Korea, North
Introduction Korea, North
-------------------------
Background: Following World War II, Korea was
split with the northern half coming
under Communist domination and the
southern portion becoming Western
oriented. KIM Chong-il has ruled
North Korea since his father and the
country's founder, president KIM Il-
song, died in 1994. After decades of
mismanagement, the North relies
heavily on international food aid to
feed its population, while
continuing to expend resources to
maintain an army of about 1 million.
North Korea's long-range missile
development and research into
nuclear, chemical, and biological
weapons and massive conventional
armed forces are of major concern to
the international community.
Geography Korea, North
----------------------
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
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 120,540 sq km
water: 130 sq km
land: 120,410 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Mississippi
Land boundaries: total: 1,673 km
border countries: China 1,416 km,
South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 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: 14.12%
permanent crops: 2.49%
other: 83.39% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 14,600 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: late spring droughts often followed
by severe flooding; occasional
typhoons during the early fall
Environment - current issues: water pollution; inadequate supplies
of potable water; water-borne
disease; deforestation; soil erosion
and degradation
Environment - international party to: Antarctic Treaty,
agreements: Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Environmental Modification, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-
Environmental Protocol, Law of the
Sea
Geography - note: strategic location bordering China,
South Korea, and Russia; mountainous
interior is isolated and sparsely
populated
People Korea, North
-------------------
Population: 22,224,195 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 25.4% (male 2,888,478;
female 2,747,133)
15-64 years: 67.4% (male 7,380,183;
female 7,612,275)
65 years and over: 7.2% (male
527,256; female 1,068,870) (2002
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.1% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 17.95 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 6.96 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/
female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 22.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.3 years
female: 74.44 years (2002 est.)
male: 68.31 years
Total fertility rate: 2.22 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
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 Korean
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (1990 est.)
Government Korea, North
-----------------------
Country name: conventional long form: Democratic
People's Republic of Korea
conventional short form: North Korea
local short form: none
local long form: Choson-minjujuui-
inmin-konghwaguk
note: the North Koreans generally
use the term "Choson" to refer to
their country
abbreviation: DPRK
Government type: authoritarian socialist; one-man
dictatorship
Capital: P'yongyang
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and
plural) and 4 special cities* (si,
singular and plural); Chagang-do
(Chagang Province), Hamgyong-bukto
(North Hamgyong Province), Hamgyong-
namdo (South Hamgyong Province),
Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae
Province), Hwanghae-namdo (South
Hwanghae Province), Kaesong-si*
(Kaesong City), Kangwon-do (Kangwon
Province), Najin Sonbong-si*,
Namp'o-si* (Namp'o City), P'yongan-
bukto (North P'yongan Province),
P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan
Province), P'yongyang-si*
(P'yongyang City), Yanggang-do
(Yanggang Province)
Independence: 15 August 1945 (from Japan)
National holiday: Founding of the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9
September (1948)
Constitution: adopted 1948, completely revised 27
December 1972, revised again in
April 1992 and September 1998
Legal system: based on German civil law system
with Japanese influences and
Communist legal theory; no judicial
review of legislative acts; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: KIM Chong-il (since
NA July 1994); note - in September
1998, KIM Chong-il was reelected
Chairman of the National Defense
Commission, a position accorded the
nation's "highest administrative
authority"; KIM Yong-nam was named
President of the Supreme People's
Assembly Presidium and given the
responsibility of representing the
state and receiving diplomatic
credentials
elections: premier elected by the
Supreme People's Assembly; election
last held NA September 1998 (next to
be held NA)
election results: HONG Song-nam
elected premier; percent of Supreme
People's Assembly vote - NA%
cabinet: Cabinet (Naegak), members,
except for the Minister of People's
Armed Forces, are appointed by the
Supreme People's Assembly
head of government: Premier HONG
Song-nam (since 5 September 1998);
Vice Premiers CHO Ch'ang-tok (since
NA), KWAK Pom-ki (since NA), Sin IL-
nam (since NA April 2002)
Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme People's Assembly
or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats;
members elected by popular vote to
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 26 July 1998
(next to be held NA 2003)
election results: percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - the
KWP approves a single list of
candidates who are elected without
opposition; minor parties hold a few
seats
Judicial branch: Central Court (judges are elected by
the Supreme People's Assembly)
Political parties and leaders: Chondoist Chongu Party [YU Mi-yong,
chairwoman]; Korean Social
Democratic Party [KIM Yong-tae,
chairman]; major party - Korean
Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Chong-il,
General Secretary]
Political pressure groups and NA
leaders:
International organization ARF (dialogue partner), ESCAP, FAO,
participation: G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO,
IMO, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note - North Korea has a
Permanent Mission to the UN in New
York
Diplomatic representation from the none (Swedish Embassy in P'yongyang
US: represents the US as consular
protecting power)
Flag description: 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
Economy Korea, North
--------------------
Economy - overview: North Korea, one of the world's most
centrally planned and isolated
economies, faces desperate economic
conditions. Industrial capital stock
is nearly beyond repair as a result
of years of underinvestment and
spare parts shortages. Industrial
and power output have declined in
parallel. Despite a good harvest in
2001, the nation faces its eighth
year of food shortages because of a
lack of arable land; collective
farming; weather-related problems,
including major drought in 2000; and
chronic shortages of fertilizer and
fuel. Massive international food aid
deliveries have allowed the regime
to escape mass starvation since
1995-96, but the population remains
vulnerable to prolonged malnutrition
and deteriorating living conditions.
Large-scale military spending eats
up resources needed for investment
and civilian consumption. In 2001,
the regime placed emphasis on
earning hard currency, developing
information technology, addressing
power shortages, and attracting
foreign aid, but in no way at the
expense of relinquishing central
control over key national assets or
undergoing widespread market-
oriented reforms.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $21.8
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -3% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,000
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 30%
industry: 42%
services: 28% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Labor force: 9.6 million
Labor force - by occupation: agricultural 36%, nonagricultural
64%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital
expenditures of $NA
Industries: military products; machine building,
electric power, chemicals; mining
(coal, iron ore, magnesite,
graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and
precious metals), metallurgy;
textiles, food processing; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 33.4 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 32.63%
hydro: 67.37%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 31.062 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans,
pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs
Exports: $708 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: minerals, metallurgical products,
manufactures (including armaments);
agricultural and fishery products
Exports - partners: Japan 40%, South Korea 24%, Hong
Kong 7%, China 6%, France 4%,
Germany 4% (2000)
Imports: $1.686 billion (c.i.f., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: petroleum, coking coal, machinery
and equipment; consumer goods, grain
Imports - partners: China 38%, Japan 17%, South Korea
8%, Hong Kong 6%, Germany 4.5%
(2000)
Debt - external: $12 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA; note - nearly $300 million in
food aid alone from US, South Korea,
Japan, and EU in 2001 plus much
additional aid from the UN and non-
governmental organizations
Currency: North Korean won (KPW)
Currency code: KPW
Exchange rates: official: North Korean won per US
dollar - 2.15 (December 2001), 2.15
(May 1994), 2.13 (May 1992), 2.14
(September 1991), 2.1 (January
1990); market: North Korean won per
US dollar - 200 (December 2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Korea, North
---------------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.1 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth
stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
and 1 Russian (Indian Ocean region);
other international connections
through Moscow and Beijing
Radio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 14, shortwave 12 (1999)
Radios: 3.36 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 38 (1999)
Televisions: 1.2 million (1997)
Internet country code: .kp
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Transportation Korea, North
---------------------------
Railways: total: 5,000 km
standard gauge: 4,095 km 1.435-
m gauge (3,500 km electrified; 159
km double-tracked)
narrow gauge: 665 km 0.762-m gauge
dual gauge: 240 km 1.435-m and
1.600-m gauges (three rails provide
two gauges) (1996)
Highways: total: 31,200 km
paved: 1,997 km
unpaved: 29,203 km (1996)
Waterways: 2,253 km
note: mostly navigable by small
craft only
Pipelines: crude oil 37 km; petroleum product
180 km
Ports and harbors: Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung),
Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin, Namp'o,
Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly
Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan
Merchant marine: total: 122 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 738,886 GRT/1,037,506 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned
ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Denmark 1, Greece 2,
Pakistan 1, Singapore 1 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 102,
combination bulk 1, multi-functional
large-load carrier 1, passenger 2,
passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker
6, refrigerated cargo 3, short-sea
passenger 2
Airports: 87 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 39
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 26
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 48
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 24
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 8 (2001)
Military Korea, North
---------------------
Military branches: Korean People's Army (includes Army,
Navy, Air Force), Civil Security
Forces
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 6,032,376 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 3,619,535 (2002
service: est.)
Military manpower - reaching males: 179,136 (2002 est.)
military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $5,124.1 million (FY01)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 31.3% (FY01)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Korea, North
---------------------------------
Disputes - international: 33-km section of boundary with China
in the Paektu-san (mountain) area is
indefinite; Demarcation Line with
South Korea
|
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Definition commonly spelled as: Defanition or Defenition, Synonym as: Synonim, Sinonym or Sinonim, Thesaurus as: Thesorus or Thesauris, Dictionary as: Dictionery or Dictionry and Define is usually not misspelled. What does mispell meen? It Meens...
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