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 beginning 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 control. 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 outside 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 Il Sung'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. In 2009 KIM Jong Il began the process of preparing the way for his youngest son KIM Jong Un to succeed him in power. After decades of economic mismanagement and resource misallocation the DPRK since the mid-1990s has relied heavily on international aid to feed its population. North Korea's history of regional military provocations proliferation of military-related items long-range missile development WMD programs including tests of nuclear devices in 2006 and 2009 and massive conventional armed forces are of major concern to the international community. The regime has marked 2012 the centenary of KIM Il Sung's birth a banner year; to that end the country has heightened its focus on developing its economy and i


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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: 120,538 km²
Rank: 99
Land: 120,408 km²
Water: 130 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Mississippi

Land boundaries
Total: 1671.5 km
Border countries: (3) China 1416 km; South Korea 238 km; Russia 17.5 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 (2008)

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
Volcanism: Changbaishan (elev. 2,744 m) (also known as Baitoushan Baegdu or P'aektu-san) on the Chinese border is considered historically active

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


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Population: 24,457,492 (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 48
Growth rate: 0.538% (2011 est.)
Growth rate rank: 149
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Korean
Adjective: Korean

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

Languages: Korean

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

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 22.4%
15-64 years: 68.6% (male 8,345,737/female 8,423,482)
65 years and over: 9.1% (male 738,693/female 1,483,196) (2011 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 32.9 years
Male: 31.2 years
Female: 34.6 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.538% (2011 est.)
Rank: 149

Birth rate: 14.51 births/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 140

Death rate: 9.08 deaths/1000 population (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 68

Net migration rate: -0.04 migrant(s)/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 117

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 60% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.6% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

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 Desertification Environmental Modification Hazardous Wastes Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.047 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 27.11 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 76
Male: 30.04 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 24.05 deaths/1000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 68.89 years
Rank: 149
Male: 65.03 years
Female: 72.93 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.02 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Rank: 126

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 3.29 physicians/1000 population (2003)
Rank: 32

Hospital bed density: 13.2 beds/1000 population (2002)
Rank: 2

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: 20.6% (2004)
Rank: 33

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99%
Male: 99%
Female: 99% (1991 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education: NA

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: 9 provinces (do singular and plural) and 2 municipalities (si singular and plural)
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: Nason-si 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; revised several times most recently in 2009

Legal system: civil law system based on the Prussian model; system influenced by Japanese traditions and Communist legal theory

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship

Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: KIM Jong Un [heir apparent} ; note - the rubberstamp Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) reelected KIM Yong Nam in 2009 president of its Presidium also with responsibility of representing state and receiving diplomatic credentials
Head of government: Premier CHOE Yong Rim (since 7 June 2010); Vice Premier HAN Kwang Bok (since 7 June 2010) Vice Premier JO Pyong Ju (since 7 June 2010) Vice Premier JON Ha Chol (since 7 June 2010) Vice Premier KANG Nung Su (since 7 June 2010) Vice Premier KIM Rak Hui (since 7 June 2010) Vice Premier PAK Su Gil (since 18 September 2009) Vice Premier RI Mu Yong (since 31 May 2011); Vice Premier RO Tu Chol (since 3 September 2003)
Cabinet: Naegak (cabinet) members except for Minister of People's Armed Forces are appointed by SPA
Elections: last election held in September 2003; date of next election NA
Election results: KIM Jong Il and KIM Yong Nam were only nominees for positions and ran unopposed

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 on 8 March 2009 (next to be held in March 2014)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; ruling party approves a list of candidates who are elected without opposition; a token number of seats are reserved for 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; the broad red band symbolizes revolutionary traditions; the narrow white bands stands for purity strength and dignity; the blue bands signify sovereignty peace and friendship; the red star represents socialism

National symbols: red star

National anthem
Name: 'Aegukka'
Lyricsmusic: PAK Se Yong/KIM Won Gyun
Note: adopted 1947; both North Korea and South Korea's anthems share the same name and have a vaguely similar melody but have different lyrics; the North Korean anthem is also known as 'Ach'imun pinnara' (Let Morning Shine)

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 shortages of spare parts and poor maintenance. Large-scale military spending draws off resources needed for investment and civilian consumption. Industrial and power output have stagnated for years at a fraction of pre-1990 levels. Frequent weather-related crop failures aggravated chronic food shortages caused by on-going systemic problems including a lack of arable land: collective farming practices poor soil quality insufficient fertilization and persistent shortages of tractors and fuel. 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. Since 2002 the government has allowed private 'farmers' markets' 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. In mid-2008 North Korea began receiving food aid under a US program to deliver 500,000 metric tons of food via the World Food Program and US nongovernmental organizations; but Pyongyang stopped accepting the aid in March 2009. In December 2009 North Korea carried out a redenomination of its currency capping the amount of North Korean won that could be exchanged for the new notes and limiting the exchange to a one-week window. A concurrent crackdown on markets and foreign currency use yielded severe shortages and inflation forcing Pyongyang to ease the restrictions by February 2010. In response to the sinking of the South Korean destroyer Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyong Island South Korea's government cut off most aid trade and bilateral cooperation activities with the exception of operations at the Kaesong Industrial Complex. The year 2012 will be the 100th anniversary of Kim Il-sung's birthday. The North Korean government often highlights its 2012 goal of becoming a 'strong and prosperous' nation. Attracting foreign investment especially from neighboring China will be a key factor for improving the overall standard of living. Nevertheless firm political control remains the government's overriding concern which likely will inhibit changes to North Korea's current economic system.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: North Korea does not publish reliable National Income Accounts data; the data shown here are 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 2009 using estimated real growth rates for North Korea's GDP and an inflation factor based on the US GDP deflator; the results were rounded to the nearest $10 billion.
Rank: 99
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars;

Real gdp growth rate: 3.7% (2008 est.)
Rank: 196

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 194
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 20.7%
Industry: 47.8%
Services: 31.5% (2010 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: 12.2 million
Rank: 41
Note: estimates vary widely (2009 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 35%
By occupation industry and services: 65% (2008 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

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

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $3.2 billion
Expenditures: $3.3 billion (2007 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -0.4% of GDP (2007 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 51

Taxes and other revenues: 11.4% of GDP
Rank: 201
Note: excludes earnings from state operated enterprises (2007 est.)

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: $2.062 billion (2008)
Rank: 135
Commodities: minerals metallurgical products manufactures (including armaments) textiles agricultural and fishery products
Partners: China 50.3% Brazil 5.7% Lebanon 4.7% Dominican Republic 4.2% Netherlands 4.1% (2010)

Imports: $3.574 billion (2008)
Rank: 138
Commodities: petroleum coking coal machinery and equipment textiles grain
Partners: China 40.6% Algeria 34.2% India 8.9% (2010)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $12.5 billion (2001 est.)
Rank: 89

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $1.475 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 90

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 22.52 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Production rank: 68
Consumption: 18.85 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 69
Exports: 0 kWh (2009 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2009 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Production rank: 200
Consumption: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 193
Exports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Exports rank: 124
Imports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Imports rank: 140
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2011 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 152

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.18 million (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 71
Mobile cellular: 431,900 (2010)
Mobile cellular rank: 167

Telephone system
General assessment: adequate system; nationwide fiber-optic network; mobile-cellular service expanding beyond Pyongyang
Domestic: fiber-optic links installed down to the county level; telephone directories unavailable; GSM mobile-cellular service initiated in 2002 but suspended in 2004; Orascom Telecom Holding an Egyptian company launched W-CDMA mobile service on December 15 2008 for the Pyongyang area and has expanded service to several large cities
International: country code - 850; satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat - Indian Ocean 1 Russian - Indian Ocean region); other international connections through Moscow and Beijing (2009)

Broadcast media: no independent media; radios and televisions are pre-tuned to government stations; 4 government-owned television stations; the Korean Workers' Party owns and operates the Korean Central Broadcasting Station and the state-run Voice of Korea operates an external broadcast service; the government prohibits listening to and jams foreign broadcasts (2008)

Internet
Country code: .kp
Hosts: 3 (2010)
Hosts rank: 230

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: 79 (2010)
Rank: 70
With paved runways total: 37
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 23
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 7
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 4 (2010)
With unpaved runways total: 42
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 18
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 14
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 8 (2010)

Heliports: 22 (2010)

Pipelines: oil 154 km (2010)

Railways
Total: 5,242 km
Rank: 33
Standard gauge: 5,242 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) (2009)

Roadways
Total: 25,554 km
Rank: 104
Paved: 724 km
Unpaved: 24,830 km (2006)

Waterways: 2,250 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2010)
Rank: 38

Merchant marine
Total: 158
Rank: 42
By type: bulk carrier 8 cargo 129 carrier 1 container 3 passenger/cargo 1 petroleum tanker 11 refrigerated cargo 3 roll on/roll off 2
Foreign owned: 19 (Belgium 1 China 1 Nigeria 1 Romania 1 Singapore 2 South Korea 1 Syria 6 UAE 6)
Registered in other countries: 5 (Mongolia 1 Sierra Leone 1 unknown 3) (2010)

Ports and terminals: Ch'ongjin Haeju Hungnam (Hamhung) Namp'o Senbong Songnim Sonbong (formerly Unggi) 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 (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