2007 Edition

Administrative divisions

9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4 municipalities (si, singular and plural)

municipalites

Kaesong-si (Kaesong), Najin Sonbong-si (Najin), Namp'o-si (Namp'o), P'yongyang-si (Pyongyang)

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)

Age structure

0-14 years: 23.8% (male 2,788,944/female 2,708,331) 15-64 years: 68% (male 7,762,442/female 7,955,522) 65 years and over: 8.2% (male 667,792/female 1,229,988) (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs

Airports

77 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 22 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 1

total

36

under 914 m

3 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

41 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 914 to 1,523 m: 13

under 914 m

7 (2006)

Area

land

120,410 sq km

total

120,540 sq km

water

130 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Mississippi

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-so'ng, 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 1 million. North Korea's 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." Since August 2003, North Korea has participated in the Six-Party Talks with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the US designed to resolve the stalemate over its nuclear programs. The fourth round of Six-Party Talks were held in Beijing during July-September 2005. All parties agreed to a Joint Statement of Principles in which, among other things, the six parties unanimously reaffirmed the goal of verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner. In the Joint Statement, the DPRK committed to "abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and returning, at an early date, to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to IAEA safeguards." The Joint Statement also commits the US and other parties to certain actions as the DPRK denuclearizes. The US offered a security assurance, specifying that it had no nuclear weapons on ROK territory and no intention to attack or invade the DPRK with nuclear or other weapons. The US and DPRK will take steps to normalize relations, subject to the DPRK's implementing its denuclearization pledge and resolving other longstanding concerns. While the Joint Statement provides a vision of the end-point of the Six-Party process, much work lies ahead to implement the elements of the agreement. Geography Korea, North

Birth rate

15.54 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$NA

revenues

$NA

Capital

geographic coordinates

39 01 N, 125 45 E

name

Pyongyang

time difference

UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Climate

temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer

Coastline

2,495 km

Constitution

adopted 1948; completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992, and September 1998

Country name

abbreviation

DPRK

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

Currency (code)

North Korean won (KPW)

Currency code

KPW

Death rate

7.13 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$12 billion (1996 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

none; note - Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang represents the US as consular protecting power

Diplomatic representation in the US

none; North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York

Disputes - international

China seeks to stem illegal migration of tens of thousands of North Koreans escaping famine, economic privation, and political oppression; North Korea and China dispute the sovereignty of certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers and a section of boundary around Paektu-san (mountain) is indefinite; Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic maritime disputes with South over the Northern Limit Line; North Korea supports South Korea in rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima)

Economic aid - recipient

$NA; note - approximately 350,000 metric tons in food aid, worth approximately $118 million, through the World Food Program appeal in 2004, plus additional aid from bilateral donors and non-governmental organizations

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 shortages of spare parts. Industrial and power output have declined in parallel. Due in part to severe summer flooding followed by dry weather conditions in the fall of 2006, the nation has suffered its 12th year of food shortages because of on-going systemic problems, including a lack of arable land, collective farming practices, and chronic shortages of tractors and fuel. Massive international food aid deliveries have allowed the people of North Korea to escape mass starvation since famine threatened in 1995, but the population continues to suffer from prolonged malnutrition and poor living conditions. Large-scale military spending eats up resources needed for investment and civilian consumption. In 2004, the regime 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 regime reversed some of these policies by forbidding private sales of grains and reinstituting a centralized food rationing system. By December 2005, the regime terminated most international humanitarian assistance operations in the DPRK (calling instead for developmental assistance only) and restricted the activities of remaining international and non-governmental aid organizations such as the World Food Program. Firm political control remains the Communist government's overriding concern, which will likely inhibit the loosening of economic regulations.

Electricity - consumption

20.19 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - production

21.71 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

29%

hydro

71%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Paektu-san 2,744 m

lowest point

Sea of Japan 0 m

Environment - current issues

water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterborne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation

Environment - international agreements

party to

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified

Law of the Sea

Ethnic groups

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

Exchange rates

official

North Korean won per US dollar - 141 (2006), 170 (December 2004), 150 (December 2002), 2.15 (December 2001); market: North Korean won per US dollar - 2,500-3,000 (December 2006)

Executive branch

cabinet

Naegak (cabinet) members, except for Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by SPA

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; SPA appointed PAK Pong Ju premier

election results

KIM Jong Il and KIM Yong Nam were only nominees for positions and ran unopposed

elections

last held in September 2003 (next to be held in September 2008)

head of government

Premier PAK Pong Ju (since 3 September 2003); Vice Premiers KWAK Pom Gi (since 5 September 1998), JON Sung Hun (since 3 September 2003), RO Tu Chol (since 3 September 2003)

Exports

$1.4 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities

minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments), textiles, fishery products

Exports - partners

China 35%, South Korea 24%, Thailand 9%, Japan 9% (2005)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Korea, North

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

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

30%

industry

34%

services

36% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,800 (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

1% (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

NA

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$40 billion

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 2005 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 (2006 est.)

Geographic coordinates

40 00 N, 127 00 E

Geography - note

strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated People Korea, North

Government type

Communist state one-man dictatorship

Heliports

22 (2006)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA%

lowest 10%

NA%

IDPs

50,000-250,000 (government repression and famine) (2006)

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 This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

Imports

$2.6 billion c.i.f. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities

petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment, textiles, grain

Imports - partners

China 42%, South Korea 28%, Russia 9%, Thailand 8% (2005)

Independence

15 August 1945 (from Japan)

Industrial production growth rate

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

Infant mortality rate

female

21.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

male

24.97 deaths/1,000 live births

total

23.29 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

International organization participation

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

Internet country code

.kp

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet users

NA Transportation Korea, North

Irrigated land

14,600 sq km (2003)

Judicial branch

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

Labor force

9.6 million

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

36%

industry and services

64%

Land boundaries

border countries

China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km

total

1,673 km

Land use

arable land

22.4%

other

75.94% (2005)

permanent crops

1.66%

Languages

Korean

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

Legislative branch

unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

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

elections

last held 3 August 2003 (next to be held in August 2008)

Life expectancy at birth

female

74.51 years (2006 est.)

male

68.92 years

total population

71.65 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

99% Government Korea, North

male

99%

total population

99%

Location

Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea

Manpower available for military service

females age 17-49

5,850,733 (2005 est.)

males age 17-49

5,851,801

Manpower fit for military service

females age 17-49

4,853,270 (2005 est.)

males age 17-49

4,810,831

Manpower reaching military service age annually

females age 17-49

187,846 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

194,605

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

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

territorial sea

12 nm

Median age

female

33.4 years (2006 est.)

male

30.7 years

total

32 years

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 14, cargo 176, chemical tanker 1, container 4, livestock carrier 3, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 8, vehicle carrier 1

foreign-owned

60 (British Virgin Islands 1, China 1, Denmark 1, Egypt 2, Greece 1, India 1, Lebanon 6, Lithuania 1, Marshall Islands 1, Pakistan 3, Romania 11, Russia 1, Singapore 1, Syria 14, Turkey 4, UAE 6, US 3, Yemen 2)

registered in other countries

5 (Belize 2, Mongolia 3) (2006)

total

232 ships (1000 GRT or over) 983,182 GRT/1,370,104 DWT

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$5,217.4 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA Transnational Issues Korea, North

Military service age and obligation

17 years of age (2004)

National holiday

Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948)

Nationality

adjective

Korean

noun

Korean(s)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

North Korean People's Army

Ground Force, Navy, Air Force; civil security forces (2005)

Oil - consumption

25,000 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports

22,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - production

138.5 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Pipelines

oil 154 km (2006)

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)

Political pressure groups and leaders

none

Population

23,113,019 (July 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

0.84% (2006 est.)

Ports and terminals

Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin, Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan Military Korea, North

Radio broadcast stations

AM 17 (including 11 stations of Korean Central Broadcasting Station; North Korea has a "national intercom" cable radio station wired throughout the country that is a significant source of information for the average North Korean citizen; it is wired into most residences and workplaces and carries news and commentary), FM 14, shortwave 14 (2006)

Radios

3.36 million (1997)

Railways

standard gauge

5,214 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) (2005)

total

5,214 km

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

Roadways

paved

1,997 km

total

31,200 km

unpaved

29,203 km (1999 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

under 15 years

1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.54 male(s)/female

Suffrage

17 years of age; universal

Telephone system

domestic

NA

general assessment

NA

international

country code - 850; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Russian (Indian Ocean region); other international connections through Moscow and Beijing

Telephones - main lines in use

980,000 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular

NA

Television broadcast stations

4 (includes Korean Central Television, Mansudae Television, Korean Educational and Cultural Network, and Kaesong Television targeting South Korea) (2003)

Televisions

1.2 million (1997)

Terrain

mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east

Total fertility rate

2.1 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Trafficking in persons

current situation

North Korea is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; North Korea's own system of political repression includes forced labor in a network of prison camps where an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 persons are incarcerated; the illegal status of North Koreans in China and other countries increases their vulnerability to trafficking schemes and sexual and physical abuse; North Koreans forcibly returned from China may be subject to hard labor in prison camps operated by the government

tier rating

Tier 3 - North Korea does not fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so

Unemployment rate

NA%

Waterways

2,250 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2006)