North Korea

Lore & Background

The Korean Peninsula was first inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period. Following the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea into Silla and Balhae in the late 7th century, Korea was ruled by the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) and the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897). The succeeding Korean Empire (1897–1910) was annexed in 1910 into Japan. 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. In 1948, two separate governments were formed: the Soviet-aligned Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the north, and the Western-aligned Republic of Korea in the south. The North Korean invasion of South Korea in 1950 started the Korean War. In 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement brought about a ceasefire and established a demilitarized zone (DMZ). Kim Il Sung, North Korea's first leader, consolidated power and promoted his personal philosophy of Juche as the state ideology. From 1994 to 1998, North Korea suffered a famine. In 2024, the DPRK formally abandoned efforts to reunify Korea; two years later, Seoul was designated as a separate, hostile state.

Reader's Guide

North Korea is a totalitarian hereditary dictatorship with a comprehensive cult of personality around the Kim family. Officially, it is a communist state and describes itself as a socialist state which holds democratic elections, though outside observers describe the elections as unfair, uncompetitive, and pre-determined. The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the sole ruling party, and Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism is the official ideology. The means of production are owned by the state through state-run enterprises and collectivized farms. Most services such as healthcare, education, housing, and food production are subsidized or state-funded. North Korea is highly militarized, prioritizing the Korean People's Army. It possesses nuclear weapons. Its active-duty army of 1.28 million soldiers is the fourth-largest in the world. It is a member of the United Nations since 1991, as well as the Non-Aligned Movement, the G77, and the ASEAN Regional Forum.

Did You Know?

• The modern spelling of Korea first appeared in 1671 in the travel writings of Hendrick Hamel, a sailor of the Dutch East India Company.
• During the Japanese colonial period, 65% of Korea's heavy industry was located in the north, but only 37% of its agriculture.
• Approximately 3 million people died in the Korean War, with a higher proportional civilian death toll than World War II or the Vietnam War.