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. In December 2002 North Korea repudiated a 1994 agreement that shut down its nuclear reactors and expelled UN monitors further raising fears it would produce nuclear weapons.

Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N 127 00 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: 120,540 km²
Water: 130 km²
Land: 120,410 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: 14.12%
Permanent crops: 2.49%
Other: 83.39% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 14,600 km² (1998 est.)

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

Population: 22,224,195 (July 2002 est.)
Growth rate: 1.1% (2002 est.)
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
Note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom

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/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 6.96 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2002 est.)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male/female
65 years and over: 0.49 male/female
Total population: 0.95 male/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 22.8 deaths/1000 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.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA%
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write Korean
Total population: 99%
Male: 99%
Female: 99% (1990 est.)

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: Pyongyang

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* (Pyongyang 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
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]

International organization participation: ARF (dialogue partner) ESCAP FAO 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
From the us: none (Swedish Embassy in P'yongyang 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 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 ninth 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. Recently the regime has 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. In 2002 heightened political tensions with key donor countries and general donor fatigue have held down the flow of desperately needed food aid and threaten fuel aid as well.

Real gdp growth rate: 1% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1000 (2002 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 30%
Industry: 32%
Services: 37% (2000 est.)

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

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%

Labor force: 9.6 million
By occupation agricultural: 36% nonagricultural 64%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Budget
Revenues: $NA
Expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: NA%

Exports: $826 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Commodities: minerals metallurgical products manufactures (including armaments); textiles and fishery products
Partners: Japan 36.3% South Korea 21.5% China 5.2% (2000)

Imports: $1.874 billion c.i.f. (2001 est.)
Commodities: petroleum coking coal machinery and equipment; textiles grain
Partners: China 26.7% South Korea 16.2% Japan 12.3% (2000)

Debt external: $12 billion (1996 est.)

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)

Electricity
Production: 33.4 billion kWh (2000)
Production by source fossil fuel: 33%
Production by source hydro: 67%
Production by source other: 0% (2000)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 31.062 billion kWh (2000)
Exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.1 million (1997)
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

Internet
Country code: .kp
Service providers isps: 1 (2000)
Users: NA

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $5,124 million (FY01)
Percent of gdp: 31.3% (FY01)

Airports: 87 (2001)
With paved runways total: 39
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 26
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 8
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2002)
With unpaved runways total: 48
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 24
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 13
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 8 (2002)

Pipelines: crude oil 37 km; petroleum product 180 km

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)

Waterways
Note: mostly navigable by small craft only

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

Disputes international: 33-km section of boundary with China in the Paektu-san (mountain) area is indefinite; Demarcation Line with South Korea