Map of North Korea | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: An independent kingdom for much of its long history Korea was occupied by Japan in 1905 following the Russo-Japanese War. Five years later Japan formally annexed the entire peninsula. Following World War II Korea was split with the northern half coming under Soviet-sponsored Communist domination. After failing in the Korean War (1950-53) to conquer the US-backed Republic of Korea (ROK) in the southern portion by force North Korea (DPRK) under its founder President KIM Il Sung adopted a policy of ostensible diplomatic and economic 'self-reliance' as a check against excessive Soviet or Communist Chinese influence. The DPRK demonized the US as the ultimate threat to its social system through state-funded propaganda and molded political economic and military policies around the core ideological objective of eventual unification of Korea under Pyongyang's control. KIM's son the current ruler KIM Jong Il was officially designated as his father's successor in 1980 assuming a growing political and managerial role until the elder KIM's death in 1994. After decades of economic mismanagement and resource misallocation the DPRK since the mid-1990s has relied heavily on international aid to feed its population while continuing to expend resources to maintain an army of approximately 1 million. North Korea's history of regional military provocations proliferation of military-related items and long-range missile development - as well as its nuclear chemical and biological weapons programs and massive conventional armed forces - are of major concern to the international community. In December 2002 following revelations that the DPRK was pursuing a nuclear weapons program based on enriched uranium in violation of a 1994 agreement with the US to freeze and ultimately dismantle its existing plutonium-based program North Korea expelled monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In January 2003 it declared its withdrawal from the international Non-Proliferation Treaty. In mid-2003 Pyongyang announced it had completed the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel rods (to extract weapons-grade plutonium) and was developing a 'nuclear deterrent.' Beginning in August 2003 North Korea China Japan Russia South Korea and the US have participated in the Six-Party Talks aimed at resolving the stalemate over the DPRK's nuclear programs. North Korea pulled out of the talks in November 2005. It test-fired ballistic missiles in July 2006 and conducted a nuclear test in October 2006. North Korea returned to the Six-Party Talks in December 2006 and subsequently signed two agreements on denuclearization. The 13 February 2007 Initial Actions Agreement shut down the North's nuclear facilities at Yongbyon in July 2007. In the 3 October 2007 Second Phase Actions Agreement Pyongyang pledged to disable those facilities and provide a correct and complete declaration of its nuclear programs. Under the supervision of US nuclear experts North Korean personnel completed a number of agreed-upon disablement actions at the three core facilities at the Yongbyon nuclear complex by the end of 2007. North Korea also began the discharge of spent fuel rods in December 2007 but it did not provide a declaration of its nuclear programs by the end of the year.


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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 reference: Asia

Area
Total: 120,540 km²
Land: 120,410 km²
Water: 130 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Mississippi

Land boundaries
Total: 1,673 km
Border countries: (3) 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 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
Extremes highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 22.4%
Permanent crops: 1.66%
Other: 75.94% (2005)

Irrigated land: 14,600 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 77.1 km³ (1999)

Natural hazards: late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall

Geography
Note: strategic location bordering China South Korea and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated


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Population: 23,479,088 (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 0.732% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Korean
Adjective: Korean

Ethnic groups: racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese

Languages: Korean

Religions
Note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 22.9% (male 2,733,352/female 2,654,186)
15-64 years: 68.2% (male 7,931,484/female 8,083,626)
65 years and over: 8.8% (male 751,401/female 1,325,040) (2008 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 32.7 years
Male: 31.2 years
Female: 34.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.732% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 14.61 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 7.29 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: NA (2008 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterborne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation
International agreements party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.57 male/female
Total population: 0.95 male/female (2008 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 21.86 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 23.46 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 20.18 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.2 years
Male: 69.45 years
Female: 75.08 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99%
Male: 99%
Female: 99%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Conventional short form: North Korea
Local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk
Local short form: Choson
Abbreviation: DPRK

Government type: Communist state one-man dictatorship

Capital
Name: Pyongyang
Geographic coordinates: 39 01 N, 125 45 E
Time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions
Provinces: Chagang-do (Chagang), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong), Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae), Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae), Kangwon-do (Kangwon), P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan), Yanggang-do (Yanggang)
Municipalities: Kaesong-si (Kaesong), Najin Sonbong-si (Najin-Sonbong), Namp'o-si (Namp'o), P'yongyang-si (Pyongyang)

Dependent areas

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 Prussian civil law system with Japanese influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: KIM Jong Il (since July 1994); note - on 3 September 2003, rubberstamp Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) reelected KIM Jong Il chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded nation's 'highest administrative authority'; SPA reelected KIM Yong Nam president of its Presidium also with responsibility of representing state and receiving diplomatic credentials
Head of government: Premier KIM Yong Il (since 11 April 2007); Vice Premiers KWAK Pom Gi (since 5 September 1998), JON Sung Hun (since 3 September 2003), RO Tu Chol (since 3 September 2003), THAE Jong Su (since 16 October 2007)
Cabinet: Naegak (cabinet) members, except for Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by SPA
Elections: last held in September 2003 (next to be held in September 2008)
Election results: KIM Jong Il and KIM Yong Nam were only nominees for positions and ran unopposed

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 3 August 2003 (next to be held in August 2008)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; ruling party approves a list of candidates who are elected without opposition; some seats are held by minor parties

Judicial branch: Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly)

Political parties and leaders: major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Jong Il]; minor parties - Chondoist Chongu Party [RYU Mi Yong] (under KWP control) Social Democratic Party [KIM Yong Dae] (under KWP control)

International organization participation: ARF FAO G-77 ICAO ICRM IFAD IFRCS IHO IMO IOC IPU ISO ITSO ITU NAM UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WFTU WHO WIPO WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none; North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York
From the us: none; note - Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang 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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: North Korea one of the world's most centrally directed and least open economies faces chronic economic problems. Industrial capital stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of years of underinvestment and shortages of spare parts. Industrial and power output have declined in parallel from pre-1990 levels. Due in part to severe summer flooding followed by dry weather conditions in the fall of 2006 the nation suffered its 13th year of food shortages because of on-going systemic problems including a lack of arable land: collective farming practices and persistent shortages of tractors and fuel. During the summer of 2007 severe flooding again occurred. Large-scale international food aid deliveries have allowed the people of North Korea to escape widespread starvation since famine threatened in 1995 but the population continues to suffer from prolonged malnutrition and poor living conditions. Large-scale military spending draws off resources needed for investment and civilian consumption. Since 2002 the government has formalized an arrangement whereby private 'farmers' markets' were allowed to begin selling a wider range of goods. It also permitted some private farming on an experimental basis in an effort to boost agricultural output. In October 2005 the government tried to reverse some of these policies by forbidding private sales of grains and reinstituting a centralized food rationing system. By December 2005 the government terminated most international humanitarian assistance operations in North Korea (calling instead for developmental assistance only) and restricted the activities of remaining international and non-governmental aid organizations such as the World Food Program. External food aid now comes primarily from China and South Korea in the form of grants and long-term concessional loans. During the October 2007 summit South Korea also agreed to develop some of North Korea's infrastructure and natural resources and light industry. Firm political control remains the Communist government's overriding concern which will likely inhibit the loosening of economic regulations.

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Note: North Korea does not publish any reliable National Income Accounts data; the datum shown here is derived from purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP estimates for North Korea that were made by Angus MADDISON in a study conducted for the OECD; his figure for 1999 was extrapolated to 2007 using estimated real growth rates for North Korea's GDP and an inflation factor based on the US GDP deflator; the result was rounded to the nearest $10 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: -1.1% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $1700 (2007 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 23.3%
Industry: 43.1%
Services: 33.6% (2002 est.)

Agriculture products: rice corn potatoes soybeans pulses; cattle pigs pork eggs

Industries: military products; machine building electric power chemicals; mining (coal iron ore limestone magnesite graphite copper zinc lead and precious metals) metallurgy; textiles food processing; tourism

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force
Note: estimates vary widely (2004 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 37%
By occupation industry and services: 63% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $2.88 billion $NA
Expenditures: $2.98 billion $NA

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: NA%

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $1.466 billion f.o.b. (2006)
Commodities: minerals metallurgical products manufactures (including armaments) textiles agricultural and fishery products
Partners: South Korea 32% China 29% Thailand 9% (2006)

Imports: $2.879 billion c.i.f. (2006)
Commodities: petroleum coking coal machinery and equipment textiles grain
Partners: China 27% South Korea 16% Thailand 9% Russia 7% (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $12.5 billion (2001 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: North Korean won (KPW) per US dollar - 140 (2007) 141 (2006) 170 (December 2004) market: North Korean won per US dollar - 2,500-3,000 (December 2006)


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Electricity
Production: 21.72 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Consumption: 18.18 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2007)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.18 million (2007)

Telephone system
General assessment: inadequate system; currently no mobile cellular telephone services
Domestic: fiber-optic links installed between cities; telephone directories unavailable; mobile cellular service, initiated in 2002, terminated in 2004; in January 2008 Orascom Telecom, an Egyptian company, announced that it had been granted a commercial license to provide mobile telephone services in North Korea
International: country code - 850; satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat - Indian Ocean, 1 Russian - Indian Ocean region); other international connections through Moscow and Beijing (2008)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .kp
Users: NA

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: NA

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 17 years of age (2004)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 77 (2007)
With paved runways total: 36
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 22
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 8
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 3 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 41
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 19
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 13
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 7 (2007)

Heliports: 23 (2007)

Pipelines: oil 154 km (2007)

Railways
Total: 5,235 km
Standard gauge: 5,235 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways
Total: 25,554 km
Paved: 724 km
Unpaved: 24,830 km (2006)

Waterways: 2,250 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2007)

Merchant marine
Total: 167
By type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 121, carrier 1, chemical tanker 4, container 3, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 19, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 1
Foreign owned: 19 (Egypt 1, Greece 1, Lebanon 1, Lithuania 1, Romania 4, Syria 1, UAE 8, Yemen 2)
Registered in other countries: 2 (Mongolia 1, Panama 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Ch'ongjin Haeju Hungnam (Hamhung) Kimch'aek Kosong Najin Namp'o Sinuiju Songnim Sonbong (formerly Unggi) Ungsang Wonsan


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Disputes international: risking arrest imprisonment and deportation tens of thousands of North Koreans cross into China to escape famine economic privation and political oppression; North Korea and China dispute the sovereignty of certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers; Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic incidents in the Yellow Sea with South Korea which claims the Northern Limiting Line as a maritime boundary; North Korea supports South Korea in rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima)

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Idps: undetermined (flooding in mid-2007 and famine during mid-1990s) (2007)

Illicit drugs: for years from the 1970s into the 2000s citizens of the Democratic People's Republic of (North) Korea (DPRK) many of them diplomatic employees of the government were apprehended abroad while trafficking in narcotics including two in Turkey in December 2004; police investigations in Taiwan and Japan in recent years have linked North Korea to large illicit shipments of heroin and methamphetamine including an attempt by the North Korean merchant ship Pong Su to deliver 150 kg of heroin to Australia in April 2003