North Korea

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK; Korean: Chos&#335;n Minjuju&#365;i Inmin Konghwaguk; Hangul: &#51312;&#49440;&#48124;&#51452;&#51452;&#51032;&#51064;&#48124;&#44277;&#54868;&#44397;; Hanja: &#26397;&#39854;&#27665;&#20027;&#20027;&#32681;&#20154;&#27665;&#20849;&#21644;&#22283;), also known as North Korea, is a country in East Asia, covering the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Locally and in mainland China, it is more commonly called Pukchos&#335;n ("North Chos&#335;n"; &#48513;&#51312;&#49440;; &#21271;&#26397;&#39854;), a name that associates the country with the Joseon Dynasty. Bukan ("North Han"; &#48513;&#54620;; &#21271;&#38867;) is commonly used in South Korea.

North Korea is bordered by three countries. To the south along the DMZ, it borders South Korea, with which it had formed a single nation until 1948. Its northwestern and northern border is predominantly with the People's Republic of China. Russia shares a 19 km border along the Tumen River in the far northeast corner of the country.

History
Japanese rule of Korea ended after World War II in 1945. Korea was occupied by the Soviet Union north of the 38th Parallel and by the United States south of the 38th parallel, but the United States and the Soviet Union were unable to agree on 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 over all of Korea.

Growing tensions between the governments in the north and south eventually led to the Korean War, when on June 25 1950 the (North) Korean People's Army crossed the 38th Parallel and attacked in force. The war continued until July 27 1953, when William Harrison Jr., United Nations Command, and Nam Il, Delegation of Korean People's Army and the Chinese People's Volunteers, signed the Korean War Armistice Agreement. The demilitarized zone, or DMZ, was established to separate the two countries.

North Korea was governed from 1948 by Kim Il-sung until his death on July 8, 1994. After the death of Kim Il Sung, his son Kim Jong-il was named General Secretary of the Korean Workers' Party on October 8, 1997. 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 in June 2000. However, tensions recently increased when North Korea resumed its nuclear weapons program.

During 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. Large numbers of North Koreans illegally entered the People's Republic of China in search of food.

North Korea announced on February 10, 2005 that it has nuclear weapons. The DPRK withdrew from the six-party talks because the North Koreans claimed that the United States had "hostile intentions" towards their country.

On May 7, 2005 the USA announced its spy satellites had discovered preparations for a possible underground test of a nuclear weapon, which would be North Korea's first. In response to its failing economy, however, Kim Jong-il, the leader of North Korea, proposed the signing of a peace treaty with the U.S in late July 2005. North Korea also agreed to again attend the stalled six-party talks over its nuclear weapons program.

See also: Division of Korea

Politics
North Korea's government is dominated by the Korean Workers' Party (KIN), to which 80 percent of government officials belong. The KIN follows and upholds the ideology of Juche (self-reliance), which originally grew out of Stalinism. Like the former Soviet Union, North Korea is dominated by a party bureaucracy that claims to represent the will of the people. The KIN replaced mentions of Marxism-Leninism in the North Korean constitution with Juche in 1977. Communist critics of the KIN deny that it is a communist state. Minor political parties exist, but they are subordinated to the KIN and do not oppose its rule. In practice the exact power structure of the country is somewhat unclear, although it is commonly accepted that the nation's regime is a totalitarian dictatorship.

Nominally, the Premier is the head of government, but real power lies with Kim Jong-il (the son of the deceased Kim Il-sung), head of the KIN 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. Within the country he is commonly known by the affectionate title of "Dear Leader". Similarly, his father, Kim Il-sung, held the title of "Great Leader."

North Korea's 1972 constitution was amended in late 1992 and again in 1998. The 1998 constitution states that the late Kim Il Sung is "Eternal President of the Republic," and the post of president was abolished after his death. The Constitution gives much of the functions normally accorded to a head of state to the Supreme People's Assembly Presidium, whose president "represents the State" and receives credentials from foreign ambassadors. The government of the republic is led by the Prime Minister and, in theory, a super cabinet called the Central People's Committee (CPC), the government's top policymaking body. The CPC is headed by the President, who also nominates the other committee members. The CPC makes policy decisions and supervises the Cabinet, or State Administration Council (SAC). 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. Usually it holds only two annual meetings, each lasting a few days, but it mostly ratifies decisions made by the ruling KIN (see rubberstamp (politics)). A standing committee elected by the Assembly performs legislative functions when the Assembly is not in session.

North Korea is widely held to be a totalitarian country. One major aspect of totalitarian countries is the presence of a single party which mirrors the structure of the State, and the fact that the power lies not in the State or its institutions, but in the party and its institutions. Thus, in countries such as the DPRK, it is the leader of the ruling party and not the Head of State who is the repository of power.

Administrative divisions


As of 2005, North Korea consists of two Directly-governed Cities (Chikhalsi; &#51649;&#54624;&#49884;; &#30452;&#36676;&#24066;), three special regions with various designations, and nine Provinces (See provinces of Korea). (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).

For historical information, see provinces of Korea and special cities of Korea.

Directly-governed cities
 * P'y&#335;ngyang Directly-governed City (P'y&#335;ngyang Chikhalsi; &#54217;&#50577; &#51649;&#54624;&#49884;; &#24179;&#22756;&#30452;&#36676;&#24066;)
 * Ras&#335;n (Rajin-S&#335;nbong) Chikhalsi (&#46972;&#49440; (&#46972;&#51652;-&#49440;&#48393;) &#51649;&#54624;&#49884;; &#32645;&#20808; (&#32645;&#27941;-&#20808;&#37586;) &#30452;&#36676;&#24066;)

Special regions

 * Kaes&#335;ng Industrial Region (Kaes&#335;ng Kong-&#335;p Chigu; &#44060;&#49457; &#44277;&#50629; &#51648;&#44396;; &#38283;&#22478;&#24037;&#26989;&#22320;&#21312;)
 * K&#365;mgangsan Tourist Region (K&#365;mgangsan Kwangwang Chigu; &#44552;&#44053;&#49328; &#44288;&#44305; &#51648;&#44396;; &#63754;&#21083;&#23665;&#35264;&#20809;&#22320;&#21312;)
 * Sin&#365;iju Special Administrative Region (Sin&#365;iju T'&#365;kby&#335;l Haengjeonggu; &#49888;&#51032;&#51452; &#53945;&#48324; &#54665;&#51221;&#44396;; &#26032;&#32681;&#24030;&#29305;&#21029;&#34892;&#25919;&#21312;)

Provinces

 * Chagang Province (Chagang-do; &#51088;&#44053;&#46020;; &#24904;&#27743;&#36947;)
 * North Hamgy&#335;ng Province (Hamgy&#335;ng-pukto; &#54632;&#44221; &#48513;&#46020;; &#21688;&#37857;&#21271;&#36947;)
 * South Hamgy&#335;ng Province (Hamgy&#335;ng-namdo; &#54632;&#44221; &#45224;&#46020;; &#21688;&#37857;&#21335;&#36947;)
 * North Hwanghae Province (Hwanghae-pukto; &#54889;&#54644; &#48513;&#46020;; &#40643;&#28023;&#21271;&#36947;)
 * South Hwanghae Province (Hwanghae-namdo; &#54889;&#54644; &#45224;&#46020;; &#40643;&#28023;&#21335;&#36947;)
 * Kangw&#335;n Province (Kangw&#335;ndo; &#44053;&#50896;&#46020;; &#27743;&#21407;&#36947;)
 * North P'y&#335;ngan Province (P'y&#335;ngan-pukto; &#54217;&#50504; &#48513;&#46020;; &#24179;&#23433;&#21271;&#36947;)
 * South P'y&#335;ngan Province (P'y&#335;ngan-namdo; &#54217;&#50504; &#45224;&#46020;; &#24179;&#23433;&#21335;&#36947;)
 * Ryanggang Province (Ryanggang-do; &#47049;&#44053;&#46020;; &#20841;&#27743;&#36947;--sometimes also spelled as 'Yanggang' in English)

Major cities

 * Sinuiju
 * Kaesong
 * Nampho
 * Chongjin
 * Wonsan
 * Hamhung - Hamnam
 * Haeju
 * Kanggye
 * Hyesan

Geography
North Korea is on the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula that extends 1,100 km from the Asian mainland. North Korea shares its borders with three nations and two seas. To the west it borders the Yellow Sea and the Korea Bay and to the east it borders the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea). North Korea is of political importance as it borders South Korea, China, and Russia. The highest point in Korea is the Paektu-san at 2,744 m 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 jangma, and winters that can be bitterly cold on occasion. North Korea's capital and largest city is P'y&#335;ngyang; other major cities include Kaes&#335;ng in the south, Sin&#365;iju in the northwest, W&#335;nsan and Hamh&#365;ng in the east and Ch'&#335;ngjin in the northeast.

Economy
Following the official ideology of Juche (self-reliance) and the central planning mandated by its brand of Stalinism, North Korea's economy has stagnated. The government's refusal to participate in international trade and its refusal to publicize economic data limit the amount of reliable information available. Publicly-owned industry produces nearly all manufactured goods. The regime continues to focus on heavy military industry at the expense of agriculture.

The North Korean military's effect on the economy cannot be overstated. The government spends 25% (2005) of the nation's GDP on military (compared to 3.3% (FY03 est.) for the U.S. and 2.7% (FY03) spent by neighboring South Korea), and has recruited 1 million of the healthiest young men into the army and has 4.7 million in reserves (2005). This focus on military spending is unheard of anywhere else in the world, and has severely depressed the North's economy for decades.

A series of natural disasters, rampant corruption, and the collapse of the Soviet bloc have all caused the economy to stagnate. The agricultural outlook is terrible and food products are deliberately diverted away from citizens and into the military. The combined effects of a reclusive regime, serious fertilizer shortages, successive natural disasters, and structural constraints &mdash; such as little arable land and a short growing season &mdash; have reduced staple grain output to more than 1 million tons less than what the country needs to meet even internationally-accepted minimum requirements.

North Korea has previously and may in the future receive a flow of international food and fuel aid from the People's Republic of China and the United States in exchange for promises not to develop nuclear weapons. In June 2005, the United States 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 United States, Japan, Russia and China in exchange for abandoning its nuclear weapons program and rejoining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It remains to be seen if this exchange will actually occur.

However, there is substantial evidence that the aid is not getting to those who need it. The Discovery Times channel documentary "Children of the Secret State" showed hidden camera footage from inside North Korea where clearly marked US food aid was being sold openly in front of North Korean police while malnourished orphans were ignored as they picked for scraps off of the ground nearby.

In July 2002, North Korea started running an experiment with capitalism in the Kaes&#335;ng Industrial Region. A small number of other areas have been designated as Special Administrative Regions, including Sin&#365;iju along the China-North Korea border. Mainland China and South Korea are the biggest trade partners of North Korea, with trade with China going up 38% to $1.02 billion in 2003, and trade with South Korea going up 12% to $724 million in 2003 since the start of the experiment. It is reported that the number of mobile phones in P'y&#335;ngyang 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 amount of open-air farmer markets have increased in Kaesong, P'y&#335;ngyang, as well as the China-North Korea border, bypassing the food rationing system. Some speculate that these market reforms are merely a cover by the North Korean government, or perhaps an attempt by the country's rulers to further their own personal interests in some way.

Human rights
North Korea has one of the worst human rights records of any nation. Reports by human rights organizations and foreign governments regularly accuse the government of failing to protect the human rights of North Koreans (Amnesty International); North Korea receives particular criticism for its policy of preventing citizens from leaving the country freely.

North Korea is accused of severely restricting most freedoms, including freedom of speech and freedom of movement, both inside the country and abroad. Most infamously the DPRK employs concentration camps (video link). These camps are believed to hold as many as 200,000 inmates, including children whose only crime is having so-called "class enemies" for parents - not to mention entire families of up to three generations. Pregnant women who gave birth inside these camps either have forced abortions or, once the child is born, it is brutally murdered by the guards by kicking it around with spiky boots, in the name of preventing the birth of a new generation of dissidents. However, this could not be verified, as the DPRK government simply denies, but never allowed independent human rights observers to investigate.

In some of the camps, the annual mortality rate approaches 25%. A recent BBC documentary also reported that in one of these camps the North Korean government tests chemical weapons on prisoners in a gas chamber: " 'I witnessed a whole family being tested on suffocating gas and dying in the gas chamber,' he said. 'The parents, son and and a daughter. The parents were vomiting and dying, but till the very last moment they tried to save kids by doing mouth-to-mouth breathing.' [The North Korean citizen] has drawn detailed around the corners. Scientists observe the entire process from above, through the glass." Again this could not be verified, as no human rights groups have access to North Korea. The DPRK authorities even threatened the families of testimonies to denounce in order to cover up these crimes.

Some of North Korea's major concentration camps can be seen from space with Google Earth by inputting the following co-ordinates:
 * Camp 15 (Yodok): 39d36'42.59"N, 126d50'56.85"E
 * Camp 16 (Hwasong): 41d15'19.39"N, 129d29'33.94"E
 * Camp 22 (Hoeryong): 42d26'49.24"N, 129d44'09.63"E

Less often discussed are the human rights implications of North Korea's famine, which killed between 600,000  and 3.5 million people , mostly during the 1990's. By 1999, food and development aid reduced famine deaths. However, North Korea's deteriorating foreign relations resulting from its pursual of nuclear weapons led to a decline in foreign 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 regime was reported to have ordered millions of city-dwellers to the countryside to perform farm labor.

Yet during this same period, North Korea maintained a massive military machine and supported an extravagant lifestyle for its leader, Kim Jong-Il. The World Food Program currently seeks $200 million in emergency food aid for North Korea an increase from its 2004 request of $171 million. By comparison, its 2002 defense budget was $5.2 billion.

In 2005, news sources reported that North Korea continued to raise food prices while reducing food rations to the below-subsistence amount of 250 grams per person per day, the equivalent of two medium-sized potatoes.

North Korea claims that natural disasters caused the famine. At worst, it is a program of political classification and cleansing not unlike that used in Soviet Ukraine in the 1930s, or political cleansing by engineered famine.

Demographics
North Korea's population is one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogenous in the world, with very small Chinese and Japanese communities as the only non-Korean indigenous minorities. Most others are temporary residents, mostly being Russians and other East Europeans, Chinese, and Vietnamese. The Korean language is not a member of a wider linguistic family, though links to Japanese and Altaic languages are being considered. The Korean writing system, Hangul, was invented in the 15th century by King Sejong the Great to replace the system of Chinese characters, known in Korea as Hanja, which are no longer officially in use in the North. North Korea continues to use the McCune-Reischauer romanization of Korean, in contrast to the South's revised version.

North Korea is officially atheist, although it has a Buddhist and Confucianist heritage, with Christian and traditional Chondogyo ("Heavenly Way") communities. Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, was the center of Christian activity before the Korean War. Practising a religion however is considered subversive and many Christians were deported to concentration camps.

Culture
Traditional aspects of Korean culture tend to be downplayed or ignored in North Korea. The state is officially atheist and shuns traditional religious ceremonies and practices, though some state-sanctioned churches exist.

There is a vast personality cult built up around Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-il, and much of North Korea's literature, theater, and film deal with praising or glamorizing various exploits of the two men and their life stories.

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

Tourism
North Korea's government is reclusive and secretive, and few foreigners want to visit the country. In principle, any person is allowed to travel to North Korea, and in practice, among those who actually go through the complex process of applying, almost no one is refused entry by North Korea. That being said, visitors are not allowed to travel outside designated tour areas without their Korean guides. The daunting presence of government minders and the negative international reputation of the government discourages many outsiders from visiting. Accounts of travels throughout the region can be found in the external links section.

Tourists are not permitted on passports from the United States, and citizens of South Korea require special government permission from both governments to enter North Korea. In 2002, the area around Mount K&#365;mgang, a scenic mountain close to the South Korea border, has been designated as a special tourist destination (K&#365;mgangsan Tourist Region), where South Korean citizens do not need special permissions. Tours run by private companies bring thousands of South Koreans to Mount K&#365;mgang every year.

In July 2005 the South Korean company Hyundai Group came to an agreement with the North Korean government to open up more areas to tourism, including Mount Paektu and Kaesong.

Miscellaneous topics

 * Cities of North Korea
 * Communications in North Korea
 * Foreign relations of North Korea
 * Korean reunification
 * Korean friendship association
 * Kimjongilia (national flower)
 * List of Korea-related topics
 * List of North Korean companies
 * Military of North Korea
 * North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
 * Public holidays in North Korea
 * Transportation in North Korea

North Korean organizations

 * Chongryon

Links associated with North Korean government

 * Kim Il Sung: 10 Point programme for reunification of the country
 * korea-dpr.com - Website officially associated with North Korea. (Maintained from a Texas server by the Korean Friendship Association.)
 * Naenara ("My country," in Korean) DPRK's Official Web Portal
 * The Korean Central News Agency, The DPRK's news service.

Web sites about North Korea

 * CIA World Factbook - North Korea
 * Library of Congress - Country Studies: North Korea - data as of June 1993
 * BBC News - Country Profile: North Korea
 * Glimpses of a Hermit Nation Los Angeles Times expose from July 3, 2005 on Chongjin and a changing North Korea (Part 1)
 * Guardian Unlimited - Special Report: North and South Korea
 * Happy Birthday, North Korea - detailed account of travel to 3 sanctioned areas
 * Korean Tourist Map
 * LookSmart - North Korea directory category
 * NKzone - discussions and information exchange on North Korea
 * North Korea Resources - background news and analysis of North Korea
 * Open Directory Project - North Korea directory category
 * Pyongyang Metro System Unofficial Web Site - 1
 * Tours / Tourism page of North Korea, with links to other North Korea related sites
 * Trading Ideals for Sustenance Second part of Los Angeles Times expose on changing North Korean life (July 4, 2005)
 * Yahoo! - North Korea directory category
 * Yahoo! News - Full Coverage: North Korea
 * human rights of the dprk childrens
 * Young Juche League, pro-DPRK youth association in the UK.

Web sites criticizing North Korea

 * One Free Korea - Blog focusing on human rights conditions in North Korea
 * Another Korea - Background stories on North Korea
 * Soon Ok Lee project website calling for christian solidarity with Korean refugees.

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