North Korea

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea, is located on the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and North Korea – although the armistice of 1953 ended armed conflict on the Korean peninsula, the two Koreas are technically still at war; tensions have been exacerbated in recent decades by North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. The Amnok River and the Tumen River form the border between North Korea and the People’s Republic of China. A section of the Tumen River in the far northeast is the border with Russia.

North Korea has an industrialized, near-autarkic, highly centralized command economy. Of the five remaining Communist states in the world, North Korea is one of only two (along with Cuba) with an almost entirely government-planned, state-owned economy. The Central Planning Committee prepares, supervises and implements economic plans, while a General Bureau of Provincial Industry in each region is responsible for the management of local manufacturing facilities, production, resource allocation, and sales.

Even though international trade is highly restricted, North Korea passed a law in 1984 allowing for foreign investment through joint ventures. In 1991, the Rason Economic Special Zone was established in an attempt to attract foreign investment from China and Russia. Chinese and Russian companies have purchased rights to use the ports at Rason.

:: Background of North Korea ::

An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was occupied by Japan beginning 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 control. 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 outside 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. North Korea’s history of regional military provocations, proliferation of military-related items, long-range missile development, WMD programs including tests of nuclear devices in 2006 and 2009, and massive conventional armed forces are of major concern to the international community.

:: Geography of North Korea ::

Location: Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea

Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 127 00 E

Area:
total: 120,538 sq km
land: 120,408 sq km
water: 130 sq km

Area – comparative: slightly smaller than Mississippi
Land boundaries: 1,673 km
Coastline: 2,495 km

Maritime claims:
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

Climate: temperate, with rainfall concentrated in summer
Terrain: mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m

Natural resources: coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 22.4%
permanent crops: 1.66%
other: 75.94% (2005)
Irrigated land: 14,600 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources: 77.1 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 9.02 cu km/yr (20%/25%/55%)
per capita: 401 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards: late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall; volcanism: Changbaishan (elev. 2,744 m, 9,003 ft) (also known as Baitoushan, Baegdu or P’aektu-san), on the Chinese border, is considered historically active

Environment – current issues: water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterborne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation

Environment – international agreements: party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography – note: strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated

:: People of North Korea ::

Population: 22,757,275 (July 2010 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 21.3% (male 2,440,439/female 2,376,557)
15-64 years: 69.4% (male 7,776,889/female 7,945,399)
65 years and over: 9.4% (male 820,504/female 1,305,557) (2010 est.)

Median age:
total: 33.9 years
male: 32.5 years
female: 35.2 years (2010 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.389% (2010 est.)
Birth rate: 14.58 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
Death rate: 10.6 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 63% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 50.15 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 57.39 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 42.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.13 years
male: 61.53 years
female: 66.89 years (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.94 children born/woman (2010 est.)
HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate: NA
HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS – deaths: NA

Nationality: noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean
Ethnic groups: racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese
Religions: 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

Languages: Korean
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99%

Education expenditures: NA

Geography of North Korea: Important Geographical Information about North Korea

North Korea is located in east Asia on the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. North Korea shares a border with three states, including China along the Amnok River, Russia along the Duman River, and South Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone(DMZ). The Yellow Sea and the Korea Bay are off the west coast and the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea) is off the east coast.

Some 80 percent of North Korea’s land area is composed of mountains and uplands, with all of the peninsula’s mountains with elevations of 2000 m or more located in North Korea. The great majority of the population lives in the plains and lowlands.

Baekdu Mountain, the highest point in North Korea, is a volcanic mountain near the Chinese border with basalt lava plateau with elevations between 1400 and 2000 m above sea level. The Hamgyeong Range, located in the extreme northeastern part of the peninsula, has many high peaks, including Mt. Gwanmosan at approximately 1756 m.

Other major ranges include the Rangrim Mountains, which are located in the north-central part of North Korea and run in a north-south direction, making communication between the eastern and western parts of the country rather difficult; and the Kangnam Range, which runs along the North Korea–China border. Geumgangsan, often written Mt Kumgang, or Diamond Mountain, (approximately 1,638 m) in the TaebaekRange, which extends into South Korea, is famous for its scenic beauty.

For the most part, the plains are small. The most extensive are the Pyongyang and Chaeryong plains, each covering about 500 km2. Because the mountains on the east coast drop abruptly to the sea, the plains are even smaller there than on the west coast.

The mountain ranges in the northern and eastern parts of North Korea form the watershed for most of its rivers, which run in a westerly direction and empty into the Yellow Sea and Korea Bay. The longest is the Amnok River, which is navigable for 678 of its 790 km. The Duman River, one of the few major rivers to flow into the Sea of Japan, is the second longest at 521 kilometers but is navigable for only 85 kilometers because of the mountainous topography.

The third longest river, the Daedong River, flows through Pyeongyang and is navigable for 245 of its 397 km. Lakes tend to be small because of the lack of glacial activity and the stability of the Earth’s crust in the region. Unlike neighboring Japan or northern China, North Korea experiences few severe earthquakes. The country is well-endowed with spas and hot springs, which number 124 according to one North Korean source.

Information about the North Korean Flag: Colors and Meaning of the Flag of North Korea

The national flag of North Korea contains 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.

The traditional Korean flag was red, white, and blue. The country retained these colors (with more prominence given to the red) and added a red star on a white disk. The broad red band symbolizes revolutionary traditions; the narrow white bands stands for purity, strength, and dignity; the blue bands signify sovereignty, peace, and friendship; the red star represents socialism.

Extensive List of Languages of North Korea: Spoken Language

Korean [kor] 20,000,000 in Korea, North (1986). Dialects: Hamgyongdo (North Hamgyongdo, South Hamgyongdo), P’yong’ando (North P’yong’ando, South P’yong’ando), Hwanghaedo. Classification: Language isolate

:: Reference ::
Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International. Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com/

Famous North Korean People: North Korean Artists, Scientists, Leaders, Musicians, Politicians and Athletes

The following people made their mark on both the local and international scenes.

:: List of Famous People from North Korea ::

Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung led North Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death. He was also the General Secretary of the Workers Party of Korea. During his tenure as leader of North Korea, he ruled the nation with autocratic power and established an all-pervasive cult of personality. From the mid-1960s, he promoted his self developed Juche variant of communist national organization. Along with South Korean leader Park Chung-hee, Kim Il-sung was named one of the top 100 Asians of the Century by Time magazine (1999). He is designated in the constitution as the country’s “Eternal President”.

Kim Jong-il
Kim Il-sung’s son Kim Jong-il is the leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. He is the Chairman of the National Defense Commission, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the ruling party since 1948, and the Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army, the fourth largest standing army in the world. In April 2009, North Korea’s constitution was amended and now implicitly refers to him as the “Supreme Leader”.

Famous People from North Korea: North Korean Footballers/Soccer Players

The following North Korean athletes dedicated themselves in promoting and inspiring people about football, one of the most well-loved sports in the world

Lee Dong-gun
Lee Dong-gun is the captain of North Korea’s soccer team. He last played for FC Rostov in Russia and previously played for April 25 FC in the North Korean 1st division and FK Bežanija in the Serbian SuperLiga. He captained the North Korean team that qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Jong Tae-se
Jong Tae-se is a North Korean football player currently playing for VfL Bochum in Germany. He is a member of the North Korea national team and nicknamed “the People’s Rooney”.