   #copyright

North Korea

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Asian Countries;
Countries

                    조선민주주의인민공화국
   朝鮮民主主義人民共和國
   Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk ^a
   Democratic People's Republic of Korea

   Flag of North Korea Coat of arms of North Korea
   Flag                Coat of arms
   Motto: Prosperous and Great Country (강성대국) ^b
   Anthem: Aegukka
   Location of North Korea
   Capital
   (and largest city)       P'yŏngyang
                            39°2′N 125°45′E
      Official languages    Korean
   Government               Socialist republic
    - Eternal President
      of the Republic
                            Kim Il-sung^c
    - Chairman of the NDC   Kim Jong-il^d
    - President of the SPA  Kim Yong-nam^e
    - Premier               Pak Pong-ju
        Establishment
    - Kojosŏn               2333 BCE^g
    - Independence declared March 1, 1919^h
    - Liberation            August 15, 1945
    - Republic              September 9, 1948
                                   Area
    - Total                 120,540 km² ( 98th)
                            46,528 sq mi
    - Water (%)             4.87
                                Population
    - 2006 estimate         23,113,019^f ( 48th)
    - census                n/a
    - Density               190/km² ( 55th)
                            492/sq mi
          GDP ( PPP)        2005 estimate
    - Total                 $40 billion ( 85th)
    - Per capita            $1,800 ( 149th)
         HDI  (2003)        n/a (n/a) ( unranked)
           Currency         Wŏn (₩) ( KPW)
          Time zone         ( UTC+9)
                            not observed
         Internet TLD       none ( .kp reserved)
         Calling code       +850
   ^a Administrative Divisions and Population Figures (#26) (PDF). NORTH
   KOREA: The Land of the Morning Calm. Permanent Committee on
   Geographical Names for British Official Use (2003-04). Retrieved on
   2006- 10-10.
   ^b
   ^c Died 1994.
   ^d Kim Jong-il is the nation's most prominent leading figure and a
   government figure head, although he is not the head of state or 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.
   ^e Kim Yong-nam is the " head of state for foreign affairs".
   ^f Source: CIA World Factbook, Korea, North. North Korea itself does
   not disclose figures.
   ^g Legendary.
   ^h Symbolic.

   North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
   (DPRK), is an East Asian country situated on the northern half of the
   Korean Peninsula. Its capital is Pyongyang. Its northern border is
   shared predominantly with the People's Republic of China. Russia shares
   an 18.3-km (11.4-mile) border along the Tumen River in the far
   northeast corner of the country. To the south, it is bordered by South
   Korea, with which it formed one territorial unit known as Korea until
   1945, when the country was divided into two separate states following
   World War II.

History

   In the aftermath of the Japanese occupation of Korea which ended with
   Japan's defeat in World War II in 1945, Korea was divided in two, with
   the Soviet Union controlling the area north of the 38th parallel and
   the United States in control south of the 38th parallel. The Korean
   people were not consulted by either power prior to this division. While
   virtually all Koreans welcomed liberation from Japanese imperial rule,
   they objected to the re-imposition of foreign rule over the peninsula.
   The Soviets and Americans were unable to agree on the implementation of
   Joint Trusteeship over Korea. This led in 1948 to the establishment of
   separate governments in the north and south, each claiming to be the
   legitimate government of all of Korea.

   Growing tensions between the governments in the north and south and
   border skirmishes eventually led to a civil war called the Korean War.
   On June 25, 1950, the (North) Korean People's Army attacked across the
   38th Parallel in a move to reunify the peninsula 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 Volunteers
   signed the Korean War Armistice Agreement. The Korean Demilitarized
   Zone (DMZ) has separated the North and South ever since.

   North Korea was led by Kim Il-sung from 1948 until his death on July 8,
   1994. He delegated most domestic matters to his son, Kim Jong-il,
   toward the end of his life. Three years after his father's death, on
   October 8, 1997, Kim Jong-il was named General Secretary of the Korean
   Workers' Party. In 1998, the legislature reconfirmed him as Chairman of
   the National Defence Commission and declared that position as the
   "highest office of state". International relations generally improved,
   and there was a historic North-South summit between the two Koreas in
   June 2000. However, tensions with the United States have increased
   since that time as North Korea resumed its nuclear weapons program.
   Following a series of missile tests in July 2006 and a nuclear test in
   October 2006, the United Nations imposed sanctions on North Korea. On
   October 31, 2006, however, the country agreed to return to six-party
   talks.

   In the aftermath of the Korean War and throughout the 1960s and 70s,
   the country's economy grew at a significant rate and, until the late
   1970s, was considered to be stronger than that in the South. However,
   under Kim Jong-il's rule in the mid-to-late 1990s, the country's
   economy declined significantly, and food shortages developed in many
   areas. According to aid groups, millions of people in rural areas
   starved to death due to famine, exacerbated by a collapse in the food
   distribution system and lack of support from former communist-bloc
   countries. Large numbers of North Koreans illegally entered the
   People's Republic of China in search of food. The only direct challenge
   by its people against the North Korean government took place in 1995 in
   Hamhŭng, a city in the South Hamgyong province. Famine-starved soldiers
   attempted to march onto the capital, Pyongyang. The revolt was quelled,
   though, and the unit shortly thereafter disbanded. Hwang Jang-yop,
   International Secretary of the Korean Workers' Party, defected to South
   Korea in 1997. The food situation has somewhat improved in recent
   years, due in part to small-scale market reforms and private ownership.

   In August 2006, the DPRK declared the armistice that ended the
   1950-1953 Korean War "null and void."

Politics and government

   The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) is one of the
   few remaining Communist states. The government is dominated by the
   Korean Workers' Party (KWP), to which 80 percent of government
   officials belong. The official ideology of the KWP is known as " Juche"
   (self-reliance), a political philosophy first developed by Kim Il-Sung
   and then expanded upon by his son, the current leader of the DPRK, Kim
   Jong-il. Although the KWP replaced mentions of Marxism-Leninism in the
   North Korean constitution with Juche in 1977, the constitution retains
   mentions of Socialism and Communism and Kim Jong-il and the Korean
   Workers Party continue to claim to be Marxist-Leninist. Many Communists
   outside North Korea deny that the KWP is still a communist organisation
   or that North Korea is still a socialist regime. Minor political
   parties also participate in elections, although in practice present no
   opposition. The exact power structure of the country is debated by
   outside observers. North Korea has been characterized by a professor at
   the American Strategic Studies Institute as "highly repressive, heavily
   militarized, strongly resistant to reform, and ruled by a dynastic
   dictatorship that adheres to a hybrid ideology. While distinctive,
   North Korea is an orthodox communist party-state best classified as an
   eroding totalitarian regime."

   The Premier is the head of government, although many observers consider
   that effective power lies with Kim Jong-il, head of the KWP and the
   military. Kim holds several official titles, the most important being
   General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the
   National Defense Commission, and Supreme Commander of the Korean
   People's Army. Kim is not the Head of State or the Head of Government,
   positions held by Kim Yong Nam and Pak Pong-ju respectively. Kim
   Jong-il is accorded the honorific "Great Leader" as part of a
   personality cult and is referred to as such by some of his western
   supporters. The phrase "Dear Leader" was formerly used for Kim Jong-il.

   In English-language news sources from North Korea, the term "Great
   Leader" is very rarely used except when quoting someone referring to
   him affectionately as such (" comrade" and " general secretary" are
   used more frequently). Kim Jong Il's western supporters in the Korean
   Friendship Association however, frequently refer to Kim Jong Il as
   "Dear Leader" or "Great Leader."

   The 1998 constitution refers to the late Kim Il-sung as the "Eternal
   President of the Republic," as the post of president was abolished
   after his death. The constitution gives many of the functions normally
   accorded to a head of state to the Supreme People's Assembly Presidium,
   whose president, currently Kim Yong Nam (no relation to Kim Jong Il)
   "represents the State" and receives credentials from foreign
   ambassadors. The government of the republic is led by the Prime
   Minister, currently Pak Pong-ju and a cabinet called the Central
   People's Committee (CPC), the government's top policymaking body. The
   CPC is headed by the President, a post which was abolished after Kim
   Il-sung's death, who also nominates the other committee members. The
   CPC makes policy decisions and supervises the Cabinet, or State
   Administration Council (SAC). The SAC is headed by a Premier and is the
   dominant administrative and executive agency.

   The parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly (Choego Inmin Hoeui), is
   the highest organ of state power. Its 687 members are elected every
   five years by popular vote. In every district voters are offered only
   one candidate. The People's Assembly usually holds two annual meetings,
   each lasting a few days, during which it elects a standing committee.
   The Assembly is viewed by the West as simply ratifying decisions made
   by the ruling KWP. A standing committee elected by the Assembly
   performs legislative functions when the Assembly is not in session.

Foreign relations

   Image:Kim Jong Il and Madeleine Albright.jpg
   Kim Jong-il with former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in
   2000.

   The foreign relations of the DPRK with the United States are often
   regarded as relatively tense and unpredictable. Since the cease fire of
   the Korean War in 1953, the North Korean government has been at odds
   with the United States, Japan and South Korea, with which it is still
   technically at war. Since 2000 its relations with the US have greatly
   deteriorated, and it was called a part of the " axis of evil" and an "
   outpost of tyranny" by US President George W. Bush stating "States like
   these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming
   to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass
   destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger. They could
   provide these arms to terrorists, giving them the means to match their
   hatred. They could attack our allies or attempt to blackmail the United
   States. In any of these cases, the price of indifference would be
   catastrophic." North Korea does not have diplomatic relations with the
   US at present, and the United States maintains economic sanctions
   against the DPRK under the Trading with the Enemy Act.

   North Korea has maintained close relations with the People's Republic
   of China and Russia, but the fall of communism in eastern Europe in
   1989 and the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 resulted in a
   significant drop in communist aid to North Korea from Russia, although
   China continues to provide substantial assistance.

   North and South Korea are still technically at war, and there is still
   significant hostility between the citizens of both North and South
   Korea. Both the North and South Korean governments proclaim that they
   are seeking eventual reunification as a goal. North Korea's policy is
   to seek reunification without what it sees as outside interference,
   through a federal structure retaining each side's leadership and
   systems. Both North and South Korea signed the June 15th North-South
   Joint Declaration in which both sides made promises to seek out a
   peaceful reunification.

   The DPRK continues to have strong ties with its socialist Asian allies
   in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

   Due to its political ties with the U.S. and the U.K. , Australia
   sometimes has a tense relationship with the DPRK, and the media
   occasionally reports on the ability of North Korea's missiles to reach
   mainland Australia. Despite this, relations are otherwise allegedly
   good and where applicable, travel in and out of the DPRK by Australian
   subjects is reportedly not difficult.

   North Korea is a member of several multilateral organizations. It
   became a member of the United Nations in September 1991. North Korea
   also belongs to the Food and Agriculture Organization; the
   International Civil Aviation Organization; the International Postal
   Union; the UN Conference on Trade and Development; the ITU; the UN
   Development Programme; the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
   Organization; the World Health Organization; the World Intellectual
   Property Organization; the World Meteorological Organization; the
   International Maritime Organization; the International Committee of the
   Red Cross; and the Nonaligned Movement.

   The highest level contact with the American government was Madeleine
   Albright's 2000 visit to Pyongyang. However, the US and the DPRK have
   not had formal diplomatic relations  and technically remain at war as
   the armistice never resulted in a peace treaty. Nearly 30,000 American
   soldiers remain in South Korea, a military presence that the North
   Koreans consider aggressive and a means of preventing north/south
   reconciliation.

Military

   According to Western estimates  , North Korea has the fifth-largest
   military in the world, with the largest percentage of citizens enlisted
   (49.03 active troops per thousand citizens). The North has an estimated
   1.08 million armed personnel, compared with about 686,000 South Korean
   troops (and 3.5 million paramilitary forces) plus 29,000 US troops in
   South Korea. Annual military spending is about $5 billion USD. There is
   a fairly efficient, albeit technologically obsolete, weapons and
   munitions industry. The North has perhaps the world's second-largest
   special operations force (roughly 110,000), designed for insertion and
   sabotage behind enemy lines in wartime. While the North has an adequate
   fleet of submarines and small vessels, its main surface fleet has a
   very limited capability.

Air force

   As of 1992, the North Korean Air Force comprised about 1,620 aircraft
   and 70,000 personnel, with roughly twice the number of aircraft as the
   South. Most of its aircraft are obsolete Soviet models and Chinese
   copies, but it has been modernizing since the 1980s. Aircraft holdings
   include 190 MiG-21s, thirty MiG-29s, sixty MiG-23s, forty Q-5 Fantans,
   plus an additional 250 or so of older MiG-19s, MiG-17s and Su-7s. Since
   the 1980s, the air force has expanded its inventory of helicopters from
   40 to 275. This inventory includes Mi-24s, Mi-2s, Mi-4s, and Mi-8s. In
   1985, the DPRK circumvented U.S. export controls to buy eighty-seven
   U.S.-manufactured civilian Hughes H-6 model helicopters, which are more
   advanced than the Russian models and have probably been armed with guns
   and rockets. North Korea does not manufacture its own aircraft, but it
   does produce spare parts. The air defense is also equipped with old
   Soviet SAMs, including many batteries of SA-2s, SA-3s and SA-5s. The
   overall assessment is that the air force "has a marginal capability for
   defending North Korean airspace and a limited ability to conduct air
   operations against South Korea."

Missiles

   It also has a certain quantity of Rodong-1 and 2, Scud, and the
   long-range Taepodong-1 and 2 missiles, the second of which has a range
   of up to 6,000 kilometers, although it is doubtful that the latter type
   is in full service yet. It has test-fired each of these missiles more
   than once, despite the Six-party talks, initiated in 2003. On July 5,
   2006, North Korea conducted a series of seven test launches , including
   short-range Nodong-2 missiles and one long-range intercontinental
   Taepodong-2 missile. During the July 5, 2006, launches, the Taepodong-2
   missile failed within 2 minutes of lift-off and crashed into the ocean.
   As of October 2006, there are doubts as to the capability of North
   Korea to deliver any payload the full 6,000 kilometers range claimed
   for the Taepodong-2.

Nuclear weapons program

Nuclear weapon production and testing

   On October 9, 2006, North Korea announced that it had conducted its
   first nuclear test, which was confirmed by the United States on October
   16, 2006.. The blast was less than one kiloton, smaller than expected,
   and U.S. officials initially suggested that it may have been an
   unsuccessful test or a partially successful fizzle (for yield
   comparisons, see Nuclear artillery). China was given twenty minutes'
   notice of the test; it subsequently warned Japan, Russia, and the
   United States. The seismic strength of the test was reported slightly
   differently by two agencies; the United States Geological Survey
   measured it as 4.2 on the Richter scale, while South Korean scientists
   placed it as 3.58. Both China and the United States reported finding
   radioactive traces in air samples taken from the region in the week
   following the test.

   North Korea has in the past stated that it has produced nuclear weapons
   and according to many intelligence and military officials it has
   produced, or has the capability to produce, up to six or seven such
   devices.

Nuclear weapons delivery

   As of October 2006, there are doubts as to North Korea's capability to
   deliver a nuclear warhead by any means, either by affixing to any
   missile or other nuclear weapons delivery, with the exception of an
   aircraft, which would be monitored, or other bulk transport like cargo.

Six-party talks

   The Six-party talks have been the diplomatic route used to resolve the
   concern brought about by North Korea's nuclear weapons program. These
   talks are a series of meetings with six participating states (the
   People's Republic of China, South Korea, North Korea, the United States
   of America, the Russian Federation and Japan) and were a result of
   North Korea withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in
   2003. The aim of these talks is to find a peaceful resolution to the
   security concerns raised by the North Korean nuclear weapons program.

   According to Richard Saccone, an expert on Korea, in April 2006: "After
   decades of hostile exchanges and months of stalled negotiations about
   its nuclear weapons, North Korea quietly put forward a positive signal
   that it is prepared to talk."

   North Korea is not a signatory of the Missile Technology Control Regime
   and states that it has the sovereign right to test its missiles and
   pursue its weapons program. The DPRK's stance on the 2002 Pyongyang
   Declaration with Japan is that the agreement is now void due to Japan's
   failure to normalize relations with the regime. US sanctions following
   the six-party talks are also cited by North Korea as a reason to
   continue missile tests and other aspects of its weapons program.

   North Korea announced on October 3, 2006, that it was going to test its
   first nuclear weapon regardless of the world situation, blaming
   "hostile US policy" as the reason for the need for such a deterrent.
   However, it pledged a no-first-strike policy and to nuclear disarmament
   only when there is worldwide elimination of such nuclear weapons. On
   October 9, 2006, the state claimed to have conducted its first
   underground nuclear test successfully. The response from the
   international community was for the most part condemnation. The UN and
   NATO quickly held meetings to decide how to react to this situation,
   and North Korea has since stated that any sanctions imposed upon them
   will be viewed as an 'act of war'. While many analysts continue to
   stress the importance of China as a principal actor in resolving the
   nuclear stand-off with North Korea, some have parted with that analysis
   and suggested China has consistently failed to exercise influence over
   the regime.

   On November 3, 2006, North Korea confirmed it would return to
   six-nation nuclear disarmament talks after a year-long boycott. The
   chief US envoy stressed that the world needed to see progress at the
   next round. North Korea apparently came to this decision on the premise
   that the issue of lifting financial sanctions will be discussed and
   settled between North Korea and the United States. World leaders
   welcomed its decision to rejoin the talks, which it had boycotted since
   November 2005 in protest at US financial sanctions, but the
   breakthrough was also accompanied by some scepticism.

Human rights

   Amnesty International and other human rights organizations, including
   the North American Free Speech Association, accuse North Korea of
   having one of the worst human rights records of any nation, severely
   restricting most freedoms, including freedom of speech and freedom of
   movement, both inside the country and abroad. The State of World
   Liberty Index ranks North Korea last out of 159 countries in terms of
   citizens' freedom.

   North Korean exiles have testified as to the existence of detention
   camps with an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 inmates, and have reported
   torture, starvation, rape, murder and forced labour. Japanese
   television aired what it said was footage of a prison camp . In some of
   the camps, US officials and former inmates say the annual mortality
   rate approaches 20% to 25% . An estimated two million civilians have
   been killed by the government A former prison guard and army
   intelligence officer said that in one camp, chemical weapons were
   tested on prisoners in a gas chamber . According to a former prisoner,
   pregnant women inside the camps are often forced to have abortions or
   the newborn child is killed  . The government of North Korea refuses to
   admit independent human rights observers to the state.

External

   The government of North Korea has also been implicated in terrorist
   attacks in South Korea (Wahn Kihl 1983: 106) as well as assassinations
   of dissidents in nearby states

Geography

   Map of North Korea
   Enlarge
   Map of North Korea

   North Korea is on the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula. North
   Korea shares land borders with People's Republic of China and Russia to
   the north, and with South Korea to the south. To its west are the
   Yellow Sea and Korea Bay, and to its east is the Sea of Japan (also
   known as the East Sea). Japan lies east of the peninsula across the Sea
   of Japan (East Sea).

   The highest point in Korea is the Paektu-san at 2,744 metres (9,003
   ft), and major rivers include the Tumen and the Yalu.

   The local climate is relatively temperate, with precipitation heavier
   in summer during a short rainy season called changma, and winters that
   can be bitterly cold on occasion. The DPRK's capital and largest city
   is P'yŏngyang; other major cities include Kaesŏng in the south, Sinŭiju
   in the northwest, Wŏnsan and Hamhŭng in the east and Ch'ŏngjin in the
   northeast.

Economy

   Image:KwangbokStreet.jpg
   Kwangbok Street in Pyongyang.
   Juche Tower, Pyongyang.
   Enlarge
   Juche Tower, Pyongyang.
   A satellite photo of the Korean Peninsula at night illustrates the
   large differences between North Korea and its southern neighbour.
   Enlarge
   A satellite photo of the Korean Peninsula at night illustrates the
   large differences between North Korea and its southern neighbour.
   Pyongyang metro.
   Enlarge
   Pyongyang metro.

   North Korea's socialist economy has been relatively stagnant since the
   1970s. Publicly owned industry produces nearly all manufactured goods.
   The government focuses on heavy military industry, with an estimated
   13% of the nation's GDP being spent on the military as of 2005. By
   comparison, neighbouring South Korea spent 2.5% on its military (in
   addition to the 30,000 American soldiers stationed there ). The
   government does not release economic data.

   In the 1990s, North Korea faced significant economic disruptions,
   including a series of natural disasters, political mismanagement,
   serious fertilizer shortages, and the collapse of the Soviet bloc.
   These resulted in a shortfall of staple grain output of more than 1
   million tons from what the country needs to meet
   internationally-accepted minimum requirements. The resulting famine
   killed between 600,000 and 3.5 million people in the DPRK during the
   1990s. By 1999, foreign aid reduced the number of famine deaths, but
   North Korea's continuing nuclear program led to a decline in
   international food and development aid. In the spring of 2005, the
   World Food Program reported that famine conditions were in imminent
   danger of returning to North Korea, and the government was reported to
   have mobilized millions of city-dwellers to help rice farmers.
   Approximately 92% of 577,000 tons of food aid donated by China in 2005
   was to North Korea, making up 49% of the food aid North Korea receives.
   South Korea was the second biggest donor to North Korea in 2005,
   contributing 36% on top of China's 49%. In spite of these donations
   over 22 percent of the population of North Korea is classified as
   malnourished and recent evidence suggests serious food shortages
   continue.

   North Korea has previously received international food and fuel aid
   from China, South Korea, and the United States in exchange for
   restrictions on its nuclear program. In June 2005, the U.S. announced
   that it would give 50,000 metric tons of food aid to North Korea. The
   United States gave North Korea 50,000 tons in 2004 and 100,000 tons in
   2003. On 19 September 2005, North Korea was promised food and fuel aid
   (among other things) from South Korea, the U.S.A., Japan, Russia, and
   the PRC in exchange for abandoning its nuclear weapons program and
   rejoining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

   In July 2002, North Korea started experimenting with capitalism in the
   Kaesŏng Industrial Region. A small number of other areas have been
   designated as Special Administrative Regions, including Sinŭiju along
   the China-North Korea border. Mainland China and South Korea are the
   biggest trade partners of North Korea, with trade with China increasing
   38% to $1.02 billion in 2003, and trade with South Korea increasing 12%
   to $724 million in 2003. It is reported that the number of mobile
   phones in P'yŏngyang rose from only 3,000 in 2002 to approximately
   20,000 during 2004. As of June 2004, however, mobile phones became
   forbidden again. A small amount 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,
   P'yŏngyang, as well as along the China-North Korea border, bypassing
   the food rationing system.

   According to the Ministry of Unification of South Korea, the GDP grew
   by 6.2% in 1999, but only 1.3% in 2000, 3.2% in 2001, 1.2% in 2002 and
   1.8% in 2003.

   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.

Demographics

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

Religion

   Religious activities are heavily suppressed by the officially atheist
   state, especially Protestantism, which is seen as closely connected to
   the US.

   North Korea shares with South Korea a Buddhist and Confucianist
   heritage and recent history of Christian and Chondogyo ("Heavenly Way")
   movements. Pyongyang was the centre of Christian activity in Korea
   before the Korean War. Today, two state-sanctioned churches exist,
   which freedom of religion advocates allege are showcases for
   foreigners. There are an estimated four thousand Catholics and nine
   thousand Protestants in North Korea.

   According to a ranking published by Open Doors, an organization that
   supports persecuted Christians, North Korea is currently the country
   with the most severe persecution of Christians worldwide.

Language

   North Korea shares the Korean language with South Korea. There are
   dialect differences within both parts of Korea, but the border between
   North and South does not represent a major linguistic boundary. The
   adoption of modern terms from foreign languages has been limited in
   North Korea, while prevalent in the South. Other small differences have
   arisen, primarily in the words used for recent innovations.

   Hanja (Chinese characters) are no longer used in North Korea, although
   still used in South Korea in some contexts. Both Koreas share the
   hangul writing system.

   The official Romanisation differs in the two countries, with North
   Korea using the McCune-Reischauer romanisation of Korean, and the South
   using the revised romanisation.

Culture

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

   In July 2004, the Complex of Goguryeo Tombs was the first site in North
   Korea to be included into the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

   A popular event in North Korea is the Mass Games. The most recent and
   largest Mass Games was called " Arirang". It was performed six nights a
   week for two months, and involved over 100,000 performers. The Mass
   Games involve performances of dance, gymnastic, and choreographic
   routines which celebrate the history of North Korea and the Workers'
   Party Revolution. The Mass Games are held in Pyongyang at various
   venues (varying according to the scale of the Games in a particular
   year) including the May Day Grand Theatre.

   Restaurants run by the North Korean government have opened in China.

Administrative divisions

   Administrative map of North Korea.
   Enlarge
   Administrative map of North Korea.

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

   CAPTION: Provinces

      Province    Transliteration Hangul Hanja
   Chagang        Chagang-do      자강도    慈江道
   North Hamgyŏng Hamgyŏng-pukto  함경북도   咸鏡北道
   South Hamgyŏng 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
   Kangwŏn        Kangwŏndo       강원도    江原道
   North P'yŏngan P'yŏngan-pukto  평안북도   平安北道
   South P'yŏngan P'yŏngan-namdo  평안남도   平安南道
   Ryanggang*     Ryanggang-do    량강도    兩江道

   * Sometimes rendered "Yanggang".

   CAPTION: Special regions

   Region Transliteration Hangul Hanja
   Kaesŏng Industrial Region Kaesŏng Kong-ŏp Chigu 개성공업지구 開城工業地區
   Kŭmgangsan Tourist Region Kŭmgangsan Kwangwang Chigu 금강산관광지구 金剛山觀光地區
   Sinŭiju Special Administrative Region Sinŭiju T'ŭkpyŏl Haengjŏnggu
   신의주특별행정구 新義州特別行政區

   CAPTION: Directly-governed cities

   City Transliteration Hangul Hanja
   P'yŏngyang P'yŏngyang Chikhalsi 평양직할시 平壤直轄市
   Rasŏn (Rajin-Sŏnbong) Rasŏn (Rajin-Sŏnbong) Chikhalsi 라선(라진-선봉)직할시
   羅先(羅津-先鋒)直轄市

   Major cities

     * Sinuiju
     * Kaesong
     * Nampho
     * Chongjin
     * Wonsan

                 * Hoeryong
                 * Hamhung
                 * Haeju
                 * Kanggye
                 * Hyesan

North Korea in Western culture

   North Korea has sometimes protested its portrayal in Western
   entertainment. For a list of films concerning and often fictionalizing
   the nation, see List of films set in or about North Korea.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korea"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
