2009 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2009 (Project Gutenberg)
Introduction
Background
An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was occupied by Japan beginning in 1905 following the Russo-Japanese War. Five years later, Japan formally annexed the entire peninsula. Following World War II, Korea was split with the northern half coming under Soviet-sponsored Communist control. After failing in the Korean War (1950-53) to conquer the US-backed Republic of Korea (ROK) in the southern portion by force, North Korea (DPRK), under its founder President KIM Il Sung, adopted a policy of ostensible diplomatic and economic "self-reliance" as a check against outside influence. The DPRK demonized the US as the ultimate threat to its social system through state-funded propaganda, and molded political, economic, and military policies around the core ideological objective of eventual unification of Korea under Pyongyang's control. KIM's son, the current ruler KIM Jong Il, was officially designated as his father's successor in 1980, assuming a growing political and managerial role until the elder KIM's death in 1994. After decades of economic mismanagement and resource misallocation, the DPRK since the mid-1990s has relied heavily on international aid to feed its population. North Korea's history of regional military provocations, proliferation of military-related items, long-range missile development, WMD programs including nuclear weapons test in 2006 and 2009, and massive conventional armed forces are of major concern to the international community.
Geography
Area
total: 120,538 sq km country comparison to the world: 98 land: 120,408 sq km water: 130 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than Mississippi
Climate
temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
Coastline
2,495 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m
Environment - current issues
water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterborne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation
Environment - international agreements
party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
total: 9.02 cu km/yr (20%/25%/55%) per capita: 401 cu m/yr (2000)
Geographic coordinates
40 00 N, 127 00 E
Geography - note
strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated
Irrigated land
14,600 sq km (2003)
Land boundaries
total: 1,673 km border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km
Land use
arable land: 22.4% permanent crops: 1.66% other: 75.94% (2005)
Location
Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea
Map references
Asia
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm note: 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
Natural hazards
late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall
Natural resources
coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
Terrain
mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Total renewable water resources
77.1 cu km (1999)
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 21.3% (male 2,440,439/female 2,376,557) 15-64 years: 69.4% (male 7,776,889/female 7,945,399) 65 years and over: 9.4% (male 820,504/female 1,305,557) (2009 est.)
Birth rate
14.82 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 141
Death rate
10.52 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 56
Education expenditures
NA
Ethnic groups
racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
Infant mortality rate
total: 51.34 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 49 male: 58.64 deaths/1,000 live births female: 43.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Languages
Korean
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 63.81 years country comparison to the world: 170 male: 61.23 years female: 66.53 years (2009 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99%
Median age
total: 33.5 years male: 32.1 years female: 34.9 years (2009 est.)
Nationality
noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean
Net migration rate
-0.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 91
Population
22,665,345 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 50
Population growth rate
0.42% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 160
Religions
traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way) note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.96 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 136
Urbanization
urban population: 63% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 0.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 2 municipalities (si, singular and plural) provinces: Chagang-do (Chagang), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong), Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae), Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae), Kangwon-do (Kangwon), P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan), Yanggang-do (Yanggang) municipalities: Nason-si, P'yongyang-si
Capital
name: Pyongyang geographic coordinates: 39 01 N, 125 45 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Constitution
adopted 1948; revised several times
Country name
conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea conventional short form: North Korea local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk local short form: Choson abbreviation: DPRK
Diplomatic representation from the US
none; note - Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang represents the US as consular protecting power
Diplomatic representation in the US
none; North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York
Executive branch
chief of state: KIM Jong Il (since July 1994); note - on 9 April 2009, rubberstamp Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) reelected KIM Jong Il chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded nation's "highest administrative authority"; SPA reelected KIM Yong Nam in 2003 president of its Presidium also with responsibility of representing state and receiving diplomatic credentials head of government: Premier KIM Yong Il (since 11 April 2007); Vice Premier KWAK Pom Gi (since 5 September 1998), Vice Premier O Su Yong (since 13 April 2009), Vice Premier PAK Su Gil (since 18 September 2009), Vice Premier PAK Myong Su (since 4 September 2009), Vice Premier RO Tu Chol (since 3 September 2003) cabinet: Naegak (cabinet) members, except for Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by SPA elections: last held in September 2003; date of next election NA election results: KIM Jong Il and KIM Yong Nam were only nominees for positions and ran unopposed
Flag description
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
Government type
Communist state one-man dictatorship
Independence
15 August 1945 (from Japan)
International organization participation
ARF, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Judicial branch
Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly)
Legal system
based on Prussian 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 or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 8 March 2009 (next due to be held in March 2014) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; ruling party approves a list of candidates who are elected without opposition; a token number of seats are reserved for minor parties
National holiday
Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948)
Political parties and leaders
major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Jong Il]; minor parties - Chondoist Chongu Party [RYU Mi Yong] (under KWP control), Social Democratic Party [KIM Yong Dae] (under KWP control)
Political pressure groups and leaders
none
Suffrage
17 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture - products
rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs
Budget
revenues: $2.88 billion expenditures: $2.98 billion (2005)
Debt - external
$12.5 billion (2001 est.) country comparison to the world: 80
Economy - overview
North Korea, one of the world's most centrally directed and least open economies, faces chronic economic problems. Industrial capital stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of years of underinvestment and shortages of spare parts. Large-scale military spending draws off resources needed for investment and civilian consumption. Industrial and power output have declined in parallel from pre-1990 levels. Severe flooding in the summer of 2007 aggravated chronic food shortages caused by on-going systemic problems including a lack of arable land, collective farming practices, and persistent shortages of tractors and fuel. Large-scale international food aid deliveries have allowed the people of North Korea to escape widespread starvation since famine threatened in 1995, but the population continues to suffer from prolonged malnutrition and poor living conditions. Since 2002, the government has allowed private "farmers' markets" to begin selling a wider range of goods. It also permitted some private farming - on an experimental basis - in an effort to boost agricultural output. In October 2005, the government tried to reverse some of these policies by forbidding private sales of grains and reinstituting a centralized food rationing system. By December 2005, the government terminated most international humanitarian assistance operations in North Korea (calling instead for developmental assistance only) and restricted the activities of remaining international and non-governmental aid organizations such as the World Food Program. External food aid now comes primarily from China and South Korea in the form of grants and long-term concessional loans. In May 2008, the US agreed to give 500,000 metric tons of food to North Korea via the World Food Program and US nongovernmental organizations; Pyongyang began receiving these shipments in mid-2008. During the October 2007 summit, South Korea also agreed to develop some of North Korea's infrastructure, natural resources, and light industry, but inter-Korean economic cooperation slowed in 2008 as Pyongyang restricted tourism and manufacturing joint ventures in the North, and food aid from South Korea was suspended. Firm political control remains the Communist government's overriding concern, which will likely inhibit the loosening of economic regulations.
Electricity - consumption
17.49 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 70
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - production
20.9 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 71
Exchange rates
North Korean won (KPW) per US dollar - 140 (2007), 141 (2006), 170 (December 2004), market rate: North Korean won per US dollar - 3,400 (October 2008)
Exports
$1.684 billion (2007) country comparison to the world: 136
Exports - commodities
minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments), textiles, agricultural and fishery products
Exports - partners
South Korea 45%, China 35%, India 5% (2007)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 23.3% industry: 43.1% services: 33.6% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$1,800 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 189 note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - real growth rate
3.7% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 107
GDP (official exchange rate)
$26.2 billion (2008 est.)
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$40 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 96 note: data are in 2008 US dollars
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports
$3.055 billion (2007) country comparison to the world: 140 $2.879 billion (2006)
Imports - commodities
petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment, textiles, grain
Imports - partners
China 46%, South Korea 34%, Thailand 6%, Russia 4% (2007)
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Industries
military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, limestone, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
NA%
Labor force
20 million country comparison to the world: 31 note: estimates vary widely (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture: 37% industry and services: 63% (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 169
Natural gas - exports
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 82
Natural gas - imports
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 157
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 173
Natural gas - proved reserves
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 163
Oil - consumption
16,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 130
Oil - exports
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 175
Oil - imports
13,890 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 130
Oil - production
120.7 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 110
Oil - proved reserves
0 bbl country comparison to the world: 192
Population below poverty line
NA%
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Internet country code
.kp
Internet hosts
3 (2009) country comparison to the world: 227
Radio broadcast stations
AM 17 (including 11 stations of Korean Central Broadcasting Station; North Korea has a "national intercom" cable radio station wired throughout the country that is a significant source of information for the average North Korean citizen; it is wired into most residences and workplaces and carries news and commentary), FM 14, shortwave 14 (2006)
Telephone system
general assessment: inadequate system; currently mobile cellular telephone services are available in Pyongyang only domestic: fiber-optic links installed between cities; telephone directories unavailable; mobile cellular service, initiated in 2002, suspended in 2004; Orascom Telecom, an Egyptian company, launched mobile service on December 15, 2008 for the Pyongyang area only international: country code - 850; satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat - Indian Ocean, 1 Russian - Indian Ocean region); other international connections through Moscow and Beijing (2008)
Telephones - main lines in use
1.18 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 71
Television broadcast stations
4 (includes Korean Central Television, Mansudae Television, Korean Educational and Cultural Network, and Kaesong Television targeting South Korea) (2003)
Transportation
Airports
79 (2009) country comparison to the world: 70
Airports - with paved runways
total: 37 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 22 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 4 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 42 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 8 (2009)
Heliports
22 (2009)
Merchant marine
total: 167 country comparison to the world: 39 by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 121, carrier 1, chemical tanker 4, container 3, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 19, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 19 (Egypt 1, Greece 1, Lebanon 1, Lithuania 1, Romania 4, Syria 1, UAE 8, Yemen 2) registered in other countries: 2 (Mongolia 1, Panama 1) (2008)
Pipelines
oil 154 km (2008)
Ports and terminals
Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin, Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan
Railways
total: 5,235 km country comparison to the world: 34 standard gauge: 5,235 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways
total: 25,554 km country comparison to the world: 104 paved: 724 km unpaved: 24,830 km (2006)
Waterways
2,250 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2008) country comparison to the world: 39
Military and Security
Manpower available for military service
males age 16-49: 6,225,747 females age 16-49: 6,188,270 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 16-49: 4,104,964 females age 16-49: 4,492,374 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
male: 191,759 female: 184,641 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures
NA
Military service age and obligation
17 years of age (2004)
North Korean People's Army
Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force; civil security forces (2005)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
risking arrest, imprisonment, and deportation, tens of thousands of North Koreans cross into China to escape famine, economic privation, and political oppression; North Korea and China dispute the sovereignty of certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers; Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic incidents in the Yellow Sea with South Korea which claims the Northern Limiting Line as a maritime boundary; North Korea supports South Korea in rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima)
IDPs
undetermined (flooding in mid-2007 and famine during mid-1990s) (2007)
Illicit drugs
for years, from the 1970s into the 2000s, citizens of the Democratic People's Republic of (North) Korea (DPRK), many of them diplomatic employees of the government, were apprehended abroad while trafficking in narcotics, including two in Turkey in December 2004; police investigations in Taiwan and Japan in recent years have linked North Korea to large illicit shipments of heroin and methamphetamine, including an attempt by the North Korean merchant ship Pong Su to deliver 150 kg of heroin to Australia in April 2003 page last updated on November 12, 2009
Trafficking in persons
current situation: North Korea is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; the most common form of trafficking involves North Korean women and girls who cross the border into China voluntarily; additionally, North Korean women and girls are lured out of North Korea to escape poor social and economic conditions by the promise of food, jobs, and freedom, only to be forced into prostitution, marriage, or exploitative labor arrangements once in China tier rating: Tier 3 - North Korea does not fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the government does not acknowledge the existence of human rights abuses in the country or recognize trafficking, either within the country or transnationally; North Korea has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)