Everything about North Korea totally explained
North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or
DPRK), a
state located in
East Asia, in the northern half of the
Korean Peninsula, with its capital in the city of
Pyongyang.
To the south, separated by the
Korean Demilitarized Zone, lies
South Korea, with which it formed
one nation until division following
World War II. At its northern
Amnok River border are
China and, separated by the
Tumen River in the extreme north-east,
Russia.
North Korea is widely considered to be a
Stalinist dictatorship. The country's government styles itself as following the
Juche ideology of self reliance, developed by
Kim Il-sung, the country's former
president. The current leader is
Kim Jong-il, the late president Kim Il-sung's son. Relations are strongest with other officially
socialist states,
Vietnam,
Laos, especially China and Russia, as well as with
Cambodia and
Myanmar. Following a
major famine in the early 1990s, following the collapse of the
Soviet Union (previously a major economic partner), leader Kim Jong-il instigated the
"Military-First" policy in 1995, increasing economic concentration and support for the military.
North Korea's culture is officially promoted and heavily controlled by the government. The
Mass Games are government-organized events glorifying its two leaders, involving over 100,000 performers.
History
Formation
In the aftermath of the
Japanese occupation of Korea, which ended with
Japan's defeat in
World War II in 1945, the
Soviet Union accepted the surrender of Japanese forces and controlled the area north of the
38 parallel, with the
United States controlling the area south of this
parallel. Virtually all Koreans welcomed
liberation from
Japanese imperial rule, yet objected to the re-imposition of foreign rule upon their country. The Soviets and Americans disagreed on the implementation of Joint Trusteeship over Korea, with each establishing its socio-economic system upon its
jurisdiction, leading, in 1948, to the establishment of ideologically opposed governments. The United States and the Soviet Union then withdrew their forces from Korea. Growing tensions and border skirmishes between north and south led to the
Korean War.
On
June 25,
1950, the
(North) Korean People's Army crossed the 38 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. Since that time the
Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) has separated the North and South.
Economic evolution
In the aftermath of the Korean War and throughout the 1960s, the country's state-controlled
economy grew at a significant rate. It was considered the second most
industrialized nation in Asia, after
Japan. During the 1970s, the expansion of North Korea's economy, with the accompanying rise in living standards, came to an end, and a few decades later went into reverse. The country struggled throughout the 1990s, largely due to the loss of strategic trade arrangements with the
USSR, and strained relations with China following China's normalization with South Korea in 1992. In addition, North Korea experienced record-breaking
floods in 1995 and 1996, followed by several years of equally severe
drought, beginning in 1997. This situation, compounded by the existence of only 18 percent arable land and an inability to import goods necessary to sustain industry, led to an immense famine and left North Korea in economic shambles. Large numbers of North Koreans illegally entered the People's Republic of China in search of food. Faced with a country in decay, Kim Jong-il adopted a
"Military-First" policy to reinforce the regime.
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. Collapse of large state-owned enterprises released a huge amount of workers who engage in cross-border trade with China.
Government and politics
North Korea is a self-described
Juche (self-reliance) state. 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 wasn't replaced but instead received the designation of "
Eternal President", and was entombed in the vast
Kumsusan Memorial Palace in central
Pyongyang.
Although the active position of president has been abolished in deference to the memory of Kim Il-sung, the
de facto head of state is Kim Jong-il, who is
Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea. The legislature of North Korea is the
Supreme People's Assembly, currently led by President
Kim Yong-nam. The other senior government figure is
Premier Kim Yong-il.
North Korea is a single-party state. The governing party is the
Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland, a coalition of the
Workers' Party of North Korea and two other smaller parties, the
North Korean Social Democratic Party and the
Chondoist Chongu Party. These parties nominate all candidates for office and hold all seats in the Supreme People's Assembly.
Human rights
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. North Koreans have been referred to as "some of the world's most brutalized people", due to the severe restrictions placed on their
political and
economic freedoms. North Korean defectors have testified to the existence of
prison and detention camps with an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 inmates (about 0.85% of the population), and have reported
torture,
starvation,
rape,
murder,
medical experimentation,
forced labour, and forced
abortions. By comparison, the
United States Prison System makes up about 0.82% of the total US population, however the U.S. also has one of the highest per-capita imprisonment rates in the world.
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, although they're still prohibited; in most cases punishment is nothing more than a pecuniary fine, and many such problems are normally solved "unofficially", through bribery.
Foreign relations
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 15 North-South Joint Declaration in 2000, in which both sides made promises to seek out a peaceful reunification. 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.
In 2002,
U.S. President George W. Bush labelled North Korea part of an "
axis of evil" and an "
outpost of tyranny". The highest-level contact the government has had with the United States was with
U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who made a visit to Pyongyang in 2000, but the two countries don't have formal diplomatic relations.
Kim Jong-il has privately stated his acceptance of U.S. troops on the peninsula, even after a possible
reunification. 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).
North Korea has started installing a
concrete and barbed wire fence on its northern border, in response to China's wishing to curb refugees fleeing from North Korea. Previously the shared border with China and North Korea had only been lightly patrolled.
As a result of the
North Korean nuclear weapons program, the
Six-party talks were established to find a peaceful solution to the growing unrest between the two Korean governments, the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China, Japan, and the United States.
On
July 17,
2007, United Nations inspectors verified the shutdown of five North Korean nuclear facilities, according to the February 2007 agreement.
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.
Propaganda towards South Korea
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) government officially states on its website 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
Kim Jong-il is the
Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army and
Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea. The
Korean People's Army (KPA) is the name for the collective armed personnel of the North Korean military. The army has four branches:
Ground Force,
Naval Force,
Air Force, and the
Civil Securities Force.
According to the
U.S. Department of State, North Korea has the fourth-largest
military in the world, at an estimated 1.21 million armed personnel, with about 20% of men aged 17-54 in the regular armed forces. 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. Military strategy is designed for insertion of agents and sabotage behind enemy lines in wartime, The blast was smaller than expected and U.S. officials suggested that it may have been an unsuccessful test or a partially successful
fizzle. North Korea has previously stated that it has produced
nuclear weapons and according to U.S.
intelligence and
military officials it has produced, or has the
capability to produce, up to six or seven such devices.
On
March 17 2007, North Korea told delegates at international nuclear talks it would begin shut down preparations for its main nuclear facility. This was later confirmed on
14 July 2007 as
International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors observed the initial shut-down phases of the currently operating 5 MW
Yongbyon nuclear reactor, despite there being no official time line declared. In return, the reclusive nation has received 50,000 tons of
heavy fuel oil shipped from South Korea. Once the old small nuclear reactor is permanently shut down, North Korea will receive the equivalent of 950,000 tons of fuel oil when the six-nation talks reconvene. Following breakthrough talks held in September 2007, aimed at hastening the end of North Korea's nuclear program, North Korea was to "disable some part of its nuclear facilities" by the end of 2007, according to the US Assistant Secretary of State.
The details of such an agreement are due to be worked out in a session held in the People's Republic of China which will involve South Korea, China, Russia and Japan. Terms for the agreement have thus far not been disclosed, nor has it been disclosed what offer was made on the United States's part in exchange. The possibility of removing North Korea from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism has been discussed, which imposes a ban on all arms related trade with countries on the list, along with withholding US aid. Should these bans be lifted, the US may help North Koreans following devastating
floods in August 2007.
On 25 April 2008 the US released a video of a Syrian Military complex which featured
Chon Chibu the nuclear scientist from the
Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center on a sight-seeing trip of Syria.
Geography
Korean Peninsula, covering an area of . 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 . The longest river is the Amnok River which flows for .
North Korea's
climate is relatively
temperate, with
precipitation heavier in summer during a short rainy season called
changma, and winters that can be bitterly cold. For a week from
7 August 2007 the most devastating
floods in 40 years caused the North Korean Government to ask for international help.
NGOs, such as the
Red Cross, asked people to raise funds because they feared a humanitarian catastrophe.
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
In the aftermath of the
Korean War and throughout the 1960s and '70s, the country's state-controlled
economy grew at a significant rate before collapsing. State-owned industry produces nearly all manufactured goods. The government focuses on heavy military industry, following Kim Jong-il's adoption of the
Songun "Military-First" policy.
Estimates of the North Korean economy cover a broad range, as the country doesn't 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.
1990s famine
In the 1990s North Korea faced significant economic disruptions, including a series of natural disasters, economic mismanagement, serious
fertilizer shortages, and the collapse of the
Eastern Bloc. These resulted in a shortfall of staple
grain output of more than 1 million tons from what the country needs to meet internationally-accepted minimum dietary requirements. 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." The deaths were most likely caused by famine-related illnesses such as
pneumonia,
tuberculosis, and
diarrhea rather than
starvation.
The history of
Japanese assistance to North Korea is quite tumultuous; from a large pro-
Pyongyang community of North Koreans in Japan to public outrage over the 1998 North Korean missile launch and revelation of the abductions of Japanese citizens. In June 1995 an agreement was reached that the two countries would act jointly (Snyder1999). South Korea would provid 150,000 MT of grain in unmarked bags, and Japan would provide 150,000 MT gratis and another 150,000 MT on concessional terms. In October 1995 and January 1996, North Korea again approached Japan for assistance. On these two accasions, which at a crucial moment in the evolution of the famine, opposition from both South Korea and domestic political sources quashed the deals.
Beginning in 1997, the U.S. began shipping food aid to North Korea through the United Nations
World Food Programme (WFP) to combat the famine. Shipments peaked in 1999 at nearly 700,000 tons making the U.S. the largest foreign aid donor to the country at the time. Under the
Bush Administration, aid was drastically reduced year after year from 350,000 tons in 2001 to 40,000 in 2004. The Bush Administration took criticism for using "food as a weapon" during talks over the North's nuclear weapons program, but insisted the
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) criteria were the same for all countries and the situation in North Korea had "improved significantly since its collapse in the mid-1990s." Agricultural production had increased from about 2.7 million metric tons in 1997 to 4.2 million metric tons in 2004.
Foreign commerce
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. 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.
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". 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. There have also been aid disruptions due to widespread theft of
railroad cars used by mainland China to deliver food relief.
In July 2002, North Korea started experimenting with capitalism in the
Kaesong Industrial Region. A small number of other areas have been designated as
Special Administrative Regions, including
Sinŭiju along the China-North Korea border.
China and
South Korea are the biggest trade partners of North Korea, with trade with China increasing 15% to US$1.6 billion in 2005, and trade with South Korea increasing 50% to over 1 billion for the first time in 2005. As of June 2004, however, mobile phones became forbidden again. 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.
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's 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. Travels to this area, one of the nicest region on the Korean peninsula, are possible also for South Koreans and US citizens, but only in organized groups from South Korea. ("see also
Kŭmgangsan Tourist Region").
Transport
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, South Korean and
European expatriate minorities.
Religion
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Both Koreas share a
Buddhist and
Confucian heritage and a recent history of
Christian and
Cheondoism ("religion of the Heavenly Way") movements. The North Korean constitution states that freedom of religion is permitted. 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. In practical terms all religion in North Korea is superseded by a cult of personality devoted to the deceased ruler Kim Il-Sung and his heir, Kim Jong-Il.
Pyongyang was the centre of Christian activity in Korea before the Korean War. Today, two state-sanctioned churches exist, which
freedom of religion advocates say are showcases for foreigners. Official government statistics report that there are 10,000
Protestants and 4,000
Roman Catholics 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 in the world. Human rights groups such as
Amnesty International also have expressed concerns about religious persecution in North Korea.
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. Cheondoists are followed by
Christians (2.1%) and
Buddhists (1.5%).
Korean shamanism, an unorganized system of beliefs, is followed by 12.3% of the North Koreans.
Language
North Korea shares the
Korean language with
South Korea. There are dialect differences within both Koreas, but the border between North and South doesn't represent a major linguistic boundary. While prevalent in the South, the adoption of modern terms from foreign languages has been limited in North Korea.
Hanja (
Chinese characters) are no longer used in North Korea, although still occasionally used in South Korea. Both Koreas share the phonetic writing system called
Chosongul in North Korea and
Hangul South of the DMZ. The official
Romanization differs in the two countries, with North Korea using a slightly modified
McCune-Reischauer system, and the South using the
Revised Romanization of Korean.
Culture
There is a vast
cult of personality around Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il and much of North Korea's literature, popular music, theater, and film glorify the two men.
A popular event in North Korea is the
Mass Games. The most recent and largest Mass Games was called "
Arirang". It was performed six nights a week for two months, and involved over 100,000 performers. Attendees to this event report that the anti-West sentiments have been toned down compared to previous performances. The Mass Games involve performances of
dance,
gymnastic, and
choreographic routines which celebrate the history of North Korea and the Workers' Party Revolution. The Mass Games are held in Pyongyang at various venues (varying according to the scale of the Games in a particular year) including the May Day Stadium.
Culture is officially protected by the North Korean government. Large buildings committed to culture have been built, such as the People's Palace of Culture or the Grand People's Palace of Studies, both in Pyongyang. Outside the capital, there's a major theatre in
Hamhung and in every city there are State-run theatres and stadiums.
Korean culture came under attack during the
Japanese rule from 1910-1945. Japan enforced a
cultural assimilation policy. Koreans were forced to learn and speak Japanese, adopt the Japanese family name system and
Shinto religion, and forbidden to write or speak the Korean language in schools, businesses, or public places. In addition, the Japanese altered or destroyed various Korean monuments including
Gyeongbok Palace and documents which portrayed the Japanese in a negative light were revised. This methodical alteration process was done by the
Editing Agency of Korean History.
In July 2004, the
Complex of Goguryeo Tombs became the first site in the country to be included in the
UNESCO list of
World Heritage Sites.
Administrative divisions
North Korea is divided into nine
provinces, three
special regions, and two directly-governed cities (
chikhalsi, 직할시, 直轄市) :
Provinces
* - Sometimes rendered "Yanggang" (양강도).
Major cities
Further Information
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