KOREA, NORTH
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KOREA, NORTH
@Korea, North:Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean peninsula
bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and Russia
Map references: Asia
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NORTH KOREA - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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PYONGYANG 2,639,000 39.00N,125.47E N/A GMT+9
Chongjin 754,000 41.50N,129.55E N/A GMT+9
Nampo 691,000 38.45N,125.23E N/A GMT+9
Sinuiju 500,000 40.04N,124.25E N/A GMT+9
Hungnam 400,000 39.49N,127.40E N/A GMT+9
Wonsan 350,000 39.07N,127.26E N/A GMT+9
Kaesong 346,000 37.59N,126.30E N/A GMT+9
Hamhung 325,000 39.54N,127.35E N/A GMT+9
Kimchaek 281,000 40.41N,129.12E N/A GMT+9
Haeju 213,000 38.02N,125.42E N/A GMT+9
Sariwon 130,000 38.31N,125.44E N/A GMT+9
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Area:
total area: 120,540 sq km
land area: 120,410 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Mississippi
Land boundaries: total 1,673 km, 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
International disputes: short section of boundary with China is
indefinite; Demarcation Line with South Korea
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
Natural resources: coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite,
iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 18%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 0%
forest and woodland: 74%
other: 7%
Irrigated land: 14,000 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues: localized air pollution attributable to inadequate
industrial controls; water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable
water
natural hazards: late spring droughts often followed by severe
flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall
international agreements: party to - Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Law of the Sea
Note: strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia;
mountainous interior is isolated, nearly inaccessible, and sparsely
populated
@Korea, North:People
Population: 23,486,550 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 30% (female 3,402,672; male 3,540,313)
15-64 years: 66% (female 7,840,465; male 7,741,155)
65 years and over: 4% (female 622,250; male 339,695) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.78% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 23.31 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 5.47 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 26.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.05 years
male: 66.96 years
female: 73.29 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.34 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Korean(s)
adjective: Korean
Ethnic divisions: racially homogeneous
Religions: Buddhism and Confucianism, some Christianity and syncretic
Chondogyo
note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent;
government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of
religious freedom
Languages: Korean
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write Korean (1990 est.)
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99%
Labor force: 9.615 million
by occupation: agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%
note: shortage of skilled and unskilled labor (mid-1987 est.)
@Korea, North:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
conventional short form: North Korea
local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk
local short form: none
note: the North Koreans generally use the term "Choson" to refer to
their country
Abbreviation: DPRK
Digraph: KN
Type: Communist state; Stalinist dictatorship
Capital: P'yongyang
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 3
special cities* (jikhalsi, 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), Namp'o-si* (Namp'o City),
P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan Province), P'yongan-namdo (South
P'yongan Province), P'yongyang-si* (P'yongyang City), Yanggang-do
(Yanggang Province)
Independence: 9 September 1948
note: 15 August 1945, date of independence from the Japanese and
celebrated in North Korea as National Liberation Day
National holiday: DPRK Foundation Day, 9 September (1948)
Constitution: adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972,
revised again in April 1992
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, is the son of and designated successor
to former President KIM Il-song (who died 8 July 1994); formal
succession has not yet taken place (January 1995); election last held
24 May 1990 (next to be held by NA); results - President KIM Il-song
was reelected without opposition
head of government: Premier KANG Song-san (since December 1992)
cabinet: State Administration Council; appointed by the Supreme
People's Assembly
Legislative branch: unicameral
Supreme People's Assembly (Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui): elections last held
on 7-9 April 1990 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by
party NA; seats - (687 total) the KWP approves a single list of
candidates who are elected without opposition; minor parties hold a
few seats
Judicial branch: Central Court
Political parties and leaders: major party - Korean Workers' Party
(KWP), KIM Chong-il, secretary, Central Committee; Korean Social
Democratic Party, KIM Pyong-sik, chairman; Chondoist Chongu Party, YU
Mi-yong, chairwoman
Member of: ESCAP, FAO, G-77, ICAO, IFAD, IFRCS, IMO, INTELSAT
(nonsignatory user), IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US: none
US diplomatic representation: none
Flag: 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: More than 90% of this command economy is socialized;
agricultural land is collectivized; and state-owned industry produces
95% of manufactured goods. State control of economic affairs is
unusually tight even for a Communist country because of the small size
and homogeneity of the society and the strict rule of KIM Il-song in
the past and now his son, KIM Chong-il. Economic growth during the
period 1984-88 averaged 2%-3%, but output declined by 3%-5% annually
during 1989-92 because of systemic problems and disruptions in
socialist-style economic relations with the former USSR and China. In
1992, output dropped sharply, by perhaps 7%-9%, as the economy felt
the cumulative effect of the reduction in outside support. The
leadership insisted on maintaining its high level of military outlays
from a shrinking economic pie. Moreover, a serious drawdown in
inventories and critical shortages in the energy sector have led to
increasing interruptions in industrial production. Abundant mineral
resources and hydropower have formed the basis of industrial
development since World War II. Output of the extractive industries
includes coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and
precious metals. Manufacturing is centered on heavy industry,
including military industry, with light industry lagging far behind.
Despite the use of improved seed varieties, expansion of irrigation,
and the heavy use of fertilizers, North Korea has not yet become
self-sufficient in food production. Indeed, a shortage of arable
lands, several years of poor harvests, and a cumbersome distribution
system have resulted in chronic food shortages. The collapse of
Communism in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in 1989-91 has
disrupted important technological links. North Korea remains far
behind South Korea in economic development and living standards. GDP
is stagnant.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $21.3 billion (1994
est.)
National product real growth rate: 0% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $920 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $19.3 billion
expenditures: $19.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1992 est.)
Exports: $1.02 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: minerals, metallurgical products, agricultural and
fishery products, manufactures (including armaments)
partners: China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Germany, Hong Kong
Imports: $1.64 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: petroleum, grain, coking coal, machinery and equipment,
consumer goods
partners: China, Russia, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, Singapore
External debt: $8 billion (1992 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate -7% to -9% (1992 est.)
Electricity:
capacity: 9,500,000 kW
production: 50 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 2,053 kWh (1993)
Industries: machine building, military products, electric power,
chemicals, mining, metallurgy, textiles, food processing
Agriculture: accounts for about 25% of GDP and 36% of work force;
principal crops - rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; livestock
and livestock products - cattle, hogs, pork, eggs; not self-sufficient
in grain
Economic aid:
recipient: Communist countries, $1.4 billion a year in the 1980s, but
very little now
Currency: 1 North Korean won (Wn) = 100 chon
Exchange rates: North Korean won (Wn) per US$1 - 2.15 (May 1994), 2.13
(May 1992), 2.14 (September 1991), 2.1 (January 1990), 2.3 (December
1989)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Korea, North:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 4,915 km
standard gauge: 4,250 km 1.435-m gauge (3,397 km electrified; 159 km
double track)
narrow gauge: 665 km 0.762-m gauge (1989)
Highways:
total: 30,000 km
paved: 1,861 km
unpaved: gravel, crushed stone, earth 28,139 km (1992)
Inland waterways: 2,253 km; mostly navigable by small craft only
Pipelines: crude oil 37 km
Ports: Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin,
Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan
Merchant marine:
total: 87 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 727,631 GRT/1,149,291 DWT
ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 70, combination bulk 1, oil tanker 3,
passenger 2, passenger-cargo 1, short-sea passenger 1
note: North Korea owns an additional 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling approximately 32,405 DWT that operate under Honduran registry
Airports:
total: 49
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 2
with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 5
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 12
with unpaved runways under 914 m: 6
@Korea, North:Communications
Telephone system: telephone system is believed to be available only to
government officials and not to private individuals
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: 1 earth station near P'yongyang, uses an Indian Ocean
INTELSAT satellite; other international connections through Moscow and
Beijing
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 18, FM 0, shortwave 0
radios: 3.5 million
Television:
broadcast stations: 11
televisions: 350,000 (1989)
@Korea, North:Defense Forces
Branches: Korean People's Army (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), Civil
Security Forces
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 6,753,400; males fit for
military service 4,094,854; males reach military age (18) annually
193,480 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - about $5 billion,
20%-25% of GDP (1991 est.); note - the officially announced but
suspect figure is $2.2 billion (1994), about 12% of total spending
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