Korea, North

Branches

Korean People's Army (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), Civil Security Forces

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $5 billion to $7 billion, 25% to 33% of GDP (1995 est.)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49: 6,844,035 males fit for military service: 4,143,713 males reach military age (18) annually: 194,922 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 18, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios

3.5 million

Telephone system

system is believed to be available principally for government business domestic: NA international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean Region); other international connections through Moscow and Beijing

Telephones

30,000 (1990 est.)

Television broadcast stations

11

Televisions

400,000 (1992 est.) Defense

Agriculture

rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs

Budget

revenues: $19.3 billion expenditures: $19.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)

Currency

1 North Korean won (Wn) = 100 chon

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA note: small amounts of grant aid from Japan and other countries

Economic 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 an average of 4%-5% annually during 1989-95 because of systemic problems and disruptions in socialist-style economic relations and technological links with the former USSR and China. The leadership has 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. 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 year 1995 was marked by serious summer floods that worsened an already tenuous food situation. Substantial grain shipments from Japan and South Korea offset a portion of the losses. North Korea remains far behind South Korea in economic development and living standards.

Electricity

capacity: 9,500,000 kW production: 50 billion kWh consumption per capita: 2,053 kWh (1993)

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)

Exports

$840 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: minerals, metallurgical products, agricultural and fishery products, manufactures (including armaments) partners: China, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Hong Kong, Russia

External debt

$8 billion (1992 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $21.5 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture: 25% industry: 60% services: 15% (1995 est.)

GDP per capita

$920 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

-5% (1995 est.)

Imports

$1.27 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: petroleum, grain, coking coal, machinery and equipment, consumer goods partners: China, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, Russia, Singapore

Industrial production growth rate

-7% to -9% (1992 est.)

Industries

military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

Labor force

9.615 million by occupation: agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total area: 120,540 sq km land area: 120,410 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Mississippi

Climate

temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer

Coastline

2,495 km

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, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

Geographic coordinates

40 00 N, 127 00 E

Geographic note

strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated, nearly inaccessible, and sparsely populated

International disputes

short section of boundary with China is indefinite; Demarcation Line with South Korea

Irrigated land

14,000 sq km (1989)

Land boundaries

total: 1,673 km border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km

Land use

arable land: 18% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 74% other: 7%

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 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 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 lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m

Administrative divisions

9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 3 special cities* (si, 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)

Capital

P'yongyang

Constitution

adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992

Data code

KN

Diplomatic representation in US

none; note - North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, headed by PAK Kil-yon

Executive branch

chief of state: KIM Chong-il [defacto]; note - President KIM Il-song was reelected without opposition 24 May 1990 and died 8 July 1994 leaving his son KIM Chong-il as designated successor; however the son has not assumed the titles that his father held and no new elections have been held or scheduled head of government: Premier KANG Song-san (since NA December 1992) was elected by the Supreme People's Assembly cabinet: State Administration Council was appointed by the Supreme People's Assembly

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 note: 15 August 1945, date of independence from the Japanese and celebrated in North Korea as National Liberation Day

International organization participation

ESCAP, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Judicial branch

Central Court, judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly

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): elections last held 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

Name of country

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

National holiday

DPRK Foundation Day, 9 September (1948)

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

Suffrage

17 years of age; universal

Type of government

Communist state; Stalinist dictatorship

US diplomatic representation

none

Age structure

0-14 years: 30% (male 3,605,972; female 3,465,038) 15-64 years: 66% (male 7,871,783; female 7,956,935) 65 years and over: 4% (male 355,284; female 649,112) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

22.86 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

5.45 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

racially homogeneous

Infant mortality rate

25.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

Korean

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 70.32 years male: 67.23 years female: 73.57 years (1996 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write Korean (1990 est.) total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99%

Nationality

noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

23,904,124 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

1.74% (1996 est.)

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

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.55 male(s)/female all ages: 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.31 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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 2 437 m: 5 with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 12 with unpaved runways under 914 m: 6 (1994 est.)

Highways

total: 30,000 km paved: 4,500 km unpaved: 25,500 km

Merchant marine

total: 88 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 712,480 GRT/1,140,923 DWT ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 71, 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 34,782 DWT operating under the registries of Hondurus and Poland (1995 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 37 km

Ports

Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin, Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan

Railways

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)

Waterways

2,253 km; mostly navigable by small craft only