Because of its nuclear and missile tests, North Korea has been sanctioned under United Nations Security Council resolutions 1695 of July 2006, 1718 of October 2006, 1874 of June 2009, 2087 of January 2013, and 2397 in December 2017. The military faces some issues limiting its conventional capabilities, including obsolete equipment, insufficient fuel supplies and a shortage of digital command and control assets due to other countries being banned from selling weapons to it by the UN sanctions.
Pyongyang is the country's capital and largest city. In 1910, Korea was annexed by Imperial Japan.
For this reason, the people do not consider themselves as 'North Koreans' but as Koreans in the same divided country as their compatriots in the South and foreign visitors are discouraged from using the former term. == History == ===Founding=== After the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, Korea was occupied by Japan from 1910 to 1945.
In 1945, after the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II, Korea was divided into two zones along the 38th parallel, with the north occupied by the Soviet Union and the south occupied by the United States.
For this reason, the people do not consider themselves as 'North Koreans' but as Koreans in the same divided country as their compatriots in the South and foreign visitors are discouraged from using the former term. == History == ===Founding=== After the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, Korea was occupied by Japan from 1910 to 1945.
One of the guerrilla leaders was the communist Kim Il-sung, who later became the first leader of North Korea. After the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II in 1945, the Korean Peninsula was divided into two zones along the 38th parallel, with the northern half of the peninsula occupied by the Soviet Union and the southern half by the United States.
Soviet general Terentii Shtykov recommended the establishment of the Soviet Civil Authority in October 1945, and supported Kim Il-sung as chairman of the Provisional People's Committee for North Korea, established in February 1946.
Soviet general Terentii Shtykov recommended the establishment of the Soviet Civil Authority in October 1945, and supported Kim Il-sung as chairman of the Provisional People's Committee for North Korea, established in February 1946.
In September 1946, South Korean citizens rose up against the Allied Military Government.
Negotiations on reunification failed, and in 1948, separate governments were formed: the socialist DPRK in the north, and the capitalist First Republic of Korea in the south.
In 1948, North Korea adopted Democratic People's Republic of Korea (조선민주주의인민공화국, Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk; ) as its new legal name.
In April 1948, an uprising of the Jeju islanders was violently crushed.
The South declared its statehood in May 1948 and two months later the ardent anti-communist Syngman Rhee became its ruler.
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea was established in the North on 9 September 1948.
Shtykov served as the first Soviet ambassador, while Kim Il-sung became premier. Soviet forces withdrew from the North in 1948, and most American forces withdrew from the South in 1949.
Shtykov served as the first Soviet ambassador, while Kim Il-sung became premier. Soviet forces withdrew from the North in 1948, and most American forces withdrew from the South in 1949.
By 1957 industrial production reached 1949 levels.
The Korean War began in 1950, with an invasion by North Korea, and lasted to 1953.
The two successfully lobbied Joseph Stalin to support a quick war against the South, which culminated in the outbreak of the Korean War. ===Korean War=== The military of North Korea invaded the South on 25 June 1950, and swiftly overran most of the country.
The Korean War began in 1950, with an invasion by North Korea, and lasted to 1953.
Fighting ended on 27 July 1953, with an armistice that approximately restored the original boundaries between North and South Korea, but no peace treaty was signed.
In United States policymaking, North Korea was considered among the Captive Nations. Recovery from the war was slowed by a massive famine in 1954-55.
Juche was pronounced in December 1955 in a speech called On Eliminating Dogmatism and Formalism and Establishing Juche in Ideological Work in order to emphasize a Korea-centered revolution.
The talks ultimately failed because in 1973, South Korea declared its preference that the two Koreas should seek separate memberships in international organizations. During the 1956 August Faction Incident, Kim Il-sung successfully resisted efforts by the Soviet Union and China to depose him in favor of Soviet Koreans or the pro-Chinese Yan'an faction.
Some scholars believe that the 1956 August incident demonstrated independence.
By 1957 industrial production reached 1949 levels.
The last Chinese troops withdrew from the country in October 1958, which is the consensus as the latest date when North Korea became effectively independent.
In 1959, relations with Japan had improved somewhat, and North Korea began allowing the repatriation of Japanese citizens in the country.
Until the 1960s, economic growth was higher than in South Korea, and North Korean GDP per capita was equal to that of its southern neighbor as late as 1976.
In the 1960s and 1970s, it pursued an independent foreign policy, established relations with many developing countries, and joined the Non-Aligned Movement.
The North failed in several assassination attempts on South Korean leaders, such as in 1968, 1974, and the Rangoon bombing in 1983; tunnels were found under the DMZ and tensions flared over the axe murder incident at Panmunjom in 1976.
In the 1960s and 1970s, it pursued an independent foreign policy, established relations with many developing countries, and joined the Non-Aligned Movement.
The kidnapping of at least 13 Japanese citizens by North Korean agents in the 1970s and the 1980s has affected North Korea's relationship with Japan. US President Donald Trump met with Kim in Singapore on 12 June 2018.
In 1971, secret, high-level contacts began to be conducted culminating in the 1972 July 4th North–South Joint Statement that established principles of working toward peaceful reunification.
In 1971, secret, high-level contacts began to be conducted culminating in the 1972 July 4th North–South Joint Statement that established principles of working toward peaceful reunification.
Juche was introduced into the constitution in 1972. Juche was initially promoted as a "creative application" of Marxism–Leninism, but in the mid-1970s, it was described by state propaganda as "the only scientific thought...
In 1972, the two Koreas agreed in principle to achieve reunification through peaceful means and without foreign interference.
The talks ultimately failed because in 1973, South Korea declared its preference that the two Koreas should seek separate memberships in international organizations. During the 1956 August Faction Incident, Kim Il-sung successfully resisted efforts by the Soviet Union and China to depose him in favor of Soviet Koreans or the pro-Chinese Yan'an faction.
The State Security Department was separated from the MPS in 1973 to conduct domestic and foreign intelligence, counterintelligence and manage the political prison system.
The North failed in several assassination attempts on South Korean leaders, such as in 1968, 1974, and the Rangoon bombing in 1983; tunnels were found under the DMZ and tensions flared over the axe murder incident at Panmunjom in 1976.
The North failed in several assassination attempts on South Korean leaders, such as in 1968, 1974, and the Rangoon bombing in 1983; tunnels were found under the DMZ and tensions flared over the axe murder incident at Panmunjom in 1976.
Until the 1960s, economic growth was higher than in South Korea, and North Korean GDP per capita was equal to that of its southern neighbor as late as 1976.
The study of Russian and English was made compulsory in upper middle schools in 1978. === Language === North Korea shares the Korean language with South Korea, although some dialectal differences exist within both Koreas.
While visiting North Korea in 1979, journalist Bradley Martin wrote that nearly all music, art, and sculpture that he observed glorified "Great Leader" Kim Il-sung, whose personality cult was then being extended to his son, "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-il. Claims that the dynasty has been deified are contested by North Korea researcher B.
Juche eventually replaced Marxism–Leninism entirely by the 1980s, and in 1992 references to the latter were omitted from the constitution.
In the late 1980s and the 1990s its foreign policy was thrown into turmoil with the collapse of the Soviet bloc.
The kidnapping of at least 13 Japanese citizens by North Korean agents in the 1970s and the 1980s has affected North Korea's relationship with Japan. US President Donald Trump met with Kim in Singapore on 12 June 2018.
On 10 October 1980, then North Korean leader Kim Il-sung proposed a federation between North and South Korea named the Democratic Federal Republic of Korea in which the respective political systems would initially remain.
However, relations remained cool well until the early 1990s, with a brief period in the early 1980s when North Korea offered to provide flood relief to its southern neighbor.
The North failed in several assassination attempts on South Korean leaders, such as in 1968, 1974, and the Rangoon bombing in 1983; tunnels were found under the DMZ and tensions flared over the axe murder incident at Panmunjom in 1976.
North Korea continues to have strong ties with its socialist southeast Asian allies in Vietnam and Laos, as well as with Cambodia. North Korea was previously designated a state sponsor of terrorism because of its alleged involvement in the 1983 Rangoon bombing and the 1987 bombing of a South Korean airliner.
North Korea continues to have strong ties with its socialist southeast Asian allies in Vietnam and Laos, as well as with Cambodia. North Korea was previously designated a state sponsor of terrorism because of its alleged involvement in the 1983 Rangoon bombing and the 1987 bombing of a South Korean airliner.
In the late 1980s and the 1990s its foreign policy was thrown into turmoil with the collapse of the Soviet bloc.
However, relations remained cool well until the early 1990s, with a brief period in the early 1980s when North Korea offered to provide flood relief to its southern neighbor.
Nonetheless, in addition to being a member of the United Nations since 1991, North Korea is also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, G77 and the ASEAN Regional Forum. == Names == The name Korea is derived from the name Goryeo (also spelled Koryŏ).
At the same time, North Korea sought to build relations with developed free market countries. North Korea joined the United Nations in 1991 together with South Korea.
The country once boasted a comparatively developed healthcare system; pre-famine North Korea had a network of nearly 45,000 family practitioners with some 800 hospitals and 1,000 clinics. ===Post Cold War=== In 1992, as Kim Il-sung's health began deteriorating, Kim Jong-il slowly began taking over various state tasks.
Juche eventually replaced Marxism–Leninism entirely by the 1980s, and in 1992 references to the latter were omitted from the constitution.
From 1994 to 1998, North Korea suffered a famine that resulted in the deaths of between 240,000 and 420,000 people, and the population continues to suffer malnutrition. North Korea follows Songun, or "military first" policy, for its Korean People's Army.
Another famine in 1994-98 killed 2.8 million. Industry was the favored sector.
Kim Il-sung died of a heart attack in 1994, with Kim Jong-il declaring a three-year period of national mourning before officially announcing his position as the new leader afterwards. North Korea promised to halt its development of nuclear weapons under the Agreed Framework, negotiated with U.S.
president Bill Clinton and signed in 1994.
His grandfather Kim Il-sung, the founder and leader of North Korea until his death in 1994, is the country's "eternal President", while his father Kim Jong-il who succeeded Kim Il-sung as the leader was announced "Eternal General Secretary" and "Eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission" after his death in 2011. According to the Constitution of North Korea, there are officially three main branches of government.
It began in 1995, lasted for three years and resulted in the deaths of between 240,000 and 420,000 North Koreans. International donors led by the United States initiated shipments of food through the World Food Program in 1997 to combat the famine.
In 1996, the government accepted UN food aid. ===21st century=== The international environment changed with the election of U.S.
It began in 1995, lasted for three years and resulted in the deaths of between 240,000 and 420,000 North Koreans. International donors led by the United States initiated shipments of food through the World Food Program in 1997 to combat the famine.
From 1994 to 1998, North Korea suffered a famine that resulted in the deaths of between 240,000 and 420,000 people, and the population continues to suffer malnutrition. North Korea follows Songun, or "military first" policy, for its Korean People's Army.
Although the offer was initially welcomed, talks over how to deliver the relief goods broke down and none of the promised aid ever crossed the border. The two countries also organized a reunion of 92 separated families. The Sunshine Policy instituted by South Korean president Kim Dae-jung in 1998 was a watershed in inter-Korean relations.
Bush administration, the situation gradually improved: the number of malnourished children declined from 60% in 1998 to 37% in 2006 and 28% in 2013.
The culmination of the Sunshine Policy was the 2000 Inter-Korean summit, when Kim Dae-jung visited Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang.
Demographic experts in the 20th century estimated that the population would grow to 25.5 million by 2000 and 28 million by 2010, but this increase never occurred due to the North Korean famine.
Children’s health and nutrition is significantly better on a number of indicators than in many other Asian countries. The famine had a significant impact on the population growth rate, which declined to 0.9% annually in 2002.
According to a United Nations Environmental Programme report in 2003, forest covers over 70 percent of the country, mostly on steep slopes.
Delivery capabilities are provided by the Rocket Force, which has some 1,000 ballistic missiles with a range of up to . According to a 2004 South Korean assessment, North Korea possesses a stockpile of chemical weapons estimated to amount to 2,500–5,000 tons, including nerve, blister, blood, and vomiting agents, as well as the ability to cultivate and produce biological weapons including anthrax, smallpox, and cholera.
On 9 October 2006, North Korea announced it had conducted its first nuclear weapons test. U.S.
Because of its nuclear and missile tests, North Korea has been sanctioned under United Nations Security Council resolutions 1695 of July 2006, 1718 of October 2006, 1874 of June 2009, 2087 of January 2013, and 2397 in December 2017. The military faces some issues limiting its conventional capabilities, including obsolete equipment, insufficient fuel supplies and a shortage of digital command and control assets due to other countries being banned from selling weapons to it by the UN sanctions.
Bush administration, the situation gradually improved: the number of malnourished children declined from 60% in 1998 to 37% in 2006 and 28% in 2013.
On 4 October 2007, South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Jong-il signed an eight-point peace agreement. However, relations worsened when South Korean president Lee Myung-bak adopted a more hard-line approach and suspended aid deliveries pending the de-nuclearization of the North.
Only one out of ten leading causes of overall deaths in North Korea is attributed to communicable diseases (lower respiratory infection), a disease which is reported to have declined by six percent since 2007. In 2013, cardiovascular disease as a single disease group was reported as the largest cause of death in North Korea.
On 11 October 2008, the United States removed North Korea from its list of states that sponsor terrorism after Pyongyang agreed to cooperate on issues related to its nuclear program.
Every individual has a lifetime health card which contains a full medical record. === Education === The 2008 census listed the entire population as literate.
The 2009 constitution dropped references to communism and elevated the Songun military-first policy while explicitly confirming the position of Kim Jong-il.
In 2009, North Korea responded by ending all of its previous agreements with the South.
Because of its nuclear and missile tests, North Korea has been sanctioned under United Nations Security Council resolutions 1695 of July 2006, 1718 of October 2006, 1874 of June 2009, 2087 of January 2013, and 2397 in December 2017. The military faces some issues limiting its conventional capabilities, including obsolete equipment, insufficient fuel supplies and a shortage of digital command and control assets due to other countries being banned from selling weapons to it by the UN sanctions.
Tensions with South Korea and the United States increased in 2010 with the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan and North Korea's shelling of Yeonpyeong Island. On 17 December 2011, Kim Jong-il died from a heart attack.
According to official North Korean media, military expenditures for 2010 amount to 15.8 percent of the state budget.
Demographic experts in the 20th century estimated that the population would grow to 25.5 million by 2000 and 28 million by 2010, but this increase never occurred due to the North Korean famine.
Tensions with South Korea and the United States increased in 2010 with the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan and North Korea's shelling of Yeonpyeong Island. On 17 December 2011, Kim Jong-il died from a heart attack.
His grandfather Kim Il-sung, the founder and leader of North Korea until his death in 1994, is the country's "eternal President", while his father Kim Jong-il who succeeded Kim Il-sung as the leader was announced "Eternal General Secretary" and "Eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission" after his death in 2011. According to the Constitution of North Korea, there are officially three main branches of government.
In 2013, this lineage was made explicit when Clause 2 of Article 10 of the newly edited Ten Fundamental Principles of the Korean Workers' Party stated that the party and revolution must be carried "eternally" by the "Mount Paektu Bloodline". According to New Focus International, the cult of personality, particularly surrounding Kim Il-sung, has been crucial for legitimizing the family's hereditary succession.
Because of its nuclear and missile tests, North Korea has been sanctioned under United Nations Security Council resolutions 1695 of July 2006, 1718 of October 2006, 1874 of June 2009, 2087 of January 2013, and 2397 in December 2017. The military faces some issues limiting its conventional capabilities, including obsolete equipment, insufficient fuel supplies and a shortage of digital command and control assets due to other countries being banned from selling weapons to it by the UN sanctions.
Bush administration, the situation gradually improved: the number of malnourished children declined from 60% in 1998 to 37% in 2006 and 28% in 2013.
Domestic food production almost recovered to the recommended annual level of 5.37 million tons of cereal equivalent in 2013, but the World Food Program reported a continuing lack of dietary diversity and access to fats and proteins.
Only one out of ten leading causes of overall deaths in North Korea is attributed to communicable diseases (lower respiratory infection), a disease which is reported to have declined by six percent since 2007. In 2013, cardiovascular disease as a single disease group was reported as the largest cause of death in North Korea.
A 2014 inquiry by the United Nations into abuses of [rights in North Korea] concluded that, "the gravity, scale and nature of these violations reveal a state that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world," with Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch holding similar views.
A 2014 UN inquiry into [rights in North Korea] concluded that, "The gravity, scale and nature of these violations reveal a state that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world".
In a 2014 report to the UN, North Korea dismissed accusations of atrocities as "wild rumors".
It was 0.5% in 2014.
In 2015, North Korea was estimated as having 6,000 sophisticated computer security personnel.
80% of the population had access to improved sanitation facilities in 2015. North Korea has the highest number of doctors per capita amongst low-income countries, with 3.7 physicians per 1,000 people, a figure which is also significantly higher than that of South Korea, according to WHO's data. Conflicting reports between Amnesty and WHO have emerged where the Amnesty report claimed that North Korea had an inadequate health care system.
According to its 2016 constitution, it is a self-described revolutionary and socialist state "guided in its activities by the Juche idea and the Songun idea".
In the face of international condemnation, North Korea continued to develop its nuclear arsenal, possibly including a [bomb] and a missile capable of reaching the United States. Throughout 2017, following Donald Trump's assumption of the US presidency, tensions between the United States and North Korea increased, and there was heightened rhetoric between the two, with Trump threatening "fire and fury" and North Korea threatening to test missiles that would land near Guam.
As of September 2017, France and Estonia are the last two European countries that do not have an official relationship with North Korea.
under the Trump administration on 20 November 2017.
An agreement was signed between the two countries endorsing the 2017 Panmunjom Declaration signed by North and South Korea, pledging to work towards denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.
The next few years witnessed a string of hostilities, including the alleged North Korean involvement in the sinking of South Korean warship Cheonan, mutual ending of diplomatic ties, a North Korean artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island, and growing international concern over North Korea's nuclear program. In May 2017, Moon Jae-in was elected President of South Korea with a promise to return to the Sunshine Policy.
Because of its nuclear and missile tests, North Korea has been sanctioned under United Nations Security Council resolutions 1695 of July 2006, 1718 of October 2006, 1874 of June 2009, 2087 of January 2013, and 2397 in December 2017. The military faces some issues limiting its conventional capabilities, including obsolete equipment, insufficient fuel supplies and a shortage of digital command and control assets due to other countries being banned from selling weapons to it by the UN sanctions.
The tensions substantially decreased in 2018, and a détente developed.
The kidnapping of at least 13 Japanese citizens by North Korean agents in the 1970s and the 1980s has affected North Korea's relationship with Japan. US President Donald Trump met with Kim in Singapore on 12 June 2018.
In February 2018, a détente developed at the Winter Olympics held in South Korea.
In January 2018, estimates of North Korea's nuclear arsenal ranged between 15 and 60 bombs, probably including [bombs].
North Korea had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 8.02/10, ranking it 28th globally out of 172 countries.
Supreme People's Assembly sessions are convened by the SPA Presidium, whose Chairman (Choe Ryong-hae since 2019) represents the state in relations with foreign countries.
However, the relations have started to improve again and been increasingly close especially after Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party visited North Korea in April 2019. , North Korea had diplomatic relations with 166 countries and embassies in 47 countries.
They met in Hanoi from 27 to 28 February 2019, but failed to achieve an agreement.
On 30 June 2019, Trump met with Kim along with Moon Jae-in at the Korean DMZ. ===Inter-Korean relations=== The Korean Demilitarized Zone with South Korea remains the most heavily fortified border in the world.
Marriage is virtually universal and divorce is extremely rare. === Health === North Korea has a life expectancy of 72.3 years in 2019, according to HDR 2020.
It is unknown whether it has ever criticized or amended bills placed before it, and the elections are based around a single list of WPK-approved candidates who stand without opposition. Executive power is vested in the Cabinet of North Korea, which has been headed by Premier Kim Dok-hun since 14 August 2020.
Marriage is virtually universal and divorce is extremely rare. === Health === North Korea has a life expectancy of 72.3 years in 2019, according to HDR 2020.
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