
|first =
|authorlink =
|date = 2005-05-05
|work = DPRK FAQ; Document approved by Zo Sun Il
|publisher = Official Webpages of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
|
}}</ref> 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 of the Republic|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,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.korea-np.co.jp/pk/061st_issue/98091708.htm |title=DPRK's Socialist Constitution (Full Text) |accessdate=2007-08-01 |author=10th [[Supreme People's Assembly]]. |date=[[1998-09-15]] |work=The People's Korea }}</ref> 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 [[List of Premiers of North Korea|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|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/north_korea/index.do |title=Our Issues, North Korea |accessdate=2007-08-01 |author=[[Amnesty International]] |date=2007 |work=Human Rights Concerns }}</ref> North Koreans have been referred to as "some of the world's most brutalized people", due to the severe restrictions placed on their [[Freedom (political)|political]] and [[Indices of Economic Freedom|economic]] freedoms.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/05/16/nkorea15944.htm |title=Grotesque indifference |accessdate=2007-08-01 |author=Seok, Kay |date=[[2007-05-15]] |work=[[Human Rights Watch]] }}</ref> North Korean defectors have testified to the existence of [[Internment|prison and detention camp]]s with an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 inmates (about 0.85% of the population), and have reported [[torture]], [[starvation]], [[rape]], [[murder]], [[North Korean human experimentation|medical experimentation]], [[Unfree labour|forced labour]], and forced [[abortion]]s. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://hrnk.org/hiddengulag/part3.html |title=The Hidden [[Gulag]]: Exposing North Korea’s Prison Camps - Prisoners' Testimonies and Satellite Photographs |accessdate=2007-08-01 |author=Hawk, David |date=2003 |work=[[U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea]] }}</ref>
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,<ref>{{cite news |title=South Korean Dramas Are All the Rage among North Korean People |work=The Daily NK |first=Yoon Il Geun |date=2007-11-02 |url=http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk01500&num=2862 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=North Korean People Copy South Korean TV Drama for Trade |work=The Daily NK |first=Lee Sung Jin |date=2008-02-22 |url=http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk01500&num=3290 }}</ref> 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.{{Fact|date=March 2008}}
== Foreign relations ==
{{main|Foreign relations of North Korea}}
{{seealso|North Korea-United States relations}}
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:DRPK Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.jpg|thumb|Kim Jong-il (left), with his father [[Kim Il-sung]], around 1986.|{{deletable image-caption|1=Tuesday, 22 April 2008}}]] -->
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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kcckp.net/en/one/nation.php?1+joint |title=North-South Joint Declaration |accessdate=2007-08-01 |date=[[2000-06-15]] |work=[[Naenara]] }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKSEO16392220071004 |title=Factbox - North, South Korea pledge peace, prosperity |accessdate=2007-10-04 |author=Reuters }}</ref>
In 2002, [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[George W. Bush]] labelled North Korea part of an "[[axis of evil]]" and an "[[Outposts of tyranny|outpost of tyranny]]". The highest-level contact the government has had with the United States was with [[United States Secretary of State|U.S. Secretary of State]] [[Madeleine Albright]], who made a visit to Pyongyang in 2000,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/clinton/interviews/albright.html |title=Interview - Madeleine Albright |accessdate=2007-08-11 |author=Bury, Chris |date=November 2000 |work=[[Nightline]] [[Frontline (US TV series)|Frontline]], on [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]].org }}</ref> but the two countries do not have formal diplomatic relations.<ref name="cia" /> In 2006, approximately 37,000 American soldiers remained in [[South Korea]], with plans to reduce the number to 25,000 by 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://english.people.com.cn/200501/13/eng20050113_170566.html |title=S. Korea to cut 40,000 troops by 2008 |accessdate=2007-08-01 |author=Xinhua |date=[[2005-01-13]] |work=[[People's Daily]] Online}}</ref> [[Kim Jong-il]] has privately stated his acceptance of U.S. troops on the peninsula, even after a possible [[Korean reunification|reunification]].<ref name="wpost">{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2005/07/27/DI2005072701759.html |title=North Korea: Six-Party Talks Continue |accessdate=2007-08-01 |author=Oberdorfer, Don |date=[[2005-07-28]] |work=[[The Washington Post]] Online }}</ref> 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]]).<ref name="wpost"/>
North Korea has long maintained close relations with the [[People's Republic of China]] and [[Russia]]. The [[Revolutions of 1989|fall of communism]] in [[eastern Europe]] in 1989, and the disintegration of the [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|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 [[Socialism|socialist]] [[southeast Asia]]n allies in [[Vietnam]], [[Laos]], and [[Cambodia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.korea-np.co.jp/pk/165th_issue/2001072510.htm |title=Kim Yong Nam Visits 3 ASEAN Nations To Strengthen Traditional Ties |accessdate=2007-08-01 |date=2001 |work=The People's Korea }}</ref>
North Korea has started installing a [[Chinese-Korean Border Fence|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.<ref>[http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5084232.html Report: N. Korea building fence to keep people in]</ref>
As a result of the [[North Korea and weapons of mass destruction|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/07/18/nkorea.iaea/index.html |title=U.N. verifies closure of North Korean nuclear facilities |accessdate=2007-07-18 |author=CNN }}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKSEO16392220071004 |title=Factbox - North, South Korea pledge peace, prosperity |accessdate=2007-10-04 |author=Reuters }}</ref>
=== DPRK sponsored terrorism ===
Two incidents against South Korea are widely attributed to North Korea: the 1983 bombing that killed members of the South Korean government, and the 1987 destruction of a South Korean airliner. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/countries/korea.html |title=Country Guide|accessdate=2008-06-26|author=Washington Post}}</ref> The DPRK has also admitted
kidnapping 13 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s: five of whom were returned to Japan in 2002.
<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5074234.stm |title="N Korea to face Japan sanctions" |accessdate=2008-06-26|author=BBC}}</ref>
Based on these incidents, the DPRK has been accused of being a state sponsor of terrorism,
but there are no known DPRK sponsored terrorist acts since the bombing of a Korean Airlines flight in 1987.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2007/103711.htm | title=Country Reports on Terrorism: Chapter 3 -- State Sponsors of Terrorism Overview | author=Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism | accessdate=2008-06026}}</ref>
Thus DPRK is currently listed in the [[State sponsors of terrorism|terrorism-support list]]. Though, the United States is expected to remove its designation of the DPRK as a [[State sponsors of terrorism|state sponsor of terrorism]] in parallel with the DPRK’s actions on denuclearization.
=== Propaganda towards South Korea ===
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) government officially states on its website <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.korea-dpr.com/reunification.htm |title=Reunification |accessdate=2008-04-05|author=DPRK}}</ref> 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|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: [[North Korean Ground Force|Ground Force]], [[Korean People's Army Navy|Naval Force]], [[Korean People's Army Air Force|Air Force]], and the [[North Korean Civil Securities Force|Civil Securities Force]].
According to the [[United States Department of State|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.<ref name="bgn">{{cite web |url=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2792.htm |title=Background Note: North Korea |accessdate=2007-08-01 |author=[[Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs]] |date=April 2007 |work=[[United States Department of State]] }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/mil_arm_per_percap-military-army-personnel-per-capita |title=Army personnel (per capita) by country |accessdate=2007-08-01 |date=2007 |work=NationMaster }}</ref> Military strategy is designed for insertion of agents and sabotage behind enemy lines in wartime,<ref name="bgn" /> with much of the KPA's forces deployed along the heavily fortified [[Korean Demilitarized Zone]].
=== Nuclear weapons program ===
{{main|North Korea and weapons of mass destruction}}
On [[October 9]], [[2006]], North Korea conducted its [[2006 North Korean nuclear test|first nuclear test]].<ref>{{cite web |title=US confirms nuclear claim |publisher=New York Times |date=2006-10-15 |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/16/world/asia/17koreacnd.html?hp&ex=1161057600&en=891cb4c4775510b3&ei=5094&partner=homepage |accessdate=2006-10-16}}</ref> The blast was smaller than expected and U.S. officials suggested that it may have been an unsuccessful test or a partially successful [[Effects of nuclear explosions#Other phenomena|fizzle]].<ref>{{cite web |title=US says Test points to N. Korea nuclear blast |url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-nkorea1013,0,2698552.story?track=rss |accessdate=2007-08-01 }}</ref> North Korea has previously stated that it has produced [[nuclear weapon]]s 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3988015.stm |title=Post-election push on N Korea |accessdate=2007-08-01 |date=[[2005-11-06]] |work=[[BBC News]] }}</ref>
<!-- Passages remarked out until they can be adequately cited / translated/ language improved:-
October 2006, North Korea aimed 200 Rodong-1 missiles which can deliver nuclear or chemical warheads to Tokyo. (Japan does not have any missiles which can strike North Korea. And even US Minuteman 500 missiles only & there are only 6-16 US bases in Japan. So it is not apparent why North Korea needs to aim 200 bulky quantity of missiles at Japan.) And ISIS research warns of the possibility that the DPRK may have 3 nuclear warheads which are deliverable to Tokyo, Osaka, or Nagoya by [[Rodong-1]] missiles. And ISIS also warned the dangerousness of 2 new reactors which are under construction at Yongbyon (50 MW, which can generate 50-55 kg of [[plutonium]] per year, enough to build 10-11 warheads) and Taechong (200 MW, which can generate 45 warheads per year).
* [http://www.isis-online.org/publications/dprk/DPRKplutoniumFEB.pdf ISIS reports about 3 deliverable warheads & 50 MW new reactor]
* [http://www.cns.miis.edu/pubs/week/pdf/060321.pdf Missile of DPRK. Please see Taepodong X, 4000 km '''moval''' ballistic missile, from USSR Sub launched missile technology. It is already in service]
And once the DPRK starts the operation of new 50 MW / 200 MW reactors, they can produce 200 nuclear warheads for existing 200 [[Rodong-1]] missiles (which are aimed at Japan). And it will be able to provide 100 nuclear warheads for new moval ICBM (which can strike US mainland), in 2017. But there is China behind the DPRK and the DPRK artillery corps at border area can deliver chemical projectiles to Seoul, so US are not able to bomb new big reactors under construction at DPRK. Because Seoul under the situation of hostage of DPRK's artillery corps. Even DPRK Nuclear/Missile problem more serious than Iran, it's more difficult to solve, so Bush Administration seems to have decided to carry over the serious problem to the next president (possibly Ms. Clinton the wife of Bill who compromised the DPRK in 1994)
On Jan 2007 former secretary of defence Mr. William Perry warned of the danger of the DPRK's new big reactors at Lowerhouse.
But because poverty of DPRK most of the people underestimate DPRK. Most people believe that DPRK only have the nuclear bombs which cannot be delivered by missiles.<ref>{{cite web |title=Q&A: N Korea nuclear stand-off |publisher=BBC |date=2003-12-09 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2340405.stm |accessdate=2006-10-15}}</ref>
On Feb Pentagon sent F-117 & F-22 to US base at SK & Japan for keep the option for surgical strike to DPRK's Nuke facilities, but -->
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.
<!-- Passages remarked out until they can be adequately cited / translated/ language improved:-
But the truth of "disablement of [[Plutonium]] extracting facilities" is just cut the chain of some material convayers. That mean DPRK can repair it within several month.'''And DPRK is constructing 2 new big reactors(50-200 MWe) which can generate hundreds of nuke warheads within several years''',----was included "The 5 facilities need to shutdown" '''but it does not include "The 3 facilities need to disable".DPRK only agreed to disable old small 5 MWe reactor.''' '''DPRK's 200 [[Rodong-1]] Moval Ballistic Missiles which can strike Tokyo are not included even "The subjects need to discuss".''' -->
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 [[2007 North Korea flooding|floods in August 2007]].
On June 27, 2008, North Korea destroyed a water [[cooling tower]] at its nuclear facility in Yongbyon.<ref name="cnn-tower-explosion">{{cite news | url = http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/06/27/northkorea.explosion/index.html?eref=rss_topstories | title = N. Korea destroys nuclear reactor tower | publisher = CNN | date = [[2008-06-27]] | accessdate = 2008-06-27}}</ref> It has been reported that without the cooling tower, North Korea cannot create plutonium,<ref name="cnn-tower-explosion" /> though ''The New York Times'' reported that "the tower is a technically insignificant structure, [and is] relatively easy to rebuild."<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/28/world/asia/28korea.html | title = North Korea Destroys Tower at Nuclear Site | publisher = New York Times | last = Choe | first = Sang-Hun | date = [[2008-06-27]] | accessdate = 2008-06-27}}</ref> The implosion is being hailed as a symbolic way of showing that North Korea is committed to ending its nuclear program.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aItk_soO.rAg&refer=home | title = North Korea Blasts Cooling Tower at Yongbyon Nuclear Plant | publisher = Bloomberg | first = Heejin | last = Koo | coauthors = Viola Gienger | date = [[2008-06-27]] | accessdate = 2008-06-27}}</ref>
==Geography==
{{main|Geography of North Korea}}
{{seealso|Korean Peninsula}}
[[Image:Korea north map.png|thumb|Map of North Korea]]
North Korea is on the northern portion of the [[Korean Peninsula]], covering an area of {{convert|120540|km2|sqmi|0}}. 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 {{convert|2744|m|ft|0}}. The longest river is the Amnok River which flows for {{convert|790|km|mi|0}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.koreanhistoryproject.org/Jta/Kr/KrGEO0.htm |title=Korea Geography |accessdate=2007-08-01 |author=Caraway, Bill |date=2007 |work=The Korean History Project }}</ref>
North Korea's [[climate]] is relatively [[temperate]], with [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] heavier in summer during a short rainy season called ''changma'', and winters that can be bitterly cold.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/north-korea/21.htm |title=North Korea - Climate |accessdate=2007-08-01 |author=[[Federal Research Division]] of the US [[Library of Congress]] |date=2007 |work=Country Studies }}</ref> For a week from [[7 August]] [[2007]] the most devastating [[2007 North Korea flooding|floods]] in 40 years caused the North Korean Government to ask for international help. [[NGO]]s, such as the [[Red Cross]], asked people to raise funds because they feared a humanitarian catastrophe.<ref>[http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/pr07/4607.asp "Emergency appeal for DPRK flood survivors", website of the Red Cross]</ref>
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 ==
[[Image:Korean peninsula at night.jpg|thumb|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|Economy of North Korea}}
{{seealso|Tourism in North Korea}}
In the aftermath of the [[Korean War]] and throughout the 1960s and '70s, the country's state-controlled [[Economy of North Korea|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icons.umd.edu/reslib/country.output_country_page?simnum=&name=&v_country_id=94#statistics |title=Research Library: Korea, South |accessdate=2007-08-01 |date=[[2007-05-29]] |work=ICONS Project }}</ref><ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ks.html#Econ CIA - The World Factbook - Korea, South<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
=== 1990s famine ===
{{main|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 [[Cereal|grain]] output of more than 1 million tons from what the country needs to meet internationally-accepted minimum dietary requirements.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/north-korea/49.htm |title=North Korea - Agriculture |accessdate=2007-08-01 |author=[[Federal Research Division]] of the US [[Library of Congress]] |date=2007 |work=Country Studies }}</ref> 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."<ref name="famine">{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9808/19/nkorea.famine/ |title=Famine may have killed 2 million in North Korea |accessdate=2007-08-01 |author=Lee, May |date=[[1998-08-19]] |work=[[CNN]] }}</ref> The deaths were most likely caused by famine-related illnesses such as [[pneumonia]], [[tuberculosis]], and [[diarrhea]] rather than [[starvation]].<ref name="famine"/>
In 2006, [[Amnesty International]] reported that a national nutrition survey conducted by the North Korean government, the [[World Food Programme]], and [[United Nations Children's Fund|UNICEF]] found that 7 percent of children were severely [[malnutrition|malnourished]]; 37 percent were chronically malnourished; 23.4 percent were underweight; and one in three mothers was malnourished and [[anemia|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 [[Songun|"Military-first" policy]], was cited for creating the increased price of basic foods.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.amnesty.org/report2006/prk-summary-eng |title=Asia-Pacific : North Korea |accessdate=2007-08-01 |date=2007 |work=[[Amnesty International]] }}</ref>
The history of [[Japan]]ese assistance to North Korea has been marked with unrest; from a large pro-[[Pyongyang]] community of North Koreans in Japan to public outrage over the 1998 North Korean missile launch and revelations regarding the abduction of Japanese citizens.<ref>Stephan Haggard and Marcus Noland,'Ch6 The political Economy of Aid' Femine in North Korea, Columbia University Press, New York, 2007, Pg 137</ref> In June 1995 an agreement was reached that the two countries would act jointly (Snyder1999).<ref> 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</ref> South Korea would provide 150,000 MT of grain in unmarked bags, and Japan would provide 150,000 MT gratis and another 150,000 MT on concessional terms.<ref>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</ref> In October 1995 and January 1996, North Korea again approached Japan for assistance. On these two occasions, both of which came at crucial moments in the evolution of the famine, opposition from both South Korea and domestic political sources quashed the deals.<ref>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</ref>
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 [[Presidency of George W. Bush|Bush Administration]], aid was drastically reduced year after year from 350,000 tons in 2001 to 40,000 in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/hunger/relief/2005/0520nkorea.htm |title=US Has Put Food Aid for North Korea on Hold |accessdate=2007-08-01 |author=Solomon, Jay |date=[[2005-05-20]] |work=Wall Street Journal }}</ref> The Bush Administration took criticism for using "food as a weapon" during talks over the North's nuclear weapons program, but insisted the [[United States Agency for International Development|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 [[Tonne|metric tons]] in 1997 to 4.2 million [[Tonne|metric tons]] in 2004.<ref name="assistance">{{cite web |url=http://internationalrelations.house.gov/archives/109/4-06usaid.pdf |title=Report on U.S. Humanitarian assistance to North Koreans |accessdate=2007-08-01 |date=[[2006-04-15]] |work=[[United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs]] |format=PDF }}</ref>
=== Foreign commerce ===
[[Image:MetroPyongyang.jpg|thumb|right|[[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.<ref name="assistance"/> In 2005, China and South Korea combined to provide 1 million tons of food aid, each contributing half.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/10/10/nkorea14381.htm |title=North Korea: Ending Food Aid Would Deepen Hunger |accessdate=2007-08-02 |date=[[2006-10-11]] |work=[[Human Rights Watch]] }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2006/10/26/200610260049.asp |title=China's N.K. policy unlikely to change |accessdate=2007-08-02 |author=Nam, Sung-wook |date=[[2006-10-26]] |work=The [[Korea Herald]] }}</ref>
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".<ref name="cankor">{{cite web |url=http://www.cankor.ca/issues/220.htm |title=Fourth round of Six-Party Talks |accessdate=2007-08-01 |date=[[2005-09-27]] |work=CanKor, on Korean Peace and Security }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/13/AR2006071300751.html |title=S. Korea Suspends Food Aid to North |accessdate=2007-08-02 |author=Faiola, Anthony |date=[[2006-07-14]] |work=[[Washington Post]] }}</ref> There have also been aid disruptions due to widespread theft of [[locomotive|railroad cars]] used by mainland China to deliver food relief.<ref name="FT">{{cite web |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bfc9a8a8-7d9c-11dc-9f47-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1 |title=China halts rail freight to North Korea|accessdate=2007-10-18 |date=[[2007-10-18]] |work=Financial Times}}</ref>
In July 2002, North Korea started experimenting with capitalism in the [[Kaesong Industrial Region]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9407E0D91239F936A1575AC0A9649C8B63 |title=North Korea to Let Capitalism Loose in Investment Zone |accessdate=2007-08-02 |author=French, Howard W. |date=[[2002-09-25]] |work=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref> A small number of other areas have been designated as [[Special cities of Korea#North Korea|Special Administrative Regions]], including [[Sinŭiju Special Administrative Region|Sinŭiju]] along the China-North Korea border. [[People's Republic of China|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.<ref name="cankor" /> It is reported that the number of mobile phones in [[Pyongyang]] rose from only 3,000 in 2002 to approximately 20,000 during 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=5145 |title=Chinese Cell Phone Breaches North Korean Hermit Kingdom |accessdate=2007-08-02 |author=MacKinnon, Rebecca |date=[[2005-01-17]] |work=Yale Global Online }}</ref> As of June 2004, however, mobile phones became forbidden again.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/04/1086203598828.html |title=North Korea recalls mobile phones |accessdate=2007-08-02 |date=[[2004-06-04]] |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4837484.stm |title=N Korean heroin ship sunk by jet |accessdate=2007-08-02 |date=[[2006-03-23]] |work=[[BBC News]] }}</ref>
=== 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. A special administrative region known as the [[Kumgangsan Tourist Region]] exists for this purpose.
===Transport===
{{main|Communications in North Korea|Transportation in North Korea|Tourism in North Korea}}
== Demographics ==
{{main|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 people|Chinese]], [[Japanese people in North Korea|Japanese]], [[Vietnamese people|Vietnamese]], South Korean and [[Europe]]an expatriate minorities.
=== Religion ===
{{bar box
|title=Religion in North Korea
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=religion
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Atheist]]|gray|71.2}}
{{bar percent|[[Cheondoism]]|violet|12.9}}
{{bar percent|[[Korean shamanism]]|purple|12.3}}
{{bar percent|[[Christianity]]|blue|2.1}}
{{bar percent|[[Buddhism]]|orange|1.5}}
}}
{{main|Religion in North Korea}}
Both Koreas share a [[Korean Buddhism|Buddhist]] and [[Korean Confucianism|Confucian]] heritage and a recent history of [[Christianity in Korea|Christian]] and [[Cheondoism]] ("religion of the Heavenly Way") movements. The North Korean constitution states that freedom of religion is permitted.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.korea-np.co.jp/pk/061st_issue/98091708.htm |title=Chapter 5, Article 68 of the DPRK constitution}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/07/08/nkorea9040.htm |title=Human Rights in North Korea |accessdate=2007-08-02 |date=July 2004 |work=[[Human Rights Watch]] }}</ref> 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, four state-sanctioned churches exist, which [[freedom of religion]] advocates say are showcases for foreigners.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nautilus.org/fora/security/0434A_ReligionI.html |title=Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom |accessdate=2007-08-02 |author=[[United States Commission on International Religious Freedom]] |date=[[2004-09-21]] |work=Nautilus Institute }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4431321.stm |title=N Korea stages Mass for Pope |accessdate=2007-08-02 |date=[[2005-04-10]] |work=[[BBC News]] }}</ref> Official government statistics report that there are 10,000 [[Protestantism|Protestant]]s and 4,000 [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]s in North Korea.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asia.msu.edu/eastasia/NorthKorea/religion.html |title=North Korean Religion |accessdate=2007-08-02 |work=Windowss on Asia }}</ref>
According to a ranking published by [[Open Doors]], an organization that supports persecuted [[Christian]]s, North Korea is currently the country with the most severe persecution of Christians in the world.<ref>[http://sb.od.org/index.php?supp_page=wwl_top_ten&supp_lang=en Open Doors International : WWL: Focus on the Top Ten<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Human rights groups such as [[Amnesty International]] also have expressed concerns about religious persecution in North Korea.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.amnesty.org/web/ar2002.nsf/asa/democratic+people's+republic+of+korea |title=Korea Report 2002 |accessdate=2007-08-02 |date=2001 |work=[[Amnesty International]] }}</ref>
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.<ref>[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Korea_North.htm North Korea<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Cheondoists are followed by [[Christians]] (2.1%) and [[Buddhists]] (1.5%).<ref>[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Korea_North.htm North Korea<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> [[Korean shamanism]], an unorganized system of beliefs, is followed by 12.3% of the North Koreans.<ref>[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Korea_North.htm North Korea<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
=== 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 character]]s) 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 ==
[[Image:North korea mass games.jpg|thumb|Scene from [[Mass Games]] in [[Pyongyang]].]]
{{main|Culture of Korea|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|Mass Games]]. The most recent and largest Mass Games was called "[[Arirang Festival|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]], [[gymnastics|gymnastic]], and [[choreography|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 [[Korea under Japanese rule|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.<ref>{{cite book | url=http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/kptoc.html | chapter=The Rise of Korean Nationalism and Communism | first=Bruce G. | last=Cumings | title=A Country Study: North Korea | publisher=Library of Congress | id=Call number DS932 .N662 1994}}</ref> In addition, the Japanese altered or destroyed various Korean monuments including [[Gyeongbokgung|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 Site]]s.
== Administrative divisions ==
{{main|Administrative divisions of North Korea|Cities of North Korea}}
{{seealso|Provinces of Korea|Special cities of Korea}}
North Korea is divided into nine [[province]]s, three [[Special administrative region|special region]]s, and two directly-governed cities (''chikhalsi'', 직할시, 直轄市) : <!--(Names are romanized according to the [[McCune-Reischauer]] system as officially used in North Korea; the editor was also guided by the spellings used on the 2003 [[National Geographic]] map of Korea).-->
== Provinces ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Division !! [[Transliteration]] !! [[Hangul]] !! [[Hanja]] !!rowspan="18"| [[Image:North Korea Div.png|right|300px|Administrative map of North Korea.]]
|-
| colspan = 4 | '''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-do (North Korea)|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]] <cite id = "Ad_1></cite>[[#Ad 2|*]] || ''Ryanggang-do'' || 량강도 || 兩江道
|-
| colspan = 4 | '''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
|-
| colspan = 4 | '''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
|}
<cite id="Ad_2></cite>[[#Ad 1|*]] - Sometimes rendered "Yanggang" (양강도).
=== Major cities ===
{{columns
|col1 =
* [[Pyongyang]]
* [[Sinuiju]]
* [[Kaesong]]
* [[Nampho]]
* [[Chongjin]]
* [[Wonsan]]
* [[Sariwon]]
|col2 =
* [[Hoeryong]]
* [[Hamhung]]
* [[Haeju]]
* [[Kanggye]]
* [[Hyesan]]
* [[Kimchaek]]
* [[Kangso]]
}}
== See also ==
* [[List of Korea-related topics]]
* [[Korean War]]
== Notes and references ==
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{{Reflist|2}}
== Further reading ==
* Jasper Becker ''Rogue Regime: Kim Jong Il and the Looming Threat of North Korea'' Oxford University Press (2005) , hardcover, 328 pages, ISBN 13: 9780195170443
* Gordon Cucullu, ''Separated At Birth: How North Korea Became The Evil Twin'' Globe Pequot Press (2004) , hardcover, 307 pages, ISBN 1-59228-591-0
* Bruce Cumings, <cite>Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History</cite>, [[W.W. Norton & Company]], 1998, paperback, 527 pages, ISBN 0-393-31681-5
* Bruce Cumings, <cite>Origins of the Korean War (Vol. 1) : Liberation and the Emergence of Separate Regimes 1945-1947</cite>, [[Princeton University Press]], 1981, paperback, ISBN 0-691-10113-2
* Bruce Cumings, <cite>Origins of the Korean War (Vol. 2) : The Roaring of the Cataract 1947-1950</cite>, [[Cornell University Press]], 2004, hardcover, ISBN 89-7696-613-9
* Bruce Cumings, <cite>North Korea: Another Country</cite>, [[New Press]], 2004, paperback, ISBN 1-56584-940-X
* Bruce Cumings, <cite>Living Through The Forgotten War: Portrait Of Korea</cite>, [[Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies]], 2004, paperback, ISBN 0-9729704-0-1
* Bruce Cumings, <cite>Inventing the Axis of Evil: The Truth About North Korea, Iran, and Syria</cite>, [[New Press]], 2006, paperback, ISBN 1-59558-038-7
* Delisle, Guy, <cite>Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea</cite>, [[Drawn & Quarterly Books]], 2005, hardcover, 176 pages, ISBN 1-896597-89-0
* Nick Eberstadt, aka Nicholas Eberstadt, ''The End of North Korea'', American Enterprise Institute Press (1999) , hardcover, 191 pages, ISBN 0-8447-4087-X
* John Feffer, <cite>North Korea South Korea: U.S. Policy at a Time of Crisis</cite>, [[Seven Stories Press]], 2003, paperback, 197 pages, ISBN 1-58322-603-6
* Ron Goodden, [http://www.mdjonline.com/content/index/showcontentitem/area/1/section/15/item/60013.html North Korea commentary (August, 2007)]
* Michael Harrold, <cite>Comrades and Strangers: Behind the Closed Doors of North Korea</cite>, Wiley Publishing, 2004, paperback, 432 pages, ISBN 0-470-86976-3
* Helen-Louise Hunter, ''Kim Il-song's North Korea.'' Praeger, 1999. ISBN 0-275-96296-2.
* {{cite book |author=Kang, Chol-Hwan |title=[[The Aquariums of Pyongyang]] |publisher=Basic Books, 2001 |year=2001 |id=ISBN 0-465-01102-0}}
* Mitchell B. Lerner, <cite>The Pueblo Incident: A Spy Ship and the Failure of American Foreign Policy</cite>, University Press of Kansas, 2002, hardcover, 408 pages, ISBN 0-7006-1171-1
* Andrei Lankov, <cite>'North of the DMZ: Essays on Daily Life in North Korea'' </cite>, McFarland & Company (April 24, 2007), paperback, 358 pages, ISBN 978-0786428397
* John Feffer, <cite>North Korea South Korea: U.S. Policy at a Time of Crisis</cite>, [[Seven Stories Press]], 2003, paperback, 197 pages, ISBN 1-58322-603-6
* Oberdorfer, Don. <cite>The two Koreas : a contemporary history</cite>. Addison-Wesley, 1997, 472 pages, ISBN 0-201-40927-5
* Kong Dan Oh, and Ralph C. Hassig, ''North Korea Through the Looking Glass'', The Brookings Institution, 2000, paperback, 216 pages, ISBN 0-8157-6435-9
* Osmond, Andrew, ''High'', Minnow Press, 2004, paperback, 216 pages, ISBN 978-0953944828 Includes a fictional account of the creation of a new state of New Korea.
* Quinones, Dr. C. Kenneth, and Joseph Tragert, ''The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding North Korea'', Alpha Books, 2004, paperback, 448 pages, ISBN 1-59257-169-7
* Sigal, Leon V., ''Disarming Strangers: Nuclear Diplomacy with North Korea'', [[Princeton University Press]], 199, 336 pages, ISBN 0-691-05797-4
* Chris Springer, ''Pyongyang: The Hidden History of the North Korean Capital.'' Saranda Books, 2003. ISBN 963-00-8104-0.
* Vladimir, ''Cyber North Korea'', Byakuya Shobo, 2003, paperback, 223 pages, ISBN 4-89367-881-7
* Norbert Vollertsen, <cite>Inside North Korea: Diary of a Mad Place</cite>, Encounter Books, 2003, hardcover, 280 pages, ISBN 1-893554-87-2
* Wahn Kihl, Y. (1983) "North Korea in 1983: Transforming "The Hermit Kingdom"?" ''Asian Survey'', Vol. 24, No. 1: pp100-111
* Robert Willoughby, ''North Korea: The Bradt Travel Guide.'' Globe Pequot, 2003. ISBN 1-84162-074-2.
* Hyun Hee Kim, "The Tears of My Soul", William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1993, hardcover, 183 pages, ISBN 0-688-12833-5
* Ducruet, Cesar et Jo, Jin-Cheol (2008) Coastal Cities, Port Activities and Logistic Constraints in a Socialist Developing Country: The Case of North Korea, Transport Reviews, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 1-25: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/462288788-26821155/content~content=a782923580~db=all~tab=content~order=page
== 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 ==
{{portalpar|Korea|Korea gyeongbokgung.jpg}}
{{sisterlinks|North Korea}}
* [http://www.kcna.co.jp/ KCNA] - Korean Central News Agency, the official news agency of the DPRK
* [http://www.naenara.kp/ Naenara] - ("My country") DPRK's Official Web Portal run by Korea Computer Company
* {{Dmoz|Regional/Asia/North_Korea/}}
* [http://www.korea-dpr.com/ Official Website of the DPR Korea]
* [http://www.korea-dpr.com/users/switzerland Official Website of the DPR Korea in Switzerland]
{{Korea topics}}
{{Regions and administrative divisions of North Korea}}
{{North Korean armed forces}}
{{Countries and territories of East Asia}}
{{Countries of Asia}}
{{Communist states}}
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[[Category:North Korea| ]]
[[Category:Divided regions]]
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[[als:Nordkorea]]
[[ar:كوريا الشمالية]]
[[an:Corea d'o Norte]]
[[frp:Corê du Nord]]
[[ast:Corea del Norte]]
[[az:Şimali Koreya]]
[[bn:উত্তর কোরিয়া]]
[[zh-min-nan:Tiâu-sián]]
[[be:Паўночная Карэя]]
[[be-x-old:Карэйская Народна-Дэмакратычная Рэспубліка]]
[[bo:ཁྲའོ་ཤན་བྱང་རྒྱུད]]
[[bs:Sjeverna Koreja]]
[[br:Republik Poblel ha Demokratel Korea]]
[[bg:Северна Корея]]
[[ca:Corea del Nord]]
[[ceb:Amihanang Korea]]
[[cs:Severní Korea]]
[[cy:Gogledd Corea]]
[[da:Nordkorea]]
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[[dv:އުތުރު ކޮރެއާ]]
[[dsb:Pódpołnocna Koreja]]
[[dz:བྱང་ཀོ་རི་ཡ་]]
[[et:Põhja-Korea]]
[[el:Βόρεια Κορέα]]
[[es:Corea del Norte]]
[[eo:Nord-Koreio]]
[[eu:Ipar Korea]]
[[fa:کره شمالی]]
[[fo:Norðurkorea]]
[[fr:Corée du Nord]]
[[fy:Noard-Korea]]
[[ga:An Chóiré Thuaidh]]
[[gv:Yn Chorea Twoaie]]
[[gd:Coirea a Tuath]]
[[gl:Corea do Norte - 북한]]
[[zh-classical:朝鮮民主主義人民共和國]]
[[ko:조선민주주의인민공화국]]
[[hy:Հյուսիսային Կորեա]]
[[hi:उत्तरी कोरिया]]
[[hsb:Sewjerna Koreja]]
[[hr:Sjeverna Koreja]]
[[io:Nord-Korea]]
[[bpy:ঔয়াং কোরিয়া]]
[[id:Korea Utara]]
[[ia:Corea del Nord]]
[[ie:Nord-Korea]]
[[os:Корейы Адæмон Демократон Республикæ]]
[[is:Norður-Kórea]]
[[it:Corea del Nord]]
[[he:קוריאה הצפונית]]
[[jv:Koréa Lor]]
[[pam:Pangulung Korea]]
[[kn:ಉತ್ತರ ಕೊರಿಯಾ]]
[[ka:ჩრდილოეთი კორეა]]
[[csb:Kòrejańskô Lëdowò-Demokratnô Repùblika]]
[[kk:Солтүстік Корея]]
[[kw:Korea Gledh]]
[[sw:Korea Kaskazini]]
[[ht:Kore dinò]]
[[ku:Korêya Bakur]]
[[la:Respublica Populi Democratica Coreae]]
[[lv:Ziemeļkoreja]]
[[lb:Demokratesch Volleksrepublik Korea]]
[[lt:Šiaurės Korėja]]
[[li:Noord-Korea]]
[[lmo:Corea del Nòrd]]
[[hu:Észak-Korea]]
[[ml:ഉത്തര കൊറിയ]]
[[mr:उत्तर कोरिया]]
[[ms:Korea Utara]]
[[nah:Corea Mictlāmpa]]
[[na:Republik Engame Korea]]
[[nl:Noord-Korea]]
[[ja:朝鮮民主主義人民共和国]]
[[no:Nord-Korea]]
[[nn:Nord-Korea]]
[[nov:Nord Korea]]
[[oc:Corèa del Nòrd]]
[[uz:Shimoliy Koreya]]
[[ps:د کوريا ولسواک خلق جمهوريت]]
[[km:កូរ៉េខាងជើង]]
[[pms:Coréa dël Nòrd]]
[[nds:Noordkorea]]
[[pl:Korea Północna]]
[[pt:Coreia do Norte]]
[[crh:Şimaliy Koreya]]
[[ro:Coreea de Nord]]
[[qu:Chinchay Hansuyu]]
[[ru:Корейская Народно-Демократическая Республика]]
[[se:Davvi-Korea]]
[[sq:Korea Veriore]]
[[scn:Corea dû Nord]]
[[simple:North Korea]]
[[sk:Kórejská ľudovodemokratická republika]]
[[sl:Severna Koreja]]
[[szl:Koryjo Půunocno]]
[[sr:Северна Кореја]]
[[sh:Demokratska Narodna Republika Koreja]]
[[su:Koréa Kalér]]
[[fi:Korean demokraattinen kansantasavalta]]
[[sv:Nordkorea]]
[[tl:Hilagang Korea]]
[[ta:வடகொரியா]]
[[te:ఉత్తర కొరియా]]
[[th:ประเทศเกาหลีเหนือ]]
[[vi:Cộng hòa Dân chủ Nhân dân Triều Tiên]]
[[tg:Куриёи Шимолӣ]]
[[tpi:Not Koria]]
[[tr:Kuzey Kore]]
[[tk:Demirgazyk Koreýa]]
[[udm:Корея Калык-Демократи Республика]]
[[uk:Північна Корея]]
[[ur:شمالی کوریا]]
[[vo:Nolüda-Koreyän]]
[[war:Amihanan nga Korea]]
[[wuu:朝鲜]]
[[yi:נארט קארעא]]
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[[diq:Korya Zımey]]
[[bat-smg:Šiaurės Kuoriejė]]
[[zh:朝鲜民主主义人民共和国]]