KOREA, NORTH                                                                    
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 120,540 km2; land area: 120,410 km2                                 
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Mississippi                             
                                                                                
Land boundaries: 1,671 km total; China 1,416 km, South Korea 238                
km, USSR 17 km                                                                  
                                                                                
Coastline: 2,495 km                                                             
                                                                                
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)                                         
                                                                                
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             
NEGL%; forest and woodland 74%; other 7%; includes irrigated 9%                 
                                                                                
Environment: mountainous interior is isolated, nearly inaccessible,             
and sparsely populated; late spring droughts often followed by severe           
flooding                                                                        
                                                                                
Note: strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and USSR                 
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 21,814,656 (July 1991), growth rate 1.9% (1991)                     
                                                                                
Birth rate: 24 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                          
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 30 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 72 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 2.5 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Korean(s); adjective--Korean                                 
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: racially homogeneous                                          
                                                                                
Religion: Buddhism and Confucianism; religious activities now                   
almost nonexistent                                                              
                                                                                
Language: Korean                                                                
                                                                                
Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)                                            
                                                                                
Labor force: 9,615,000; agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%;                  
shortage of skilled and unskilled labor (mid-1987 est.)                         
                                                                                
Organized labor: 1,600,000 members; single-trade union system                   
coordinated by the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea under the        
Central Committee                                                               
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: Democratic People's Republic of Korea; abbreviated              
DPRK                                                                            
                                                                                
Type: Communist state; dictatorship                                             
                                                                                
Capital: P'yongyang                                                             
                                                                                
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                                     
                                                                                
Independence: 9 September 1948                                                  
                                                                                
Constitution: adopted 1948, revised 27 December 1972                            
                                                                                
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                              
                                                                                
National holiday: Independence Day, 9 September (1948)                          
                                                                                
Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, premier, eleven               
vice premiers, State Administration Council (cabinet)                           
                                                                                
Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme People's Assembly (Ch'oego               
Inmin Hoeui)                                                                    
                                                                                
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)              
                                                                                
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                                                   
                                                                                
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              
                                                                                
Communists: KWP claims membership of about 3 million                            
                                                                                
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                                                             
                                                                                
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 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.                                      
                                                                                
GNP: $29.7 billion, per capita $1,390; real growth rate 2%                      
(1990 est.)                                                                     
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%                                           
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: officially none                                              
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $15.6 billion; expenditures $15.6 billion,                     
including capital expenditures of $NA (1989)                                    
                                                                                
Exports: $1.95 billion (f.o.b., 1989);                                          
                                                                                
commodities--minerals, metallurgical products, agricultural                     
products, manufactures;                                                         
                                                                                
partners--USSR, China, Japan, Hong Kong, FRG, Singapore                         
                                                                                
Imports: $2.85 billion (f.o.b., 1989);                                          
                                                                                
commodities--petroleum, machinery and equipment, coking coal,                   
grain;                                                                          
                                                                                
partners--USSR, Japan, China, Hong Kong, FRG, Singapore                         
                                                                                
External debt: $7 billion (1991)                                                
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate NA%                                          
                                                                                
Electricity: 6,440,000 kW capacity; 40,250 million kWh produced,                
1,890 kWh per capita (1990)                                                     
                                                                                
Industries: machine building, military products, electric power,                
chemicals, mining, metallurgy, textiles, food processing                        
                                                                                
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                  
                                                                                
Economic aid: Communist countries, $1.4 billion a year in the 1980s             
                                                                                
Currency: North Korean won (plural--won);                                       
1 North Korean won (Wn) = 100 chon                                              
                                                                                
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)                                              
                                                                                
Fiscal year: calendar year                                                      
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
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)                                   
                                                                                
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                
                                                                                
Pipelines: crude oil, 37 km                                                     
                                                                                
Ports: Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam, Namp'o, Wonsan, Songnim,                      
Najin, Sonbong                                                                  
                                                                                
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                                              
                                                                                
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                       
                                                                                
Telecommunications: stations--18 AM, no FM, 11 TV; 200,000 TV sets;             
3,500,000 radio receivers; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station                
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: Korean People's Army (includes of the Army, Navy,                     
Air Force), Civil Security Forces                                               
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 6,381,859; 3,899,606 fit for                
military service; 214,690 reach military age (18) annually                      
                                                                                
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.)                                                           
                                                                                
