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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (often referred to colloquially in the english-speaking world as North Korea) is an East Asian country situated on the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital is Pyongyang. Its northern border is shared predominantly with the People's Republic of China. Russia shares an 18.3 km (11.4-mile) border along the Tumen River in the far northeast corner of the country. To the south, it is bordered by South Korea, with which it formed one territorial unit known as Korea until 1945, when the country was divided into two separate states following World War II.
History
Politics and government
Foreign relations The foreign relations of the DPRK with the United States are often regarded as relatively tense and unpredictable. Since the cease fire of the Korean War in 1953, the North Korean government has been at odds with the United States, Japan and South Korea, with which it is still technically at war. Since 2000 its relations with the US have greatly deteriorated, and it was called a part of the "axis of evil" and an "outpost of tyranny" by US President George W. Bush stating "States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger. They could provide these arms to terrorists, giving them the means to match their hatred. They could attack our allies or attempt to blackmail the United States. In any of these cases, the price of indifference would be catastrophic." North Korea does not have diplomatic relations with the US at present, and the United States maintains economic sanctions against the DPRK under the Trading with the Enemy Act. North Korea has maintained close relations with the People's Republic of China and Russia, but the fall of communism in eastern Europe in 1989 and the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 resulted in a significant drop in communist aid to North Korea from Russia, although China continues to provide substantial assistance. Although still technically at war, both the North and South Korean government proclaim that they are seeking eventual reunification as a goal, however there is still significant hostility between the citizens of both North and South Korea. North Korea's policy is to seek reunification without what it sees as outside interference, through a federal structure retaining each side's leadership and systems. Both North and South Korea signed the June 15th North-South Joint Declaration in which both sides made promises to seek out a peaceful reunification. * The DPRK continues to have strong ties with its socialist Asian allies in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. * Due to its political ties with the U.S. and the U.K. , Australia sometimes has a tense relationship with the DPRK, and the media occasionally reports on the ability of North Korea's missiles to reach mainland Australia. Despite this, relations are otherwise allegedly good and where applicable, travel in and out of the DPRK by Australian subjects is reportedly not difficult. North Korea is a member of several multilateral organizations. It became a member of the United Nations in September 1991. North Korea also belongs to the Food and Agriculture Organization; the International Civil Aviation Organization; the International Postal Union; the UN Conference on Trade and Development; the ITU; the UN Development Programme; the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization; the World Health Organization; the World Intellectual Property Organization; the World Meteorological Organization; the International Maritime Organization; the International Committee of the Red Cross; and the Nonaligned Movement. The highest level contact with the American government was Madeleine Albright's 2000 visit to Pyongyang. However, the US and the DPRK have not had formal diplomatic relations and technically remain at war as the armistice never resulted in a peace treaty. * Nearly 30,000 American soldiers remain in South Korea, a military presence that the North Koreans consider aggressive and a means of preventing north/south reconciliation. * Military According to Western estimates *, North Korea has the fifth-largest military in the world, with the largest percentage of citizens enlisted (49.03 active troops per thousand citizens). The North has an estimated 1.08 million armed personnel, compared with about 686,000 South Korean troops (and 3.5 million paramilitary forces) plus 29,000 US troops in South Korea. Annual military spending is about $5 billion USD. There is a fairly efficient, albeit technologically obsolete, weapons and munitions industry. The North has perhaps the world's second-largest special operations force (roughly 110,000), designed for insertion and sabotage behind enemy lines in wartime. While the North has an adequate fleet of submarines and small vessels, its main surface fleet has a very limited capability. Air Force As of 1992, the North Korean Air Force comprised about 1,620 aircraft and 70,000 personnel, with roughly twice the number of aircraft as the South. Most of its aircraft are obsolete Soviet models and Chinese copies, but it has been modernizing since the 1980s. Aircraft holdings include 190 MiG-21s, 30 MiG-29s, 60 MiG-23s, 40 Q-5 Fantans, plus an additional 250 or so of older MiG-19s, MiG-17s and Su-7s. Since the 1980s, the air force has expanded its inventory of helicopters from 40 to 275. This inventory includes Mi-24s, Mi-2s, Mi-4s, and Mi-8s. In 1985, the DPRK circumvented U.S. export controls to buy 87 U.S.-manufactured civilian Hughes H-6 model helicopters, which are more advanced than the Russian models and have probably been armed with guns and rockets. North Korea does not manufacture its own aircraft, but it does produce spare parts. The air defense is also equipped with old Soviet SAMs, including many batteries of SA-2s, SA-3s and SA-5s. The overall assessment is that the air force "has a marginal capability for defending North Korean airspace and a limited ability to conduct air operations against South Korea." Missiles It also has a certain quantity of Rodong-1 and 2, Scud, and the long-range Taepodong-1 and 2 missiles, the second of which has a range of up to 6,000 kilometers, although it is doubtful that the latter type is in full service yet. It has test-fired each of these missiles more than once, despite the Six-party talks, initiated in 2003. On July 5, 2006, North Korea conducted a series of seven test launches •, including short-range Nodong-2 missiles and one long-range intercontinental Taepodong-2 missile•. During the July 5, 2006 launches, the Taepodong-2 missile failed within 2 minutes of lift-off and crashed into the ocean. As of October 2006, there are doubts as to the capability of North Korea to deliver any payload a full 6,000 kilometers away that the Taepodong-2 is technically capable of. Nuclear weapons program Nuclear weapon production and testing On October 9 2006, North Korea announced that it had conducted its first nuclear test, which was confirmed by the United States on October 16, 2006. •. The blast was less than one kiloton, smaller than expected, and U.S. officials initially suggested that it may have been an unsuccessful test or a partially successful fizzle.• For yield comparison, see Nuclear artillery. China was given 20 minutes notice of the test, and China subsequently warned Japan, Russia, and the United States. The seismic strength of the test was reported slightly differently by two agencies; the United States Geological Survey measured it as 4.2 on the Richter scale, while South Korean scientists placed it as 3.58. Both China and the United States reported finding radioactive traces in air samples taken from the region in the week following the test. North Korea has in the past stated that it has produced nuclear weapons and according to many intelligence and military officials it has produced, or has the capability to produce, up to six or seven such devices. Nuclear weapons delivery As of October 2006, there are doubts as to North Korea's capability to deliver a nuclear warhead by any means, either by affixing to any missile or other nuclear weapons delivery, with the exception of an aircraft, which would be monitored, or other bulk transport like cargo•. Six-party talks The Six-party talks have been the diplomatic route used to resolve the concern brought about by North Korea's nuclear weapons program. These talks are a series of meetings with six participating states - the People's Republic of China, South Korea, North Korea, the United States of America, the Russian Federation and Japan and were a result of North Korea withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003. The aim of these talks is to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns raised by the North Korean nuclear weapons program. According to Richard Saccone, an expert on Korea, in April 2006: "After decades of hostile exchanges and months of stalled negotiations about its nuclear weapons, North Korea quietly put forward a positive signal that it is prepared to talk."* North Korea is not a signatory of the Missile Technology Control Regime and states that it has the sovereign right to test its missiles and pursue its weapons program. The DPRK's stance on the 2002 Pyongyang Declaration with Japan is that the agreement is now void due to Japan's failure to normalize relations with the regime. US sanctions following the six-party talks are also cited by North Korea as a reason to continue missile tests and other aspects of its weapons program. * North Korea announced on October 3 2006, that it was going to test its first nuclear weapon regardless of the world situation, blaming 'hostile US policy' as the reason for the need for such a deterrent. However, it pledged a no-first-strike policy and to nuclear disarmament only when there is worldwide elimination of such nuclear weapons. On October 9 2006, the state claimed to have conducted its first underground nuclear test successfully. The response from the international community was for the most part condemnation. The UN and NATO quickly held meetings to decide how to react to this situation, and North Korea has since stated that any sanctions imposed upon them will be viewed as an 'act of war'. While many analysts continue to stress the importance of China as a principal actor in resolving the nuclear standoff with North Korea, some have parted with that analysis and suggested China has consistently failed to excercise influence over the regime. * North Korea confirmed November 3 2006, it would return to six-nation nuclear disarmament talks after a year-long boycott, as the chief US envoy stressed that the world needed to see progress at the next round. The country came to this decision on the premise that the issue of lifting financial sanctions will be discussed and settled between North Korea and the US. World leaders welcomed its decision to rejoin the talks, which it had boycotted since November 2005 in protest at US financial sanctions, but the breakthrough was also accompanied by some scepticism.* Human rights Amnesty International and other human rights organizations, including the North American Free Speech Association, accuse North Korea of having one of the worst human rights records of any nation, severely restricting most freedoms, including freedom of speech and freedom of movement, both inside the country and abroad. The State of World Liberty Index ranks North Korea last out of 159 countries in terms of citizens' freedom. North Korean exiles have testified as to the existence of detention camps with an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 inmates, and have reported torture, starvation, rape, murder and forced labour. * * Japanese television aired what it said was footage of a prison camp *. In some of the camps, US officials and former inmates say the annual mortality rate approaches 20% to 25% *. An estimated two million civilians have been killed by the government A former prison guard and army intelligence officer said that in one camp, chemical weapons were tested on prisoners in a gas chamber *. According to a former prisoner, pregnant women inside the camps are often forced to have abortions or the newborn child is killed *. The government of North Korea refuses to admit independent human rights observers to the state. External The government of North Korea has also been implicated in terrorist attacks in South Korea * (Wahn Kihl 1983: 106) as well as assassinations of dissidents in nearby states * Geography North Korea is on the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula. North Korea shares land borders with People's Republic of China and Russia to the north, and with South Korea to the south. To its west are the Yellow Sea and Korea Bay, and to its east is the Sea of Japan (also known as the East Sea). Japan lies east of the peninsula across the Sea of Japan (East Sea). The highest point in Korea is the Paektu-san at 2,744 metres (9,003 ft), and major rivers include the Tumen and the Yalu. * The local climate is relatively temperate, with precipitation heavier in summer during a short rainy season called changma, and winters that can be bitterly cold on occasion. * The DPRK's capital and largest city is P'yŏngyang; other major cities include Kaesŏng in the south, Sinŭiju in the northwest, Wŏnsan and Hamhŭng in the east and Ch'ŏngjin in the northeast. See also: Korean Peninsula Economy
Demographics North Korea's population of roughly 23 million is one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous in the world, with very small numbers of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and European expatriate minorities. Religion Religious activities are heavily suppressed by the officially atheist state, especially Protestantism, which is seen as closely connected to the US. North Korea shares with South Korea a Buddhist and Confucianist heritage and recent history of Christian and Chondogyo ("Heavenly Way") movements. Pyongyang was the centre of Christian activity in Korea before the Korean War. Today, two state-sanctioned churches exist, which freedom of religion advocates allege are showcases for foreigners. * * There are an estimated 4,000 Catholics and about 9,000 Protestants in North Korea. * According to a ranking published by Open Doors, an organization that supports persecuted Christians, North Korea is currently the country with the most severe persecution of Christians worldwide *. Language North Korea shares the Korean language with South Korea. There are dialect differences within both parts of Korea, but the border between North and South does not represent a major linguistic boundary. The adoption of modern terms from foreign languages has been limited in North Korea, while prevalent in the South. Other small differences have arisen, primarily in the words used for recent innovations. Hanja (Chinese characters) are no longer used in North Korea, although still used in South Korea in some contexts. Both Koreas share the hangul writing system. The official Romanisation differs in the two countries, with North Korea using the McCune-Reischauer romanisation of Korean, and the South using the revised romanisation. Culture There is a vast personality cult around Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, and much of North Korea's literature, popular music, theatre, and film glorify the two men. In July 2004, the Complex of Goguryeo Tombs was the first site in North Korea to be included into the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. A popular event in North Korea is the Mass Games. The most recent and largest Mass Games was called "Arirang". It was performed six nights a week for two months, and involved over 100,000 performers. The Mass Games involve performances of dance, gymnastic, and choreographic routines which celebrate the history of North Korea and the Workers' Party Revolution. The Mass Games are held in Pyongyang at various venues (varying according to the scale of the Games in a particular year) including the May Day Grand Theatre. Restaurants run by the North Korean government have opened in China (see *). See also: Culture of Korea, Cuisine of Korea, Music of Korea, Public holidays in North Korea, Education in North Korea, Tourism in North Korea Administrative divisions
Provinces
Special regions Directly-governed cities Major cities In popular entertainment North Korea has at several times protested its portrayal in western entertainment. For a list of films concerning and often fictionalizing the nation, see this: List of films set in or about North Korea. See also Further reading a contemporary history. Addison-Wesley, 1997, 472 pages, ISBN 0-201-40927-5 Directories Miscellaneous Links associated with North Korean government Web sites about North Korea Web sites criticizing North Korea Documentaries on North Korea wuu:朝鲜 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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