1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
Coastline
2,495 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Mississippi
Disputes
short section of boundary with China is indefinite; Demarcation Line with South Korea
Environment
mountainous interior is isolated, nearly inaccessible, and sparsely populated; late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding
Land boundaries
1,671 km total; China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, USSR 17 km
Land use
arable land 18%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 74%; other 7%; includes irrigated 9%
Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm; Military boundary line: 50 nm in the Sea of Japan and the exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea (all foreign vessels and aircraft without permission are banned)
Natural resources
coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
Note
strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and USSR
Terrain
mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Total area
120,540 km2; land area: 120,410 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
24 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
racially homogeneous
Infant mortality rate
30 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
9,615,000; agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%; shortage of skilled and unskilled labor (mid-1987 est.)
Language
Korean
Life expectancy at birth
66 years male, 72 years female (1991)
Literacy
NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
Nationality
noun--Korean(s); adjective--Korean
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
1,600,000 members; single-trade union system coordinated by the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea under the Central Committee
Population
21,814,656 (July 1991), growth rate 1.9% (1991)
Religion
Buddhism and Confucianism; religious activities now almost nonexistent
Total fertility rate
2.5 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 3 special cities* (jikhalsi, singular and plural); Chagang-do, Hamgyong-namdo, Hamgyong-bukto, Hwanghae-namdo, Hwanghae-bukto, Kaesong-si*, Kangwon-do, Namp'o-si*, P'yongan-bukto, P'yongan-namdo, P'yongyang-si*, Yanggang-do
Capital
P'yongyang
Communists
KWP claims membership of about 3 million
Constitution
adopted 1948, revised 27 December 1972
Diplomatic representation
none
Elections
President--last held 24 May 1990 (next to be held 1994); results--President KIM Il-song was reelected without opposition; Supreme People's Assembly--last held on 24 May 1990 (next to be held 1994); 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
Executive branch
president, two vice presidents, premier, eleven vice premiers, State Administration Council (cabinet)
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
Independence
9 September 1948
Judicial branch
Central Court
Leaders
Chief of State--President KIM Il-song (since 28 December 1972); Designated Successor KIM Chong-il (son of President, born 16 February 1942); Head of Government--Premier YON Hyong-muk (since NA December 1988)
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
Legislative branch
unicameral Supreme People's Assembly (Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui)
Long-form name
Democratic People's Republic of Korea; abbreviated DPRK
Member of
FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, IFAD, IMF (observer), IMO, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Independence Day, 9 September (1948)
Political parties and leaders
major party--Korean Workers' Party (KWP), KIM Il-song, general secretary, and his son, KIM Chong-il, secretary, Central Committee; Korean Social Democratic Party, YI Kye-paek, chairman; Chondoist Chongu Party, CHONG Sin-hyok, chairman
Suffrage
universal at age 17
Type
Communist state; dictatorship
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for about 25% of GNP 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; fish catch estimated at 1.7 million metric tons in 1987
Budget
revenues $15.6 billion; expenditures $15.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989)
Currency
North Korean won (plural--won); 1 North Korean won (Wn) = 100 chon
Economic aid
Communist countries, $1.4 billion a year in the 1980s
Electricity
6,440,000 kW capacity; 40,250 million kWh produced, 1,890 kWh per capita (1990)
Exchange rates
North Korean won (Wn) per US$1--2.2 (March 1991), 2.1 (January 1990), 2.3 (December 1989), 2.13 (December 1988), 0.94 (March 1987), NA (1986), NA (1985)
Exports
$1.95 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--minerals, metallurgical products, agricultural products, manufactures; partners--USSR, China, Japan, Hong Kong, FRG, Singapore
External debt
$7 billion (1991)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GNP
$29.7 billion, per capita $1,390; real growth rate 2% (1990 est.)
Imports
$2.85 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--petroleum, machinery and equipment, coking coal, grain; partners--USSR, Japan, China, Hong Kong, FRG, Singapore
Industrial production
growth rate NA%
Industries
machine building, military products, electric power, chemicals, mining, metallurgy, textiles, food processing
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
NA%
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 one-man rule of Kim. Economic growth during the period 1984-90 averaged approximately 3%. Abundant natural resources and hydropower form the basis of industrial development. Output of the extractive industries includes coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals. Manufacturing emphasis is centered on heavy industry, with light industry lagging far behind. Despite the use of high-yielding seed varieties, expansion of irrigation, and the heavy use of fertilizers, North Korea has not yet become self-sufficient in food production. Four consecutive years of poor harvests, coupled with distribution problems, have led to chronic food shortages. North Korea remains far behind South Korea in economic development and living standards.
Unemployment rate
officially none
Communications
Airports
55 total, 55 usable (est.); about 30 with permanent-surface runways; fewer than 5 with runways over 3,659 m; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 30 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Highways
about 30,000 km (1989); 98.5% gravel, crushed stone, or earth surface; 1.5% concrete or bituminous
Inland waterways
2,253 km; mostly navigable by small craft only
Merchant marine
68 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 465,801 GRT/709,442 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 1 short-sea passenger, 1 passenger-cargo, 58 cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 4 bulk, 1 combination bulk
Pipelines
crude oil, 37 km
Ports
Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam, Namp'o, Wonsan, Songnim, Najin, Sonbong
Railroads
4,535 km total; 3,870 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 665 km 0.762-meter narrow gauge; 159 km double track; 3,175 km electrified; government owned (1989)
Telecommunications
stations--18 AM, no FM, 11 TV; 200,000 TV sets; 3,500,000 radio receivers; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Korean People's Army (includes of the Army, Navy, Air Force), Civil Security Forces
Defense expenditures
$NA, 20-25% of GNP (1991 est.); note--the officially announced but suspect figure is $1.7 billion, 6% of GNP (1991 est.) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 6,381,859; 3,899,606 fit for military service; 214,690 reach military age (18) annually