North Korea, officially Korean Joson Minju Juui Inmin Konghwaku k [t ʃ os ʌ n mind ʒ ud ʒ ui -], German Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, state in East Asia with (2018) 25.5 million residents; The capital is Pyongyang.
North Korea, officially the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, is a socialist republic in East Asia with the four million metropolis Pyongyang as its capital. Korea has been divided since 1948, after the end of the Korean War by a strongly fortified line of demarcation between the north and the Republic of Korea (South Korea), which runs roughly along the 38th parallel.
Four fifths of North Korean territory is taken up by mountainous land, which merges into coastal plains and valleys in the southwest to the Yellow Sea. This is where the settlement focus and the most important arable farming region are located. The mountains drop steeply towards the Sea of Japan in the east. The cool, temperate climate has severe and dry winters and short, hot and humid summers. The population consists almost exclusively of Koreans, two-thirds of whom are non-denominational.
The socialist planned economy has been expanded to include market economy elements since 2012, especially in the agricultural sector. The aim is to improve the supply. Because part of the population is malnourished. The extraction of abundant raw material deposits, including coal and metal ores, is stagnating. Lack of energy and obsolete equipment hinder the development of the industry. North Korea’s most important trading partner is China.
North Korea is a dictatorship. Since the partition of Korea in 1948, father, son and grandson of the Kim family have been at the head of the state, and since 2011 Kim Jong Un . State and society are geared towards him as “Supreme Leader”. The North Korean leadership is committed to the principles of the Juche ideology. The ideology designed by Kim Il Sung emphasizes the political independence, military strength and economic self-sufficiency of North Korea. The personality cult around the Kim family and nationalist propaganda determine cultural life. People are very much involved in collectives everywhere.
The country, which is largely isolated in terms of foreign policy, has provoked conflicts since the 1990s through the development and testing of medium-range and long-range missiles and nuclear weapons. This resulted in international sanctions. Summit meetings between Kim Jong Un and US President D. Trump and the President of South Korea in 2018/19 briefly led to political relaxation.
Country facts
- Official name: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
- License plate: KP
- ISO-3166: KP, PRK (408)
- Internet domain:.kp
- Currency: 1 won = 100 chon
- Area: 120 540 km²
- Population (2018): 25.5 million
- Capital: Pyongyang
- Official language (s): Korean
- Form of government: People’s Republic
- Administrative division: 9 provinces, 3 special regions, capital
- Head of State: Choe Ryong Hae (protocol)
- Religion (s): Confucians, followers of shamanism
- Time zone: Central European Time +7 hours
- National holiday: September 9th
Location and infrastructure
- Location (geographical): East Asia
- Position (coordinates): between 38 ° and 43 ° north latitude and 124 ° and 131 ° east longitude
- Climate: Cool, moderate, dry winter climate
- Highest mountain: Paektusan (2744 m)
- Road network (2006): 724 km (paved), 24 830 km (unpaved)
- Railway network (2014): 7,435 km
Population
- Annual population growth (2018): 0.5%
- Birth rate (2018): 14.6 per 1000 residents.
- Death rate (2018): 9.3 per 1000 residents.
- Average age (2018): 34.2 years
- Average life expectancy (2018): 71 years (men 67.2; women 75)
- Age structure (2018): 20.6% younger than 15 years, 9.5% older than 65 years
- Literacy rate (15 year olds and older) (2015): 100%
- Mobile phone contracts (pre-paid and post-paid) (2017): 15 per 100 residents
- Internet user: n / a
Economy
- GDP per capita: n / a
- Total GDP: n / a
- GNI per capita: n / a
- Education expenditure: n / a
- Military expenditure: n / a
- Unemployment rate (15 years and older) (2017): 4.8%
Hamhung
According to bridgat, Hamhung, is the capital of Hamgyŏngnam-do Province, North Korea, (2008) 703,600 residents.
Schools of veterinary medicine and chemistry; Iron and steel, chemical, textile and food industry, machine and vehicle construction; Airfield.
Ch’ŏngjin
Ch’ŏngjin [t ʃ h ʌ ŋ d ʒ in], city and district with special status in Hamgyŏngbuk-do Province, North Korea, (2008) 614,900 residents.
Seaport, important iron and steel combine, mechanical engineering and textile industry; Railway connection with the Chinese province of Jilin, airfield.
Sinŭiju
Sinŭiju [ ʃ inuid ʒ u], city in North Korea, on the lower Yalu near its confluence with the Yellow Sea, (2008) 334,000 residents.
Mechanical engineering and textile industry; Combined rail and road bridge over the Yalu to the Chinese city of Dandong. In 2002 a special economic zone was established.
Wŏnsan
Wonsan [w ʌ nsan], Japanese Gensan, capital of the province of Kangwon Province in North Korea, on the Sea of Japan (2008) 328 500 residents.
Shipbuilding and mechanical engineering, railway workshops, chemical industry; important seaport.
Opened as a second port (after Busan) to Japanese traders by the Treaty of Kanghwa in 1876. Completely destroyed in the Korean War 1950–53, rebuilt.
