View source for North Korea

{{#seo:
|description= North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and
}}
{{Short description|Country in East Asia}}
{{Redirect-distinguish-text|Democratic People's Republic of Korea|the Republic of Korea (South Korea) or the provisional People's Republic of Korea (1945–1946)}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}
{{pp-move}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Democratic People's Republic of Korea
| common_name            = North Korea
| native_name            = {{nowrap|{{native name|ko|조선민주주의인민공화국|italics=off}}<br />{{resize|90%|{{lang|ko-latn|Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk}}{{nbsp}}(MR)}}}}<!--Please do not add official regional/minority languages here; use the langbox template directly below, included specifically for that purpose-->
| image_flag             = Flag of North Korea.svg
| image_coat             = Emblem of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.svg
| coa_size               = 80
| symbol_type            = Emblem
| other_symbol           = 
| anthem                 = {{lang|ko|애국가}}<br />{{transliteration|ko|Aegukka}}<br />("The Patriotic Song"){{parabr}}[[File:Aegukka - National Anthem of North Korea.wav|centre]]
| national_motto         = 
| image_map              = Democratic People's Republic of Korea (orthographic projection).svg
| map_caption            = {{Legend|#336733|Territory controlled}}
{{Legend|#49c946|South Korea (claimed but not controlled)}}
| capital                = Pyongyang
| largest_city           = capital
| coordinates            = {{coord|39|2|N|125|45|E|type:city}}
| official_languages     = Korean (Munhwaŏ)
| languages_type         = Official script
| languages              = Chosŏn'gŭl
| demonym                = {{hlist|North Korean|Korean}}
| religion               = {{plainlist|
* 73% no religion{{efn|58% agnostic, 15% atheist. North Korea is officially an atheist state.}}
* 13% Chondoism
* 12% Shamanism
* 1.5% Buddhism
* 0.5% other{{efn|Including Christianity, Islam, and Chinese folk religion.}}
}}
| religion_year          = 2020
| government_type        = <!--Do not change or make additions without consensus on Talk page.-->Unitary one-party socialist republic under a totalitarian hereditary dictatorship
| leader_title1          = <!-- The title of "Supreme Leader" has not been written into the state constitution or the party rules as a separate office. -->WPK General Secretary and SAC President{{efn|The Supreme Leader of North Korea, who holds the titles of: 
* General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea
* President of the State Affairs of North Korea
* Chairman of the Central Military Commission
* Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Force}}
| leader_name1           = Kim Jong Un
| leader_title2          = Premier
| leader_name2           = Pak Thae-song
| leader_title3          = SPA Standing Committee Chairman and SAC First Vice President
| leader_name3           = Choe Ryong-hae
| leader_title4          = SPA Chairman
| leader_name4           = Pak In-chol
| ethnic_groups          = 
| ethnic_groups_year     = 
| legislature            = Supreme People's Assembly
| sovereignty_type       = Establishment history
| established_event1     = Gojoseon
| established_date1      = 2333 BC (mythological)
| established_event2     = Three Kingdoms
| established_date2      = 57 BC
| established_event3     = Balhae and Silla Kingdoms
| established_date3      = 668
| established_event4     = Goryeo dynasty
| established_date4      = 918
| established_event5     = Joseon dynasty
| established_date5      = 17 July 1392
| established_event6     = Korean Empire
| established_date6      = 12 October 1897
| established_event7     = Japanese annexation
| established_date7      = 22 August 1910
| established_event8     = Independence from Japan declared
| established_date8      = 1 March 1919
| established_event9     = Surrender of Japan
| established_date9      = 2 September 1945
| established_event10    = People's Republic of Korea
| established_date10     = 6 September 1945
| established_event11    = Soviet administration north of the 38th parallel
| established_date11     = 3 October 1945
| established_event12    = 1st provisional govt.
| established_date12     = 8 February 1946
| established_event13    = 2nd provisional govt.
| established_date13     = 22 February 1947
| established_event14    = DPRK established
| established_date14     = 9 September 1948
| established_event15    = Current constitution
| established_date15     = 27 December 1972
| area_km2               = 120,538<ref>{{cite web |title=Korea, North |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/korea-north/ |website=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |language=en |date=6 December 2023 |access-date=8 December 2023 |archive-date=12 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812052526/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kn.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| area_sq_mi             = 46,541
| area_rank              = 98th<!--Demographic Yearbook--><!-- Area rank should match List of countries and dependencies by area -->
| area_footnote          = <ref name="unstats08"/><ref>{{cite web |title=North Korea country profile |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-15256929 |website=BBC News |access-date=17 October 2023 |date=17 October 2023 |archive-date=7 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220607090712/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-15256929 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| percent_water          = 0.11
| population_estimate    = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 26,298,666<ref>{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Korea North|access-date=12 November 2024}}</ref>
| population_census      = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 24,052,231
| population_estimate_year = 2024
| population_estimate_rank = 54th
| population_census_year = 2008
| population_density_km2 = 212
| population_density_rank = 68th
| GDP_PPP                = $40 billion<ref name="CIAGDP(PPP)"/>
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2015
| GDP_PPP_rank           = 
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = $1,800<ref name="CIAGDP(PPP)Capita"/>
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 
| GDP_nominal            = $16 billion<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.un.org/en/iso/kp.html|title=UNData app|website=data.un.org|access-date=12 October 2022|archive-date=28 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128065859/https://data.un.org/en/iso/kp.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2019
| GDP_nominal_rank       = 
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = $640
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 
| Gini                   = 16.6
| Gini_year              = 2020
| Gini_change            = decrease
| Gini_ref               = <ref>{{cite journal |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aglobe.2022.100046 |title=Assessing regional economy in North Korea using nighttime light |journal=Asia and the Global Economy |date=December 2022 |volume=2 |issue=3 |doi=10.1016/j.aglobe.2022.100046 |access-date=2025-05-15 |last1=Kim |first1=Dawool |article-number=100046 }}</ref>
| HDI                    = 0.766
| HDI_year               = 1995
| HDI_ref                = <ref>{{cite report |date=January 1998 |title=Human development Report 1998 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-1998 |location=New York |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |access-date=2025-06-01}}</ref>
| currency               = Korean People's won (₩)
| currency_code          = KPW
| time_zone              = PYT<ref>{{cite web |title=Decree on Redesignating Pyongyang Time |url=http://www.naenara.com.kp/en/news/?19+8938 |website=Naenara |date=30 April 2018 |access-date=4 May 2018 |archive-date=5 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505065624/http://www.naenara.com.kp/en/news/?19+8938 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| utc_offset             = +09:00
| DST_note               = 
| time_zone_DST          = 
| antipodes              = 
| date_format            = {{unbulleted list |yy, {{lang|ko|yyyy년 mm월 dd일}} |yy, yyyy/mm/dd {{resize|75%|(AD–1911{{\}}AD)}}}}
| drives_on              = right
| calling_code           = +850<ref name="CIATelephone"/>
| iso3166code            = 
| cctld                  = .kp<ref name="Hersher2016"/>
| today                  = 
| footnotes              = {{notelist}}
}}

'''North Korea''',{{efn|North Koreans use the name {{transliteration|ko|Chosŏn}} ({{lang|ko-Hang-KP|조선}}, {{lang|ko-KP|朝鮮}}) when referring to North Korea or Korea as a whole. The literal translation of North Korea, {{transliteration|ko|Pukchosŏn}} ({{lang|ko-Hang-KP|북조선}}, {{lang|ko-KP|北朝鮮}}), is rarely used, although it may be found in sources that predate the Korean War. South Koreans use {{transliteration|ko|Bukhan}} ({{lang|ko-Hang-KR|북한}}, {{lang|ko-KR|北韓}}) when referring to North Korea, derived from the South Korean name for Korea, {{transliteration|ko|Hanguk}} ({{lang|ko-Hang-KR|한국}}, {{lang|ko-KR|韓國}}).}} officially the '''Democratic People's Republic of Korea''' ('''DPRK'''),{{efn|{{bulleted list|Also abbreviated as '''DPR Korea''' and '''Korea, DPR'''|Korean: {{lang|ko-Hang-KP|조선민주주의인민공화국}}<br />Hancha: {{lang|ko-KP|朝鮮民主主義人民共和國}}<br />MR: {{transliteration|ko|Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk}}}}}} is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu (Amnok) and Tumen rivers, and South Korea to the south at the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).{{efn|North Korea's border with South Korea is a disputed border as both countries claim the entirety of the Korean Peninsula.}} The country's western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eastern border is defined by the Sea of Japan. North Korea, like South Korea, claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands. Pyongyang is the capital and largest city.

The Korean Peninsula was first inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period. Its first kingdom was noted in Chinese records in the early 7th century BCE. 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 the Empire of 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, separate governments were formed in Korea: the socialist and Soviet-aligned Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the north, and the capitalist, 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), but no formal peace treaty has ever been signed. Post-war North Korea benefited greatly from economic aid and expertise provided by other Eastern Bloc countries. However, Kim Il Sung, North Korea's first leader, promoted his personal philosophy of ''Juche'' as the state ideology. Pyongyang's international isolation sharply accelerated from the 1980s onwards as the Cold War came to an end. The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 then brought about a sharp decline to the North Korean economy. From 1994 to 1998, North Korea suffered a famine with the population continuing to suffer from malnutrition. In 2024, the DPRK formally abandoned efforts to reunify Korea.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McCurry |first=Justin |date=16 Jan 2024 |title=Unification with South Korea no longer possible, says Kim Jong-un |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/16/unification-with-south-korea-no-longer-possible-says-kim-jong-un |work=The Guardian |pages=1}}</ref>

North Korea is a totalitarian dictatorship with a comprehensive cult of personality around the Kim family. Amnesty International considers the country to have the worst human rights record in the world. Officially, North Korea is a communist state that self-designates as an "independent socialist state"{{efn|The constitution of the DPRK, Article 1, states that "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is an independent socialist State representing the interests of all the Korean people."<ref>{{cite wikisource|title=Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (2019)|year=2019|anchor=CHAPTER_I._POLITICS|plainchapter=Chapter I. Politics }}</ref>}} which holds democratic elections; however, outside observers have described the elections as unfair, uncompetitive, and pre-determined, in a manner similar to elections in the Soviet Union. The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the sole ruling party of North Korea. According to Article 3 of the constitution, Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism is the official ideology of North Korea. The means of production are owned by the state through state-run enterprises and collectivized farms. Most services{{mdash}}such as healthcare, education, housing, and food production{{mdash}}are subsidized or state-funded.

North Korea follows ''Songun'', a "military first" policy which prioritizes the Korean People's Army in state affairs and the allocation of resources. It possesses nuclear weapons. Its active-duty army of 1.28 million soldiers is the fourth-largest in the world. In addition to being a member of the United Nations since 1991, North Korea is also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, the G77, and the ASEAN Regional Forum.

== Etymology ==
{{See also|Names of Korea}}
[[File:History of Korea-476.PNG|thumb|upright=0.7|left|The name ''Korea'' is derived from Goguryeo, also known as ''Koryŏ'', one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.]]

The modern spelling of Korea first appeared in 1671 in the travel writings of the Dutch East India Company's sailor Hendrick Hamel.<ref name="UDN">{{cite web |date=5 July 2008 |title= |script-title=zh:Korea原名Corea 美國改的名 |url=http://city.udn.com/54543/2933925 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006101951/http://city.udn.com/54543/2933925 |archive-date=6 October 2014 |access-date=28 March 2014 |publisher=United Daily News |language=zh}}</ref>

After the division of the country into North and South Korea, the two sides used different terms to refer to Korea: ''Chosun'' or ''Joseon'' ({{lang|ko|조선}}) in North Korea, and ''Hanguk'' ({{lang|ko|한국}}) in South Korea. In 1948, North Korea adopted ''Democratic People's Republic of Korea'' ({{Langx|ko|조선민주주의인민공화국}}, ''Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk''; {{Audio|조선민주주의인민공화국 발음.ogg|listen|help=no}}) as its official name. In the wider world, because its government controls the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, it is commonly called ''North Korea'' to distinguish it from South Korea, which is officially called the ''Republic of Korea'' in English. Both governments consider themselves to be the legitimate government of the whole of Korea.<ref>{{cite book |last=Buzo |first=Adrian |title=The Making of Modern Korea |url=https://archive.org/details/makingmodernkore00buzo |url-access=limited |publisher=Routledge |location=London |year=2002 |page=[https://archive.org/details/makingmodernkore00buzo/page/n82 72] |isbn=978-0-415-23749-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Cumings |first=Bruce |author-link=Bruce Cumings |title=Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |location=New York |year=2005 |pages=505–506 |isbn=978-0-393-32702-1}}</ref> For this reason, the people do not consider themselves as 'North Koreans' but as Koreans in the same divided country as their compatriots in the South, and foreign visitors are discouraged from using the former term.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nknews.org/2014/02/why-is-north-korea-called-the-dprk/|title=Why is North Korea called the DPRK?|last=Young|first=Benjamin R|date=7 February 2014|work=NK News|access-date=9 February 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209140607/http://www.nknews.org/2014/02/why-is-north-korea-called-the-dprk/|archive-date=9 February 2014}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Main|History of Korea|History of North Korea}}
[[File:Hangunhyeon.PNG|thumb|upright=0.75| The Four Commanderies of Han, established in the former territory of Gojoseon after the fall of Wiman Joseon.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/Korea.html |title=Early Korea |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150625032709/http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/Korea.html |archive-date=2015-06-25 }}</ref> The location of the commanderies has become a controversial topic in Korea in recent years.<ref>*{{Cite book |date=2015-12-24 |script-title=ko:매국사학의 몸통들아, 공개토론장으로 나와라! |publisher=ngonews |url=http://www.ngo-news.co.kr/sub_read.html?uid=82015 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-09-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919142317/http://www.ngo-news.co.kr/sub_read.html?uid=82015 }}
*{{Cite book |date=2016-08-21 |script-title=ko:요서 vs 평양… 한무제가 세운 낙랑군 위치 놓고 열띤 토론 |publisher=Segye Ilbo |url=http://www.segye.com/content/html/2016/08/21/20160821001406.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413160938/http://www.segye.com/content/html/2016/08/21/20160821001406.html |archive-date=2017-04-13 }}
*{{Cite book |date=2016-08-22 |script-title=ko:"갈석산 동쪽 요서도 고조선 땅" vs "고고학 증거와 불일치" |publisher=The Dong-A Ilbo |url=http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=001&oid=020&aid=0002997608 |access-date=2017-04-14 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224103952/https://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=001&oid=020&aid=0002997608 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, the location of the commanderies is not controversial outside of Korea.<ref group=note>
*{{cite book|last=United States Congress |title=North Korea: A Country Study |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ybmFuqReAqUC&pg=PA6 |year=2016 |publisher=Nova Science Publishers |isbn=978-1-59033-443-0 |page=6 }}
:"Han Chinese built four commanderies, or local military units, to rule the peninsula as far south as the Han River, with a core area at Lolang (Nangnang in Korean), near present-day P'yongyang. It is illustrative of the relentlessly different historiography practiced in North Korea and South Korea, as well as both countries' dubious projection backward of Korean nationalism, that North Korean historians denied that the Lolang district was centered in Korea and placed it northwest of the peninsula, possibly near Beijing."
*{{cite book|last=Connor|first=Edgar V.|title=Korea: Current Issues and Historical Background|year=2003|publisher=Nova Science Publishers|isbn=978-1-59033-443-0|page=112}}
:"They place it northwest of the peninsula, possibly near Beijing, in order to de-emphasize China's influence on ancient Korean history."
*{{harvnb|Kim, Jinwung|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=QFPsi3IK8gcC&pg=PA18 18]}}
:"Immediately after destroying Wiman Chosŏn, the Han empire established administrative units to rule large territories in the northern Korean peninsula and southern Manchuria."
*{{cite book|last=Hyung |first=Hyung Il |title=Constructing "Korean" Origins |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QxztLeLoVkQC&pg=PA129 |year=2000 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-00244-9 |page=129 }}
:"When material evidence from the Han commandery site excavated during the colonial period began to be reinterpreted by Korean nationalist historians as the first full-fledged "foreign" occupation in Korean history, Lelang's location in the heart of the Korean peninsula became particularly irksome because the finds seemed to verify Japanese colonial theories concerning the dependency of Korean civilization on China."
*{{cite book|last=Hyung |first=Hyung Il |title=Constructing "Korean" Origins |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QxztLeLoVkQC&pg=PA128 |year=2000 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-00244-9 |page=128 }}
:"At present, the site of Lelang and surrounding ancient Han Chinese remains are situated in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. Although North Korean scholars have continued to excavate Han dynasty tombs in the postwar period, they have interpreted them as manifestations of the Kochoson or the Koguryo kingdom."
*{{cite book|last=Xu |first=Stella Yingzi |title=That glorious ancient history of our nation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YFYVwaS8N58C&pg=PA223 |year=2007 |publisher=University of California, Los Angeles |isbn=978-0-549-44036-9 |page=223 }}
:"Lelang Commandery was crucial to understanding the early history of Korea, which lasted from 108 BCE to 313 CE around the Pyongyang area. However, because of its nature as a Han colony and the exceptional attention paid to it by Japanese colonial scholars for making claims of the innate heteronomy of Koreans, post 1945 Korean scholars intentionally avoided the issue of Lelang."
*{{cite book|last=Lee |first=Peter H. |title=Sourcebook of Korean Civilization: Volume 2: From the Seventeenth Century to the Modern |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N66XyMJ_sNsC&pg=PA227 |year=1996 |location=New York |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-07912-9 |page=227}}
:"But when Emperor Wu conquered Choson, all the small barbarian tribes in the northeastern region were incorporated into the established Han commanderies because of the overwhelming military might of Han China."
</ref>]]

According to Korean mythology in 2333 BC, the Gojoseon Kingdom was established by the god-king Dangun. Following the end of the Three Kingdoms of Korea into Silla and Balhae in the late 7th century, Korea was subsequently ruled by the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) and the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897). In 1897, King Gojong proclaimed the Korean Empire, which was annexed by the Empire of Japan in 1910.<ref name="Yi 1984 p.">{{cite book | last=Yi | first=Ki-baek | title=A New History of Korea | publisher=Harvard University Press | publication-place=Cambridge | date=1984 | isbn=978-0-674-61576-2 | pages=12, 56}}</ref>

=== Ancient Korea ===
{{multiple image
| align     = right
| direction = vertical
| image1 = History of Korea-Inter-country Age-830 CE.gif
| caption1 = Balhae (violet) and Silla (blue), circa 830 AD
| image2 = Man - Anak Tomb No. 3.jpg
| caption2 = Complex of Koguryo Tombs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
}}
{{multiple image
| align     = right
| direction = vertical
| image1 = SelectedTeachingsofBuddhistSagesandSonMasters1377.jpg
| caption1 = The oldest surviving metal movable type book, the ''Jikji'', was printed in 1377, and Goryeo created the world's first metal-based movable type in 1234.<ref name="print_c" />
| image2 = Nam Gate in Kaesong (5063812320).jpg
| caption2 = The old city gate in the center of Kaesong, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Monuments and Sites in Kaesong.
}}

The Korean Peninsula was inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.rom.on.ca/news/releases/public.php?mediakey=sg1yebpnv8|title=Ancient civilizations|publisher=Royal Ontario Museum|location=Canada|date=December 12, 2005|access-date=April 25, 2010|archive-date=January 8, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108064155/http://www.rom.on.ca/news/releases/public.php?mediakey=sg1yebpnv8|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opm.go.kr/warp/webapp/content/view?meta_id=english&id=35|title=Prehistoric Korea|website=About Korea|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302014245/http://www.opm.go.kr/warp/webapp/content/view?meta_id=english&id=35|archive-date=March 2, 2008|access-date=July 12, 2008}}, Office of the Prime Minister.</ref>

According to Korea's founding mythology, the history of Korea begins with the founding of Joseon (also known as "Gojoseon", or "Old Joseon", to differentiate it from the 14th century dynasty) in 2333 BC by the legendary Dangun.<ref name="koreashistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/korea/history.htm |title=Korea's History |publisher=Asian Shravan |access-date=February 17, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100128065300/http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/korea/history.htm |archive-date=January 28, 2010}}</ref><ref name="DangunGija">*{{cite book|last=Seth|first=Michael J.|title=A History of Korea: From Antiquity to the Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WJtMGXyGlUEC&pg=PA443|year=2010|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|isbn=978-0-7425-6717-7|page=443|access-date=January 1, 2016|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124005645/https://books.google.com/books?id=WJtMGXyGlUEC&pg=PA443|url-status=live}}
:"An extreme manifestation of nationalism and the family cult was the revival of interest in Tangun, the mythical founder of the first Korean state... Most textbooks and professional historians, however, treat him as a myth."
*{{cite book|last=Stark|first=Miriam T.|title=Archaeology of Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z4_bT2SJ-HUC&pg=PA49|year=2008|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-4051-5303-4|page=49|access-date=January 1, 2016|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124005645/https://books.google.com/books?id=z4_bT2SJ-HUC&pg=PA49|url-status=live}}
:"Although Kija may have truly existed as a historical figure, Tangun is more problematical."
*{{cite book|last=Schmid|first=Andre|title=Korea Between Empires|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lVgaAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA269|year=2013|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-50630-4|page=270|access-date=January 1, 2016|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124005645/https://books.google.com/books?id=lVgaAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA269|url-status=live}}
:"Most [Korean historians] treat the [Tangun] myth as a later creation."
*{{cite book|last=Peterson|first=Mark|title=Brief History of Korea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ByIo1D9RY40C&pg=PA5|year=2009|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-2738-5|page=5|access-date=January 1, 2016|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124005701/https://books.google.com/books?id=ByIo1D9RY40C&pg=PA5|url-status=live}}
:"The Tangun myth became more popular with groups that wanted Korea to be independent; the Kija myth was more useful to those who wanted to show that Korea had a strong affinity to China."
*{{cite book|last=Hulbert|first=H. B.|title=The History of Korea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WdusAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA73|year=2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-84941-4|page=73|access-date=January 1, 2016|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124005646/https://books.google.com/books?id=WdusAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA73|url-status=live}}
:"If a choice is to be made between them, one is faced with the fact that the Tangun, with his supernatural origin, is more clearly a mythological figure than Kija."</ref> Gojoseon was noted in Chinese records in the early 7th century.<ref>{{cite book| last1=Peterson|first1=Mark|first2=Phillip|last2=Margulies|title=A Brief History of Korea|publisher=Infobase Publishing|year=2009|isbn=978-1-4381-2738-5|page=6}}</ref> Gojoseon expanded until it controlled the northern Korean Peninsula and parts of Manchuria. Gija Joseon was purportedly founded in the 12th century BC, but its existence and role have been controversial in the modern era.<ref name="DangunGija" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Hwang |first=Kyung-moon |title=A History of Korea, An Episodic Narrative |title-link=A History of Korea: An Episodic Narrative |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-230-36453-0 |page=4}}</ref> In 108 BC, the Han dynasty defeated Wiman Joseon and installed four commanderies in the northern Korean peninsula. Three of the commanderies fell or retreated westward within a few decades. As Lelang Commandery was destroyed and rebuilt around this time, the place gradually moved toward Liaodong.{{Clarify|reason=Grammar and wording is a bit unusual; not sure of meaning|date=April 2023}} Thus, its force was diminished and only served as a trade center until it was conquered by Goguryeo in 313.<ref name="Gojoseon">[http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/Korea.html Early Korea] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150625032709/http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/Korea.html |date=June 25, 2015 }}. Shsu.edu. Retrieved April 17, 2015.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?cid=46620&docId=532555&categoryId=46620|script-title=ko:낙랑군|website=terms.naver.com|access-date=July 15, 2019|archive-date=May 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523054820/https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?cid=46620&docId=532555&categoryId=46620|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tR0FAQAAQBAJ&q=%EB%82%99%EB%9E%91%EA%B5%B0+%EC%B1%85&pg=PA52|script-title=ko:이야기보따리 삼국시대: 역사친구 004|last=이|first=문영|date=July 15, 2011|publisher=Sowadang|via=Google Books|isbn=978-89-93820-14-0|access-date=March 28, 2024|archive-date=March 28, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328145154/https://books.google.com/books?id=tR0FAQAAQBAJ&q=%EB%82%99%EB%9E%91%EA%B5%B0+%EC%B1%85&pg=PA52|url-status=live}}</ref>

Beginning around 300 BC, the Japonic-speaking Yayoi people from the Korean Peninsula entered the Japanese islands and displaced or intermingled with the original Jōmon inhabitants.<ref>{{cite book | surname = Vovin | given = Alexander | author-link = Alexander Vovin | chapter = Origins of the Japanese Language | doi = 10.1093/acrefore/9780199384655.013.277 | doi-access = free | title = Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Linguistics | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2017 | isbn = 978-0-19-938465-5}}</ref> The linguistic homeland of Proto-Koreans is located somewhere in southern Siberia/Manchuria, such as the Liao River area or the Amur River area. Proto-Koreans arrived in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula at around 300 BC, replacing and assimilating Japonic-speakers and likely causing the Yayoi migration.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Janhunen|first=Juha|date=2010|title=RReconstructing the Language Map of Prehistorical Northeast Asia|journal=Studia Orientalia|quote=... there are strong indications that the neighbouring Baekje state (in the southwest) was predominantly Japonic-speaking until it was linguistically Koreanized.|number=108}}</ref>

=== Three Kingdoms of Korea ===
During the Proto–Three Kingdoms period, the states of Buyeo, Okjeo, Dongye, and Samhan occupied the whole Korean peninsula and southern Manchuria. From them, the Three Kingdoms of Korea emerged: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla.

Goguryeo, the largest and most powerful among them, was a highly militaristic state<ref>{{cite book|last1=Yi|first1=Ki-baek|title=A New History of Korea|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-61576-2|pages=23–24|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g2mdVwXpMzwC&pg=PA23|access-date=November 21, 2016|year=1984}}</ref> and competed with various Chinese dynasties during its 700 years of history. Goguryeo experienced a golden age under Gwanggaeto the Great and his son Jangsu,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Yi|first1=Hyŏn-hŭi|last2=Pak|first2=Sŏng-su|last3=Yun|first3=Nae-hyŏn|title=New history of Korea|publisher=Jimoondang|isbn=978-89-88095-85-0|page=201|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KO8MAQAAMAAJ|quote=He launched a military expedition to expand his territory, opening the golden age of Goguryeo.|year=2005|access-date=August 26, 2016|archive-date=January 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114234407/https://books.google.com/books?id=KO8MAQAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Hall|first1=John Whitney|title=The Cambridge History of Japan|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-22352-2|page=362|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A3_6lp8IOK8C&q=%22The+reign+of+King+Kwanggaet%27o+is+thought+of+as+Koguryo%27s+golden+age+of+political+might+and+Buddhist+splendor.%22|access-date=July 29, 2016|year=1988|archive-date=January 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114234405/https://books.google.com/books?id=A3_6lp8IOK8C&q=%22The+reign+of+King+Kwanggaet%27o+is+thought+of+as+Koguryo%27s+golden+age+of+political+might+and+Buddhist+splendor.%22|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Embree|first1=Ainslie Thomas|title=Encyclopedia of Asian history|publisher=Scribner|isbn=978-0-684-18899-7|page=324|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LtwpAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Nevertheless%2C+the+reigns+of+Kwanggaet%27o+and+his+successor+Changsu+%28413-491%29+constituted+the+golden+age+of+Koguryo.%22|access-date=July 29, 2016|year=1988|archive-date=March 28, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328145304/https://books.google.com/books?id=LtwpAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Nevertheless%2C+the+reigns+of+Kwanggaet%27o+and+his+successor+Changsu+%28413-491%29+constituted+the+golden+age+of+Koguryo.%22|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Cohen|first1=Warren I.|title=East Asia at the Center: Four Thousand Years of Engagement with the World|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-50251-1|page=50|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Okjd2rDwb8IC&q=%22Koguryo%27s+Golden+Age%22|access-date=July 29, 2016|date=December 20, 2000|archive-date=December 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204041023/https://books.google.com/books?id=Okjd2rDwb8IC&q=%22Koguryo%27s+Golden+Age%22|url-status=live}}</ref> who both subdued Baekje and Silla during their respective reigns, achieving a brief unification of the Three Kingdoms and becoming the most dominant power on the Korean Peninsula.<ref name="Jinwung">{{cite book|last1=Kim|first1=Jinwung|title=A History of Korea: From "Land of the Morning Calm" to States in Conflict|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-00078-1|page=35|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QFPsi3IK8gcC&pg=PA35|access-date=October 11, 2016|date=November 5, 2012|archive-date=January 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114234408/https://books.google.com/books?id=QFPsi3IK8gcC&pg=PA35|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Kings and Queens of Korea |url=http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/archive/program/program_dynasty.htm?no=10039827 |publisher=KBS World Radio |access-date=August 26, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828051916/http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/archive/program/program_dynasty.htm?no=10039827 |archive-date=August 28, 2016}}</ref> In addition to contesting control of the Korean Peninsula, Goguryeo had many military conflicts with various Chinese dynasties, most notably the Goguryeo–Sui War, in which Goguryeo defeated a huge force said to number over a million men.<ref>*{{cite book|last1=White|first1=Matthew|title=Atrocities: The 100 Deadliest Episodes in Human History|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|isbn=978-0-393-08192-3|page=78|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0-fQHlaIpR4C&pg=PA78|access-date=November 8, 2016|date=November 7, 2011|archive-date=January 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114234918/https://books.google.com/books?id=0-fQHlaIpR4C&pg=PA78|url-status=live}}
*{{cite book|last1=Grant|first1=Reg G.|title=1001 Battles That Changed the Course of World History|publisher=Universe Pub.|isbn=978-0-7893-2233-3|page=104|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s4njwZGrZg4C&pg=PA104|access-date=November 8, 2016|year=2011|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124005647/https://books.google.com/books?id=s4njwZGrZg4C&pg=PA104|url-status=live}}
*{{cite book|last1=Bedeski|first1=Robert|title=Human Security and the Chinese State: Historical Transformations and the Modern Quest for Sovereignty|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-12597-5|page=90|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iNl9AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA90|access-date=November 8, 2016|date=March 12, 2007|archive-date=January 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114234920/https://books.google.com/books?id=iNl9AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA90|url-status=live}}
*{{cite book|last1=Yi|first1=Ki-baek|title=A New History of Korea|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-61576-2|page=47|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g2mdVwXpMzwC&pg=PA47|access-date=July 29, 2016|quote=Koguryŏ was the first to open hostilities, with a bold assault across the Liao River against Liao-hsi, in 598. The Sui emperor, Wen Ti, launched a retaliatory attack on Koguryŏ but met with reverses and turned back in mid-course. Yang Ti, the next Sui emperor, proceeded in 612 to mount an invasion of unprecedented magnitude, marshalling a huge force said to number over a million men. And when his armies failed to take Liao-tung Fortress (modern Liao-yang), the anchor of Koguryŏ's first line of defense, he had a nearly a third of his forces, some 300,000 strong, break off the battle there and strike directly at the Koguryŏ capital of P'yŏngyang. But the Sui army was lured into a trap by the famed Koguryŏ commander Ŭlchi Mundŏk, and suffered a calamitous defeat at the Salsu (Ch'ŏngch'ŏn) River. It is said that only 2,700 of the 300,000 Sui soldiers who had crossed the Yalu survived to find their way back, and the Sui emperor now lifted the siege of Liao-tung Fortress and withdrew his forces to China proper. Yang Ti continued to send his armies against Koguryŏ but again without success, and before long his war-weakened empire crumbled.|year=1984|archive-date=January 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114234931/https://books.google.com/books?id=g2mdVwXpMzwC&pg=PA47|url-status=live}}
*{{cite book|last1=Nahm|first1=Andrew C.|title=A Panorama of 5000 Years: Korean History|date=2005|publisher=Hollym International Corporation|location=Seoul|isbn=978-0-930878-68-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/panoramaof5000ye0000nahm/page/18 18]|edition=Second revised|quote=China, which had been split into many states since the early 3rd century, was reunified by the Sui dynasty at the end of the 6th century. Soon after that, Sui China mobilized a large number of troops and launched war against Koguryŏ. However, the people of Koguryŏ were united and they were able to repel the Chinese aggressors. In 612, Sui troops invaded Korea again, but Koguryŏ forces fought bravely and destroyed Sui troops everywhere. General Ŭlchi Mundŏk of Koguryŏ completely wiped out some 300,000 Sui troops which came across the Yalu River in the battles near the Salsu River (now Ch'ŏngch'ŏn River) with his ingenious military tactics. Only 2,700 Sui troops were able to flee from Korea. The Sui dynasty, which wasted so much energy and manpower in aggressive wars against Koguryŏ, fell in 618.|url=https://archive.org/details/panoramaof5000ye0000nahm/page/18}}</ref>

Baekje was a maritime power,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ebrey|first1=Patricia Buckley|last2=Walthall|first2=Anne|last3=Palais|first3=James B.|title=East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History|year=2006|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|isbn=978-0-618-13384-0|page=123|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0entAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Paekche+was+probably+the+most+important+maritime+nation+in+the+late+fourth+century%22|access-date=September 12, 2016|archive-date=March 28, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328145155/https://books.google.com/books?id=0entAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Paekche+was+probably+the+most+important+maritime+nation+in+the+late+fourth+century%22|url-status=live}}</ref> sometimes called the "Phoenicia of East Asia".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kitagawa |first1=Joseph |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9fyzAAAAQBAJ&q=%22the+Phoenicia+of+medieval+East+Asia%22 |title=The Religious Traditions of Asia: Religion, History, and Culture |date=September 5, 2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-87590-8 |page=348 |access-date=July 21, 2016}}</ref> Its maritime ability was instrumental in the dissemination of Buddhism throughout East Asia and spreading continental culture to Japan.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kitagawa|first1=Joseph|title=The Religious Traditions of Asia: Religion, History, and Culture|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-87590-8|page=348|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9fyzAAAAQBAJ&q=%22Of+vital+importance+for+the+dissemination+of+Buddhism+throughout+East+Asia%2C+however%2C+was+Paekche%27s+nautical+skill%2C+which+made+the+kingdom+the+Phoenicia+of+medieval+East+Asia.%22|access-date=July 29, 2016|date=September 5, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203192409/https://books.google.com/books?id=9fyzAAAAQBAJ&q=%22Of+vital+importance+for+the+dissemination+of+Buddhism+throughout+East+Asia%2C+however%2C+was+Paekche%27s+nautical+skill%2C+which+made+the+kingdom+the+Phoenicia+of+medieval+East+Asia.%22|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Ebrey|first1=Patricia Buckley|last2=Walthall|first2=Anne|last3=Palais|first3=James B.|title=East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History, Volume I: To 1800|year=2013|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-1-111-80815-0|page=104|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CWE8AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA104|access-date=September 12, 2016|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124005701/https://books.google.com/books?id=CWE8AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA104|url-status=live}}</ref> Baekje was once a great military power on the Korean Peninsula, especially during the time of Geunchogo,<ref>{{cite book|title=A Brief History of Korea|publisher=Ewha Womans University Press|isbn=978-89-7300-619-9|pages=29–30|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o-WlUd3cjh0C&pg=PT29|access-date=November 21, 2016|date=January 1, 2005}}</ref> but was critically defeated by Gwanggaeto the Great and declined.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} Silla was the smallest and weakest of the three, but used opportunistic pacts and alliances with the more powerful Korean kingdoms, and eventually Tang China, to its advantage.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kim|first1=Jinwung|title=A History of Korea: From "Land of the Morning Calm" to States in Conflict|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-00024-8|pages=44–45|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s2EVi-MpnUsC&pg=PA44|access-date=September 12, 2016|year=2012|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124005648/https://books.google.com/books?id=s2EVi-MpnUsC&pg=PA44|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Wells|first1=Kenneth M.|title=Korea: Outline of a Civilisation|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-30005-7|pages=18–19|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6zoLCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA18|access-date=September 12, 2016|date=July 3, 2015|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124005648/https://books.google.com/books?id=6zoLCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA18|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 676, the unification of the Three Kingdoms by Silla led to the Northern and Southern States period, in which Balhae controlled the northern parts of Goguryeo, and much of the Korean Peninsula was controlled by Later Silla. Relationships between Korea and China remained relatively peaceful during this time. Balhae was founded by a Goguryeo general and formed as a successor state to Goguryeo. During its height, Balhae controlled most of Manchuria and parts of the Russian Far East and was called the "Prosperous Country in the East".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lee|first1=Injae|last2=Miller|first2=Owen|last3=Park|first3=Jinhoon|last4=Yi|first4=Hyun-Hae|title=Korean History in Maps|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-09846-6|pages=64–65|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=46OTBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA64|access-date=February 24, 2017|date=December 15, 2014|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124005648/https://books.google.com/books?id=46OTBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA64|url-status=live}}</ref>

Late Silla was a wealthy country,<ref>{{cite book |last1=MacGregor |first1=Neil |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r3mUtaSxCncC&pg=PT408 |title=A History of the World in 100 Objects |date=October 6, 2011 |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=978-0-14-196683-0 |access-date=September 30, 2016}}</ref> and its metropolitan capital of Gyeongju<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chŏng |first1=Yang-mo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DnaiYKYmQegC&pg=PA230 |title=Arts of Korea |last2=Smith |first2=Judith G. |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-87099-850-8 |page=230 |access-date=September 30, 2016}}</ref> grew to become the fourth largest city in the world.<ref>{{cite book |last1=International |first1=Rotary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HjIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA28 |title=The Rotarian |date=April 1989 |publisher=Rotary International |page=28 |access-date=September 30, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Ross |first1=Alan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bur02Vwn9jgC&pg=PT20 |title=After Pusan |date=January 17, 2013 |publisher=Faber & Faber |isbn=978-0-571-29935-5 |access-date=September 30, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Mason |first1=David A. |title=Gyeongju, Korea's treasure house |url=http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Column/view?articleId=109953 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003092928/http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Column/view?articleId=109953 |archive-date=October 3, 2016 |access-date=September 30, 2016 |publisher=Korean Culture and Information Service}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Adams |first1=Edward Ben |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=riLrAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Kyongju+City+became+one+of+the+most+influential+centers+of+Asia+and+fourth+largest+city+in+the+ancient+world+during+this+period%22 |title=Koreaʾs pottery heritage |publisher=Seoul International Pub. House |year=1990 |isbn=9788985113069 |page=53 |access-date=September 30, 2016 |archive-date=March 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328145304/https://books.google.com/books?id=riLrAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Kyongju+City+became+one+of+the+most+influential+centers+of+Asia+and+fourth+largest+city+in+the+ancient+world+during+this+period%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> It experienced a golden age of art and culture,<ref>{{cite book|last1=DuBois|first1=Jill|title=Korea|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=978-0-7614-1786-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/koreadubo00dubo/page/22 22]|url=https://archive.org/details/koreadubo00dubo|url-access=registration|quote=golden age of art and culture.|access-date=July 29, 2016|year=2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Randel|first1=Don Michael|title=The Harvard Dictionary of Music|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-01163-2|page=273|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=02rFSecPhEsC&q=%22golden+age+of+artistic+and+cultural+achievement%22|access-date=July 29, 2016|year=2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Hopfner|first1=Jonathan|title=Moon Living Abroad in South Korea|publisher=Avalon Travel|isbn=978-1-61238-632-4|page=21|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MhwXBQAAQBAJ&q=%22cultural+and+political+golden+age%22|access-date=July 29, 2016|date=September 10, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Kim|first1=Djun Kil|title=The History of Korea|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-03853-2|page=47|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ci_iGuAAqmsC&pg=PA47|access-date=September 30, 2016|date=January 30, 2005}}</ref> exemplified by monuments such as Hwangnyongsa, Seokguram, and the Emille Bell. It also carried on the maritime legacy and prowess of Baekje, and during the 8th and 9th centuries dominated the seas of East Asia and the trade between China, Korea, and Japan, most notably during the time of Jang Bogo. In addition, Silla people made overseas communities in China on the Shandong Peninsula and the mouth of the Yangtze River.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gernet|first1=Jacques|title=A History of Chinese Civilization|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-49781-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofchinese00gern/page/291 291]|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofchinese00gern|url-access=registration|quote=Korea held a dominant position in the north-eastern seas.|access-date=July 21, 2016|date=May 31, 1996}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Reischauer|first1=Edwin Oldfather|title=Ennins Travels in Tang China|publisher=John Wiley & Sons Canada, Limited|isbn=978-0-471-07053-5|pages=276–283|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HXqEAAAACAAJ|access-date=July 21, 2016|quote=From what Ennin tells us, it seems that commerce between East China, Korea and Japan was, for the most part, in the hands of men from Silla. Here in the relatively dangerous waters on the eastern fringes of the world, they performed the same functions as did the traders of the placid Mediterranean on the western fringes. This is a historical fact of considerable significance but one which has received virtually no attention in the standard historical compilations of that period or in the modern books based on these sources. ... While there were limits to the influence of the Koreans along the eastern coast of China, there can be no doubt of their dominance over the waters off these shores. ... The days of Korean maritime dominance in the Far East actually were numbered, but in Ennin's time the men of Silla were still the masters of the seas in their part of the world.|date=May 1, 1955|archive-date=March 28, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328145156/https://books.google.com/books?id=HXqEAAAACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Kim|first1=Djun Kil|title=The History of Korea, 2nd Edition|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-61069-582-4|page=3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IgxvBAAAQBAJ&q=%22Greater+Silla+dominated+the+Yellow+Sea%2C+the+East+China+Sea%2C+and+the+South+%28Korea%29+Sea+with+trade+between+Tang+China+and+Nara-Heian+Japan.%22|access-date=July 21, 2016|date=May 30, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Seth|first1=Michael J.|title=A Concise History of Korea: From the Neolithic Period Through the Nineteenth Century|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-0-7425-4005-7|page=65|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qe4PoOd89XIC&q=%22Koreans+dominated+the+commerce+of+Northeast+Asia+in+the+eighth+and+ninth+centuries%22|access-date=July 21, 2016|year=2006}}</ref> However, Silla was later weakened due to internal strife and the revival of successor states Baekje and Goguryeo, which culminated into the Later Three Kingdoms period in the late 9th century.

Buddhism flourished during this time. Many Korean Buddhists gained great fame among Chinese Buddhist circles<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mun|first1=Chanju|last2=Green|first2=Ronald S.|title=Buddhist Exploration of Peace and Justice|publisher=Blue Pine Books|isbn=978-0-9777553-0-1|page=147|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=au1oD1kKv94C&q=%22Korean+Buddhist+monks+such+as+Woncheuk%2C+Wonhyo+and+Uisang+enjoyed+a+very+high+fame+among+Chinese+Buddhists%22|access-date=July 29, 2016|year=2006}}</ref> and greatly contributed to Chinese Buddhism.<ref>{{cite book|last1=McIntire|first1=Suzanne|last2=Burns|first2=William E.|title=Speeches in World History|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-2680-7|page=87|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L-6ghsWDMTAC&q=%22Korean+thinkers+made+reciprocal+contributions+to+Chinese+Buddhism%22|access-date=July 29, 2016|date=June 25, 2010}}</ref> Examples of significant Korean Buddhists from this period include Woncheuk, Wonhyo, Uisang, Musang,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Buswell|first1=Robert E. Jr.|last2=Lopez|first2=Donald S. Jr.|title=The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-1-4008-4805-8|page=187|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DXN2AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA187|access-date=July 29, 2016|date=November 24, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Poceski|first1=Mario|title=Ordinary Mind as the Way: The Hongzhou School and the Growth of Chan Buddhism|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-804320-1|page=24|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5fwRXrVPh-cC&pg=PA24|access-date=July 29, 2016|date=April 13, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Wu|first1=Jiang|last2=Chia|first2=Lucille|title=Spreading Buddha's Word in East Asia: The Formation and Transformation of the Chinese Buddhist Canon|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-54019-3|page=155|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IX7ICgAAQBAJ&pg=PA155|access-date=July 29, 2016|date=December 15, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Wright|first1=Dale S.|title=The Zen Canon: Understanding the Classic Texts|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-988218-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JfHQCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT124|access-date=July 29, 2016|date=March 25, 2004}}</ref> and Kim Gyo-gak. Kim was a Silla prince whose influence made Mount Jiuhua one of the Four Sacred Mountains of Chinese Buddhism.<ref>*{{cite book|last1=Jeong|first1=Su-il|title=The Silk Road Encyclopedia|publisher=Seoul Selection|isbn=978-1-62412-076-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UgOwDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT668|access-date=July 29, 2016|date=July 18, 2016}}
*{{cite book|last1=Nikaido|first1=Yoshihiro|title=Asian Folk Religion and Cultural Interaction|publisher=Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht|isbn=978-3-8470-0485-1|page=137|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TozUCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA137|access-date=July 29, 2016|date=October 28, 2015}}
*{{cite book|last1=Leffman|first1=David|last2=Lewis|first2=Simon|last3=Atiyah|first3=Jeremy|title=China|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=978-1-84353-019-0|page=519|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dA_QbQiZkB4C&pg=PA519|access-date=July 29, 2016|year=2003}}
*{{cite book|last1=Leffman|first1=David|title=The Rough Guide to China|publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-0-241-01037-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FjqJAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT509|access-date=July 29, 2016|date=June 2, 2014}}
*{{cite book|last1=Jeong|first1=Su-il|title=The Silk Road Encyclopedia|publisher=Seoul Selection|isbn=978-1-62412-076-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UgOwDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT668|access-date=July 29, 2016|date=July 18, 2016}}
</ref>

=== Unified dynasties ===
In 936, the Later Three Kingdoms were united by Wang Geon, who established Goryeo as the successor state of Goguryeo.<ref name="Koryo1">{{cite book |last1=Rossabi |first1=Morris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sNpD5UKmkswC&q=%22As+the+self-proclaimed+successor+to+Koguryo+and+the+protector+of+Parhae+refugees%2C+many+of+them+of+Koguryo+origin%2C+Koryo+considered+the+northern+territories+in+Manchuria+its+rightful+legacy.%22 |title=China Among Equals: The Middle Kingdom and Its Neighbors, 10th–14th Centuries |date=20 May 1983 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=9780520045620 |page=323 |language=en |access-date=8 November 2016}}</ref><ref name="Koryo2">{{cite book |last1=Yi |first1=Ki-baek |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g2mdVwXpMzwC&pg=PA103 |title=A New History of Korea |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=1984 |isbn=978-0674615762 |page=103 |language=en |access-date=8 November 2016}}</ref><ref name="Koryo3">{{cite book|last1=Kim|first1=Djun Kil|title=The History of Korea|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-03853-2|page=57|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ci_iGuAAqmsC&pg=PA57|access-date=November 8, 2016|date=January 30, 2005|archive-date=January 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114234927/https://books.google.com/books?id=ci_iGuAAqmsC&pg=PA57|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Koryo4">{{cite book|last1=Grayson|first1=James H.|title=Korea – A Religious History|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-86925-9|page=79|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LU78AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA79|access-date=November 8, 2016|date=November 5, 2013|archive-date=January 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114234958/https://books.google.com/books?id=LU78AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA79|url-status=live}}</ref> Balhae had fallen to the Khitan Empire in 926, and a decade later the last crown prince of Balhae fled south to Goryeo, where he was warmly welcomed and included in the ruling family by Wang Geon, thus unifying the two successor nations of Goguryeo.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lee|first1=Ki-Baik|title=A New History of Korea|date=1984|publisher=Harvard University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=978-0-674-61576-2|page=103|quote=When Parhae perished at the hands of the Khitan around this same time, much of its ruling class, who were of Koguryŏ descent, fled to Koryŏ. Wang Kŏn warmly welcomed them and generously gave them land. Along with bestowing the name Wang Kye ("Successor of the Royal Wang") on the Parhae crown prince, Tae Kwang-hyŏn, Wang Kŏn entered his name in the royal household register, thus clearly conveying the idea that they belonged to the same lineage, and also had rituals performed in honor of his progenitor. Thus Koryŏ achieved a true national unification that embraced not only the Later Three Kingdoms but even survivors of Koguryŏ lineage from the Parhae kingdom.}}</ref> Like Silla, Goryeo was a highly cultural state, and invented the metal movable type printing press.<ref name="print_c">{{cite web |title=Korea, 1000–1400 A.D. {{!}} Chronology {{!}} Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History |url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/07/eak.html |publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art |access-date=August 19, 2016 |archive-date=August 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818174906/http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/07/eak.html |url-status=live }}</ref> After defeating the Khitan Empire, which was the most powerful empire of its time,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bulliet|first1=Richard|last2=Crossley|first2=Pamela|last3=Headrick|first3=Daniel|last4=Hirsch|first4=Steven|last5=Johnson|first5=Lyman|title=The Earth and Its Peoples, Brief: A Global History|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-1-285-44551-9|page=264|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E9sbCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA264|access-date=September 12, 2016|date=January 1, 2014|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124010152/https://books.google.com/books?id=E9sbCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA264|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Cohen|first1=Warren I.|title=East Asia at the Center: Four Thousand Years of Engagement with the World|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-50251-1|page=107|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Okjd2rDwb8IC&pg=PA107|access-date=September 12, 2016|date=December 20, 2000|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124010157/https://books.google.com/books?id=Okjd2rDwb8IC&pg=PA107|url-status=live}}</ref> in the Goryeo–Khitan War, Goryeo experienced a golden age that lasted a century, during which the Tripitaka Koreana was completed and significant developments in printing and publishing occurred. This promoted education and the dispersion of knowledge on philosophy, literature, religion, and science. By 1100, there were 12 universities that produced notable scholars.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lee|first1=Kenneth B.|title=Korea and East Asia: The Story of a Phoenix|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-95823-7|page=61|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XrZQs-6KswMC&pg=PA61|access-date=July 28, 2016|year=1997|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124010152/https://books.google.com/books?id=XrZQs-6KswMC&pg=PA61|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Bowman|first1=John|title=Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-50004-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/columbiachronolo00john/page/202 202]|url=https://archive.org/details/columbiachronolo00john|url-access=registration|quote=The Mongolian-Khitan invasions of the late tenth century challenge the stability of the Koryo government, but a period of prosperity follows the defeat of the Khitan in 1018..|access-date=August 1, 2016|date=September 5, 2000}}</ref>

However, the Mongol invasions in the 13th century greatly weakened the kingdom. Goryeo was never conquered by the Mongols, but exhausted after three decades of fighting, the Korean court sent its crown prince to the Yuan capital to swear allegiance to Kublai Khan, who accepted and married one of his daughters to the Korean crown prince.<ref name="Mongols">{{cite book|last1=Lee|first1=Kenneth B.|title=Korea and East Asia: The Story of a Phoenix|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-95823-7|page=72|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XrZQs-6KswMC&pg=PA72|access-date=November 12, 2016|year=1997|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124010152/https://books.google.com/books?id=XrZQs-6KswMC&pg=PA72|url-status=live}}</ref> Henceforth, Goryeo continued to rule Korea, though as a tributary ally to the Mongols for the next 86 years. During this period, the two nations became intertwined as all subsequent Korean kings married Mongol princesses,<ref name="Mongols" /> and the last empress of the Yuan dynasty was a Korean princess. In the mid-14th century, Goryeo drove out the Mongols to regain its northern territories, briefly conquered Liaoyang, and defeated invasions by the Red Turbans. However, in 1392, General Yi Seong-gye, who had been ordered to attack China, turned his army around and staged a coup.

Yi Seong-gye declared the new name of Korea as "Joseon" in reference to Gojoseon, and moved the capital to Hanseong (one of the old names of Seoul).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Yi|first1=Ki-baek|title=A New History of Korea|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-61576-2|page=165|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g2mdVwXpMzwC&q=%22Yi+Song-gye+named+his+dynasty+Choson%22|access-date=November 19, 2016|year=1984|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124010157/https://books.google.com/books?id=g2mdVwXpMzwC&q=%22Yi+Song-gye+named+his+dynasty+Choson%22|url-status=live}}</ref> The first 200 years of the Joseon dynasty were marked by peace and saw great advancements in science<ref>{{cite book|last1=Selin|first1=Helaine|title=Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-94-017-1416-7|pages=505–506|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GzjpCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA505|access-date=July 27, 2016|date=November 11, 2013|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124010157/https://books.google.com/books?id=GzjpCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA505|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Haralambous|first1=Yannis|last2=Horne|first2=P. Scott|title=Fonts & Encodings|publisher=O'Reilly Media, Inc.|isbn=978-0-596-10242-5|page=155|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qrElYgVLDwYC&pg=PA155|access-date=November 8, 2016|date=November 28, 2007|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124010158/https://books.google.com/books?id=qrElYgVLDwYC&pg=PA155|url-status=live}}</ref> and education,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lee|first1=Kenneth B.|title=Korea and East Asia: The Story of a Phoenix|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-95823-7|page=86|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XrZQs-6KswMC&pg=PA86|access-date=July 27, 2016|year=1997|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124010158/https://books.google.com/books?id=XrZQs-6KswMC&pg=PA86|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as the creation of Hangul by Sejong the Great to promote literacy among the common people.<ref name="Hangul">{{cite book|last1=Koerner|first1=E.F.K.|last2=Asher|first2=R. E.|title=Concise History of the Language Sciences: From the Sumerians to the Cognitivists|publisher=Elsevier|isbn=978-1-4832-9754-5|page=54|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VCqLBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA54|access-date=November 8, 2016|date=June 28, 2014|archive-date=January 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115045316/https://books.google.com/books?id=VCqLBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA54|url-status=live}}</ref> The prevailing ideology of the time was Neo-Confucianism, which was epitomized by the seonbi class: nobles who passed up positions of wealth and power to lead lives of study and integrity. Between 1592 and 1598, Japan under Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched invasions of Korea, but the advance was halted by Korean forces (most notably the Joseon Navy led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin and his renowned "turtle ship") with assistance from righteous army militias formed by Korean civilians, and Ming dynasty Chinese troops.<ref name="Perez 2013 140–141">{{cite book|title= Japan At War: An Encyclopedia|last= Perez|first= Louis|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=RHXG0JV9zEkC|year= 2013|publisher= ABC-CLIO|location= Santa Barbara, CA|pages= 140–141|isbn= 978-1-59884-741-3|access-date= June 19, 2015|archive-date= March 28, 2024|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240328145412/https://books.google.com/books?id=RHXG0JV9zEkC|url-status= live}}"Yi's successes gave Korea complete control of the sea lanes around the peninsula, and the Korean navy was able to intercept most of the supplies and communications between Japan and Korea"</ref> Through a series of successful battles of attrition, the Japanese forces were eventually forced to withdraw, and relations between all parties became normalized. However, the Manchus took advantage of Joseon's war-weakened state and invaded in 1627 and 1637 and then went on to conquer the destabilized Ming dynasty. After normalizing relations with the new Qing dynasty, Joseon experienced a nearly 200-year period of peace. Kings Yeongjo and Jeongjo particularly led a new renaissance of the Joseon dynasty during the 18th century.<ref>{{cite book|last1=신형식|title=A Brief History of Korea|publisher=Ewha Womans University Press|isbn=978-89-7300-619-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o-WlUd3cjh0C&pg=PT98|access-date=November 8, 2016|date=January 2005|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124010158/https://books.google.com/books?id=o-WlUd3cjh0C&pg=PT98|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Beirne|first1=Paul|title=Su-un and His World of Symbols: The Founder of Korea's First Indigenous Religion|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-04749-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8OPeCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT38|access-date=November 8, 2016|date=April 2016|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124010159/https://books.google.com/books?id=8OPeCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT38|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the 19th century, Joseon began experiencing economic difficulties and widespread uprisings, including the Donghak Peasant Revolution. The royal in-law families had gained control of the government, leading to mass corruption and weakening of the state.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} In addition, the strict isolationism of the Joseon government that earned it "the hermit kingdom" became increasing ineffective due to increasing encroachment from powers such as Japan, Russia, and the United States. This is exemplified by the Joseon–United States Treaty of 1882, in which it was compelled to open its borders.

=== Japanese occupation and World War II ===
{{Main|Korea under Japanese rule}}
[[File:Map of Japan and Korea (1945), National Geographic.jpg|thumb|A 1945 ''National Geographic'' map of Korea, showing Japanese place names and provincial boundaries.]]
In the late 19th century, Japan became a significant regional power after winning the First Sino-Japanese War against Qing China and the Russo-Japanese War against the Russian Empire. In 1897, King Gojong, the last king of Korea, proclaimed Joseon as the Korean Empire. However, Japan compelled Korea to become its protectorate in 1905 and formally annexed it in 1910. From 1910 to the end of World War II in 1945, Korea was under Japanese rule. What followed was a period of forced assimilation, in which Korean language, culture, and history were suppressed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Korea – Korea under Japanese rule {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Korea/Korea-under-Japanese-rule |access-date=April 27, 2022 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=April 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427013718/https://www.britannica.com/place/Korea/Korea-under-Japanese-rule |url-status=live }}</ref> This led to the March First Movement protests in 1919 and the subsequent foundation of resistance groups in exile, primarily in China. Among the resistance groups was Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.<ref>"Korean-Provisional-Government". ''Encyclopedia Britannica''. August 8, 2023.</ref>

During the Japanese colonial period, most Koreans were peasants engaged in subsistence farming.<ref>{{cite book | title = Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History| last = Cumings| first = Bruce| author-link = Bruce Cumings| year = 2005| publisher = W. W. Norton & Company| location = New York| isbn = 978-0-393-32702-1 |page=182}}</ref> In the 1930s, Japan developed mines, hydro-electric dams, steel mills, and manufacturing plants in northern Korea and neighboring Manchuria.<ref>{{cite book | title = Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History| last = Cumings| first = Bruce| author-link = Bruce Cumings| year = 2005| publisher = W. W. Norton & Company| location = New York| isbn = 978-0-393-32702-1 |pages=174–175, 407}}</ref> The Korean industrial working class expanded rapidly, and many Koreans went to work in Manchuria.<ref>{{cite book | title = Korea's Twentieth-Century Odyssey | url = https://archive.org/details/koreastwentieth00robi/page/84 | url-access = registration | last = Robinson | first = Michael E | year = 2007 | publisher = University of Hawaii Press | location = Honolulu | isbn = 978-0-8248-3174-5 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/koreastwentieth00robi/page/84 84–86] }}</ref> As a result, 65% of Korea's heavy industry was located in the north, but, due to the rugged terrain, only 37% of its agriculture.<ref>{{cite book | title = Korea since 1850 | last1 = Lone |  first1 = Stewart| last2 = McCormack | first2 = Gavan | author-link2 = Gavan McCormack | publisher = Longman Cheshire | location = Melbourne | year = 1993 | pages=184–185 }}</ref>

Due to its rule by Japan, northern Korea had little exposure to modern, Western ideas.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lone|first1=Stewart|title=Korea since 1850|last2=McCormack|first2=Gavan|publisher=Longman Cheshire|year=1993|location=Melbourne|page=175|author-link2=Gavan McCormack}}</ref> One partial exception was the penetration of religion. Since the arrival of missionaries in the late nineteenth century, the northwest of Korea, and Pyongyang in particular, had been a stronghold of Christianity.<ref>{{cite book|last=Robinson|first=Michael E|url=https://archive.org/details/koreastwentieth00robi|title=Korea's Twentieth-Century Odyssey|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-8248-3174-5|location=Honolulu|page=[https://archive.org/details/koreastwentieth00robi/page/113 113]|url-access=registration}}</ref> As a result, Pyongyang was called the "Jerusalem of the East".<ref>{{cite web|last=Lankov|first=Andrei| author-link = Andrei Lankov|date=16 March 2005|title=North Korea's missionary position|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/GC16Dg03.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050318052905/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/GC16Dg03.html|archive-date=18 March 2005|work=Asia Times Online|access-date=24 February 2024}}</ref>

A Korean guerrilla movement emerged in the mountainous interior and in Manchuria, harassing the Japanese imperial authorities. One of the most prominent guerrilla leaders was the Communist Kim Il Sung.<ref>{{cite book | title = Korea's Twentieth-Century Odyssey | url = https://archive.org/details/koreastwentieth00robi/page/85 | url-access = registration | last = Robinson | first = Michael E | year = 2007 | publisher = University of Hawaii Press | location = Honolulu | isbn = 978-0-8248-3174-5 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/koreastwentieth00robi/page/85 85–87, 155] }}</ref>

===Division of Korea===
{{Main|Division of Korea}}
[[File:Kim Il Sung Portrait.png|thumb|upright=0.75|Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea]]
Towards the end of World War II, the U.S. proposed dividing the Korean peninsula into two occupation zones: a U.S. zone and a Soviet zone. Dean Rusk and Charles H. Bonesteel III suggested the 38th parallel as the dividing line, as it placed Seoul under U.S. control. To the surprise of Rusk and Bonesteel, the Soviets accepted their proposal and agreed to divide Korea.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fry |first1=Michael |title=National Geographic, Korea, and the 38th Parallel |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/130805-korean-war-dmz-armistice-38-parallel-geography |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225074751/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/130805-korean-war-dmz-armistice-38-parallel-geography |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |publisher=National Geographic |access-date=May 15, 2021 |language=en |date=August 5, 2013}}</ref>

After the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II in 1945, the Korean Peninsula was divided into two occupation zones along the 38th parallel, with the northern half of the peninsula occupied by the Soviet Union and the southern half by the United States. Negotiations on reunification failed. Soviet general Terenty Shtykov recommended the establishment of the Soviet Civil Administration in October 1945, and supported Kim Il Sung as chairman of the Provisional People's Committee of North Korea, established in February 1946. In September 1946, South Korean citizens rose up against the Allied Military Government. In April 1948, an uprising of the Jeju islanders was violently crushed. The South declared its statehood in May 1948 and two months later the ardent anti-communist Syngman Rhee<ref>{{cite web|title=Administrative Population and Divisions Figures (#26)|work=DPRK: The Land of the Morning Calm|publisher=Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use|date=April 2003|url=http://www.pcgn.org.uk/North%20Korea-%20Land%20of%20the%20Morning%20Calm-%202003.pdf|access-date=10 October 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925042059/http://www.pcgn.org.uk/North%20Korea-%20Land%20of%20the%20Morning%20Calm-%202003.pdf|archive-date=25 September 2006}}</ref> became its ruler. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea was established in the North on 9 September 1948. Shtykov served as the first Soviet ambassador, while Kim Il Sung became premier.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

Soviet forces withdrew from the North in 1948, and most American forces withdrew from the South in 1949. Ambassador Shtykov suspected Rhee was planning to invade the North and was sympathetic to Kim's goal of Korean unification under socialism. The two successfully lobbied Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to support a quick war against the South, which culminated in the outbreak of the Korean War.<ref name=LankovArticle>{{cite news|last=Lankov|first=Andrei| author-link = Andrei Lankov|date=25 January 2012|title=Terenti Shtykov: the other ruler of nascent N. Korea|url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2012/01/363_103451.html|newspaper=The Korea Times |access-date=14 April 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417010008/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2012/01/363_103451.html |archive-date=17 April 2015}}</ref><ref name=ABC-CLIO>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyandtheheadlines.abc-clio.com/contentpages/ContentPage.aspx?entryId=1498210&currentSection=1498040&productid=33|title=Terentii Shtykov|last=Dowling|first=Timothy|publisher=ABC-CLIO |access-date=26 April 2015|website=History and the Headlines|date=2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924030620/http://www.historyandtheheadlines.abc-clio.com/contentpages/ContentPage.aspx?entryId=1498210&currentSection=1498040&productid=33 |archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="Lankov1945–1948">{{cite book|last=Lankov|first=Andrei| author-link = Andrei Lankov|chapter=North Korea in 1945–48: The Soviet Occupation and the Birth of the State|title=From Stalin to Kim Il Sung – The Formation of North Korea, 1945–1960|pages=2–3}}</ref><ref name=Lankov2>{{cite book|last=Lankov|first=Andrei| author-link = Andrei Lankov|date=10 April 2013|title=The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia|page=7|publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref>

===Korean War===
{{Main|Korean War}}
{{See also|Aftermath of the Korean War|Korean Demilitarized Zone|North Korea–South Korea relations}}
[[File:Korean war 1950-1953.gif|thumb|upright|Territory often changed hands early in the war, until the front stabilized.{{legend|#EF767E|North Korean, Chinese, and Soviet forces}}{{legend|#73AA73|South Korean, U.S., Commonwealth, and United Nations forces}}]]
The military of North Korea invaded the South on 25 June 1950, and swiftly overran most of the country. The United Nations Command (UNC) was subsequently established following the UN Security Council's recognition of North Korean aggression against South Korea. The motion passed because the Soviet Union, a close ally of North Korea and a member of the UN Security Council, was boycotting the UN over its recognition of the Republic of China rather than the People's Republic of China.<ref>{{cite web|title=United Nations Security Council – History|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/United-Nations-Security-Council/History|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=12 May 2021|language=en|archive-date=12 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512213111/https://www.britannica.com/topic/United-Nations-Security-Council/History|url-status=live}}</ref> The UNC, led by the United States, intervened to defend the South, and rapidly advanced into North Korea. As they neared the border with China, Chinese forces intervened on behalf of North Korea, shifting the balance of the war again. Fighting ended on 27 July 1953, with an armistice that approximately restored the original boundaries between North and South Korea, but no peace treaty was signed.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,528320,00.html|title=U.S.: N. Korea Boosting Guerrilla War Capabilities|date=23 June 2009|access-date=4 July 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627213353/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C528320%2C00.html|archive-date=27 June 2009|work=Fox News Network, LLC|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> Approximately 3 million people died in the Korean War, with a higher proportional civilian death toll than World War II or the Vietnam War.<ref name="Kim p.45">{{cite book|last=Kim|first=Samuel S.|chapter=The Evolving Asian System|title=International Relations of Asia|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2014|isbn=978-1442226418|page=45|quote=With three of the four major Cold War fault lines—divided Germany, divided Korea, divided China, and divided Vietnam – East Asia acquired the dubious distinction of having engendered the largest number of armed conflicts resulting in higher fatalities between 1945 and 1994 than any other region or sub-region. Even in Asia, while Central and South Asia produced a regional total of 2.8 million in human fatalities, East Asia's regional total is 10.4 million including the Chinese Civil War (1 million), the Korean War (3 million), the Vietnam War (2 million), and the Pol Pot genocide in Cambodia (1 to 2 million).}}</ref><ref name="Cumings p. 35">{{cite book|last=Cumings|first=Bruce|author-link=Bruce Cumings|title=The Korean War: A History|publisher=Modern Library|year=2011|isbn=978-0812978964|page=35|quote=Various encyclopedias state that the countries involved in the three-year conflict suffered a total of more than 4 million casualties, of which at least 2 million were civilians—a higher percentage than in World War II or Vietnam. A total of 36,940 Americans lost their lives in the Korean theater; of these, 33,665 were killed in action, while 3,275 died there of nonhostile causes. Some 92,134 Americans were wounded in action, and decades later, 8,176 were still reported as missing. South Korea sustained 1,312,836 casualties, including 415,004 dead. Casualties among other UN allies totaled 16,532, including 3,094 dead. Estimated North Korean casualties numbered 2 million, including about one million civilians and 520,000 soldiers. An estimated 900,000 Chinese soldiers lost their lives in combat.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=McGuire|first=James|title=Wealth, Health, and Democracy in East Asia and Latin America|url=https://archive.org/details/wealthhealthdemo00mcgu|url-access=limited|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2010|isbn=978-1139486224|page=[https://archive.org/details/wealthhealthdemo00mcgu/page/n217 203]|quote=In Korea, war in the early 1950s cost nearly 3 million lives, including nearly a million civilian dead in South Korea.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Painter|first=David S.|author-link=David S. Painter|title=The Cold War: An International History|url=https://archive.org/details/coldwarinternati00pain|url-access=limited|publisher=Routledge|year=1999|isbn=978-0415153164|page=[https://archive.org/details/coldwarinternati00pain/page/n40 30]|quote=Before it ended, the Korean War cost over 3 million people their lives, including over 50,000 US servicemen and women and a much higher number of Chinese and Korean lives. The war also set in motion a number of changes that led to the militarization and intensification of the Cold War.}}</ref><ref name="Lewy pp. 450-453">{{cite book|last=Lewy|first=Guenter|author-link=Guenter Lewy|title=America in Vietnam|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1980|isbn=978-0199874231|pages=450–453|quote=For the Korean War the only hard statistic is that of American military deaths, which included 33,629 battle deaths and 20,617 who died of other causes. The North Korean and Chinese Communists never published statistics of their casualties. The number of South Korean military deaths has been given as in excess of 400,000; the South Korean Ministry of Defense puts the number of killed and missing at 281,257. Estimates of communist troops killed are about one-half million. The total number of Korean civilians who died in the fighting, which left almost every major city in North and South Korea in ruins, has been estimated at between 2 and 3 million. This adds up to almost 1 million military deaths and a possible 2.5 million civilians who were killed or died as a result of this extremely destructive conflict. The proportion of civilians killed in the major wars of this century (and not only in the major ones) has thus risen steadily. It reached about 42 percent in World War II and may have gone as high as 70 percent in the Korean War.&nbsp;... we find that the ratio of civilian to military deaths [in Vietnam] is not substantially different from that of World War II and is well below that of the Korean War.|title-link=America in Vietnam}}</ref> In both per capita and absolute terms, North Korea was the country most devastated by the war, which resulted in the death of an estimated 12–15% of the North Korean population ({{circa}} 10 million), "a figure close to or surpassing the proportion of Soviet citizens killed in World War II", according to Charles K. Armstrong.<ref>{{harvnb|Armstrong|2010|p=1}}: "The number of Korean dead, injured or missing by war's end approached three million, ten percent of the overall population. The majority of those killed were in the North, which had half of the population of the South; although the DPRK does not have official figures, possibly twelve to fifteen percent of the population was killed in the war, a figure close to or surpassing the proportion of Soviet citizens killed in World War II."</ref> As a result of the war, almost every substantial building in North Korea was destroyed.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cumings|first=Bruce| author-link = Bruce Cumings|title=Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History|publisher=WW Norton & Company|year=1997|isbn=978-0-393-31681-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/koreasplaceinsun00bruc/page/297 297–298]|url=https://archive.org/details/koreasplaceinsun00bruc/page/297}}</ref>{{sfn|Jager|2013|pp=237–242}} Some have referred to the conflict as a civil war, with other factors involved.<ref name="AMH">{{Cite book|chapter=The Korean War, 1950–1953|url=http://www.history.army.mil/books/AMH-V2/AMH%20V2/|chapter-url=http://www.history.army.mil/books/AMH-V2/AMH%20V2/chapter8.htm|title=American Military History, Volume 2|year=2005|access-date=20 August 2007|publisher=United States Army Center of Military History|editor-last=Stewart|editor-first=Richard W.|id=CMH Pub 30-22|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528231553/http://www.history.army.mil/books/AMH-V2/AMH%20V2/|archive-date=28 May 2008}}</ref>

A heavily guarded demilitarized zone (DMZ) still divides the peninsula, and an anti-communist and anti-North Korea sentiment remains in South Korea. Since the war, the United States has maintained a strong military presence in the South which is depicted by the North Korean government as an imperialist occupation force.{{sfn|Abt|2014|pp=125–126}} It claims that the Korean War was caused by the United States and South Korea.<ref name="Brune1996">{{cite book|last=Brune|first=Lester H.|title=The Korean War: Handbook of the Literature and Research|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tq5JIGX04bgC&pg=PA60|year=1996|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-28969-9|page=60}}</ref>

In October 2024, North Korea claims that 1.4 million people have joined its military after accusing South Korea of a drone intrusion. In response, South Korea is restricting leaflet launches near the border to prevent potential conflict, while both sides engage in psychological warfare, including disturbing broadcasts at the border.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-10-16 |title=North Korea claims 1 million youth enlist amid drone tensions|language=en|work=TRTWORLD |url=https://www.trtworld.com/asia/north-korea-claims-1-million-youth-enlist-amid-drone-tensions-18220588 |access-date=2024-10-16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-10-15 |title=North Korea says 1.4 million apply to join army amid tensions with South|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/north-korea-claims-14-million-young-people-joined-army-this-week-2024-10-15/ |access-date=2024-10-16}}</ref>

=== Leadership of Kim Il Sung ===
[[File:Dprk pyongyang tchholima 05.jpg|thumb|230px|Statue of Chollima Movement in Pyongyang]]
The post-war 1950s and 1960s saw an ideological shift in North Korea, as Kim Il Sung sought to consolidate his power. Kim Il Sung was highly critical of Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev and his de-Stalinization policies and critiqued Khrushchev as revisionist.{{sfn|Armstrong|2010|p=9}} During the 1956 August Faction Incident, Kim Il Sung successfully resisted efforts by the Soviet Union and China to depose him in favor of Soviet Koreans or the pro-Chinese Yan'an faction.<ref name=Sino-SovietSplit>Chung, Chin O. ''Pyongyang Between Peking and Moscow: North Korea's Involvement in the Sino-Soviet Dispute, 1958–1975''. University of Alabama, 1978, p. 45.</ref><ref name=NKMajorPowers>{{cite journal|first1=Donald S.|last1=Zagoria|first2=Young Kun|last2=Kim|title=North Korea and the Major Powers|journal=Asian Survey|volume=15|issue=12|date=December 1975|pages=1017–1035|jstor=2643582|doi=10.2307/2643582| issn = 0004-4687}}</ref> Some scholars believe that the 1956 August incident was an example of North Korea demonstrating political independence.<ref name=Sino-SovietSplit /><ref name=NKMajorPowers />{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=XV}} However, most scholars consider the final withdrawal of Chinese troops from North Korea in October 1958 to be the latest date when North Korea became effectively independent. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, North Korea sought to distinguish itself internationally by becoming a leader of the Non-Aligned Movement and promoting the ideology of ''Juche''.<ref>Schaefer, Bernd. "North Korean 'Adventurism' and China's Long Shadow, 1966–1972". Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 2004.</ref> In United States policymaking, North Korea was considered among the Captive Nations.<ref>{{cite book|last=Campbell|first=John Coert|date=196|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T44nUbmBAD8C&q=%E2%80%9CCaptive+Nations%E2%80%9D&pg=RA1-PA116|title=American Policy Toward Communist Eastern Europe: The Choices Ahead|page=116|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=Minneapolis|isbn=0-8166-0345-6}}</ref> Despite its efforts to break out of the Soviet and Chinese spheres of influence, North Korea remained closely aligned with both countries throughout the Cold War.<ref name=Armstrong2>{{cite book|last=Armstrong|first=Charles|title=Tyranny of the Weak: North Korea and the World, 1950–1992|series=Studies of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University|publisher=Cornell University Press|pages=99–100}}</ref>

[[File:Pyongyang metro station 2.jpg|thumb|230px|Pyongyang Metro with bomb shelter functions]]

Industry was the favored sector in North Korea. Industrial production returned to pre-war levels by 1957. In 1959, relations with Japan had improved somewhat, and North Korea began allowing the repatriation of Japanese citizens in the country. The same year, North Korea revalued the North Korean won, which held greater value than its South Korean counterpart. Until the 1960s, economic growth was higher than in South Korea, and North Korean GDP per capita was equal to that of its southern neighbor as late as 1976.{{sfn|Country Study|2009|pp=xxxii, 46}} However, by the 1980s, the economy had begun to stagnate; it started its long decline in 1987 and almost completely collapsed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, when all Soviet aid was suddenly halted.{{Sfn|French|2007|pp=97–99}}

An internal CIA study acknowledged various achievements of the North Korean government post-war: compassionate care for war orphans and children in general, a radical improvement in the status of women, free housing, free healthcare, and health statistics particularly in life expectancy and infant mortality that were comparable to even the most advanced nations up until the North Korean famine.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cumings|first=Bruce|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pe86S4iCz34C|title=North Korea: Another Country|date=2011|publisher=The New Press|isbn=978-1-59558-739-8|page=9}}</ref> Life expectancy in the North was 72 before the famine which was only marginally lower than in the South.<ref name=":3">{{cite book|last=Lankov|first=Andrei| author-link = Andrei Lankov|title=The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia|date=2013|publisher=OUP US|isbn=978-0-19-996429-1|page=64}}</ref> The country once boasted a comparatively developed healthcare system; pre-famine North Korea had a network of nearly 45,000 family practitioners with some 800 hospitals and 1,000 clinics.<ref>{{cite web|last=Demick|first=Barbara|date=16 July 2010|title=North Korea's giant leap backwards|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jul/17/north-korea-famine-fears|access-date=21 January 2021|website=The Guardian}}</ref>

The relative peace between the North and South following the armistice was interrupted by border skirmishes, celebrity abductions, and assassination attempts. The North failed in several assassination attempts on South Korean leaders, such as in 1968, 1974, and the Rangoon bombing in 1983; tunnels were found under the DMZ and tensions flared over the axe murder incident at Panmunjom in 1976.<ref>Kirkbride, Wayne (1984). ''DMZ, a story of the Panmunjom axe murder''. Hollym International Corp.</ref> For almost two decades after the war, the two states did not seek to negotiate with one another. In 1971, secret, high-level contacts began to be conducted culminating in the 1972 July 4 South–North Joint Statement that established principles of working toward peaceful reunification. The talks ultimately failed because in 1973, South Korea declared its preference that the two Koreas should seek separate memberships in international organizations.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Bandow |editor1-first=Doug |editor2-last=Carpenter |editor2-first=Ted Galen|title=The U.S.–South Korean Alliance: Time for a Change |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HXdhDRCGD1kC&pg=PA99 |year=1992 |publisher=Transaction Publishers |location=New Brunswick |isbn=978-1-4128-4086-6 |pages=99–100 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913142656/https://books.google.com/books?id=HXdhDRCGD1kC&&pg=PA99 |archive-date=13 September 2016}}</ref>

=== Leadership of Kim Jong Il ===
The Soviet Union was dissolved on 26 December 1991, ending its aid and support to North Korea. In 1992, as Kim Il Sung's health began deteriorating, his son Kim Jong Il slowly began taking over various state tasks. Kim Il Sung died of a heart attack in 1994; Kim Jong Il declared a three-year period of national mourning, afterward officially announcing his position as the new leader.<ref name="edit_CNN-">{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9707/08/north.korea/|title=North Korea ends mourning for Kim Il Sung|last=Chinoy|first=Mike|date=8 July 1997|publisher=CNN|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519004336/https://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9707/08/north.korea/|archive-date=19 May 2015|access-date=9 May 2015}}</ref>

North Korea promised to halt its development of nuclear weapons under the Agreed Framework, negotiated with U.S. president Bill Clinton and signed in 1994. Building on Nordpolitik, South Korea began to engage with the North as part of its Sunshine Policy.<ref>Kwak, Tae-Hwan; Joo, Seung-Ho (2003). ''The Korean peace process and the four powers''. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. {{ISBN|978-0-7546-3653-3}}.</ref><ref>DeRouen, Karl; Heo, Uk (2005). ''Defense and Security: A Compendium of National Armed Forces and Security Policies''. ABC-CLIO.</ref> Kim Jong Il instituted a policy called ''Songun'', or "military first".<ref>[http://www.carlisle.army.mil/USAWC/Parameters/Articles/03spring/hodge.htm "North Korea's Military Strategy"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130224223043/http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/parameters/Articles/03spring/hodge.htm |date=24 February 2013}}, ''Parameters'', U.S. Army War College Quarterly.</ref>

Flooding in the mid-1990s exacerbated the economic crisis, severely damaging crops and infrastructure and leading to widespread famine that the government proved incapable of curtailing, resulting in the deaths of between 240,000 and 420,000 people. Which led many North Koreans to flee into China, South Korea and neighboring countries. In China, these illegal North Korea child immigrants are called the Kotjebi. In 1996, the government accepted UN food aid.<ref name="Spoorenberg" />

The international environment changed once George W. Bush became U.S. President in 2001. His administration rejected South Korea's Sunshine Policy and the Agreed Framework. Bush included North Korea in his axis of evil in his 2002 State of the Union Address. The U.S. government accordingly treated North Korea as a rogue state, while North Korea redoubled its efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.{{sfn|Jager|2013|p=456}}{{sfn|Abt|2014|pp=55, 109, 119}}<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Oberdorfer|first1=Don|last2=Carlin|first2=Robert|title=The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History|publisher=Basic Books|year=2014|pages=357–359|isbn=978-0465031238}}</ref> On 9 October 2006, North Korea announced it had conducted its first nuclear weapons test.<ref name="radioactive">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/13/AR2006101300576.html|title=U.S.: Test Points to N. Korea Nuke Blast|last1=Burns|first1=Robert|date=13 October 2006|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=18 January 2020|last2=Gearan|first2=Anne|archive-date=5 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005192040/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/13/AR2006101300576.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nukeconfirmed">{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aO7kW.RjqqaE&refer=japan|title=North Korea Nuclear Test Confirmed by U.S. Intelligence Agency|last=Bliss|first=Jeff|date=16 October 2006|work=Bloomberg News|access-date=16 October 2006|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930030836/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aO7kW.RjqqaE&refer=japan|archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref>
[[File:Minister of Defence of Russian Federation takes part in solemn events dedicated to 70th anniversary of Day of Victory in Great Fatherland Liberation War 01.jpg|thumb|Kim Jong Un with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu during the ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, in Pyongyang, 27 July 2023]]
U.S. President Barack Obama adopted a policy of "strategic patience", resisting making deals with North Korea.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/66581/sung-yoon-lee/the-pyongyang-playbook|title=The Pyongyang Playbook |access-date=6 November 2010|last1=Lee|first1=Sung-Yoon |author-link=Sung-Yoon Lee|date=26 August 2010|work=Foreign Policy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100904041934/http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/66581/sung-yoon-lee/the-pyongyang-playbook |archive-date=4 September 2010}}</ref> Tensions with South Korea and the United States increased in 2010 with the sinking of the South Korean warship ''Cheonan''<ref name="Anger at North Korea over sinking">{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_pacific/10131683.stm|work=BBC News|title=Anger at North Korea over sinking|date=20 May 2010 |access-date=23 May 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523031829/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_pacific/10131683.stm |archive-date=23 May 2010}}</ref> and North Korea's bombardment of Yeonpyeongdo.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2010/11/24/86/0301000000AEN20101124012200315F.HTML|title=S. Korea to toughen rules of engagement against N. Korean attack |access-date=24 November 2010|author=Deok-hyun Kim|date=24 November 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201215252/http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2010/11/24/86/0301000000AEN20101124012200315F.HTML |archive-date=1 December 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2010/201011/news24/20101124-09ee.html|title=Lee Myung Bak Group Accused of Scuttling Dialogue and Humanitarian Work |access-date=24 November 2010|author=Korean Central News Agency |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128061222/http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2010/201011/news24/20101124-09ee.html |archive-date=28 November 2010}}</ref>

=== Leadership of Kim Jong Un ===
{{See also|2017–2018 North Korea crisis|2018–19 Korean peace process}}On 17 December 2011, Kim Jong Il died from a heart attack. His youngest son Kim Jong Un was announced as his successor.<ref name="apdeath">{{cite news|title=North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, 69, has died|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5izIlSjdJ6OnbxnvsA8REol_H-PpA?docId=e4eb9efdbd884d2fbff01ada250d87de |access-date=19 December 2011|newspaper=Associated Press|date=19 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111220172541/https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5izIlSjdJ6OnbxnvsA8REol_H-PpA?docId=e4eb9efdbd884d2fbff01ada250d87de |archive-date=20 December 2011}}</ref> In the face of international condemnation, North Korea continued to develop its nuclear arsenal, possibly including a hydrogen bomb and a missile capable of reaching the United States.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/north-koreas-military-capabilities|title=North Korea's Military Capabilities|first=Eleanor|last=Albert|publisher=Council on Foreign Relations|date=3 January 2018|access-date=11 March 2018|archive-date=20 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620172751/https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/north-koreas-military-capabilities|url-status=live}}</ref>

Throughout 2017, following Donald Trump's ascension to the US presidency, tensions between the United States and North Korea increased, and there was heightened rhetoric between the two, with Trump threatening "fire and fury" if North Korea ever attacked U.S. territory<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-trump-warns-north-korea-of-fire-and-1502220642-htmlstory.html|title=Trump warns North Korea of 'fire and fury'|last=Bierman|first=Noah|website=Los Angeles Times|date=31 August 2017|access-date=4 August 2018|archive-date=4 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804200932/http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-trump-warns-north-korea-of-fire-and-1502220642-htmlstory.html|url-status=live}}</ref> amid North Korean threats to test missiles that would land near Guam.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-40883372|title=N Korea promises Guam strike plan in days|date=10 August 2017|work=BBC News|access-date=4 August 2018|language=en-GB|archive-date=6 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806073428/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-40883372|url-status=live}}</ref> The tensions substantially decreased in 2018, and a détente developed.<ref name="auto2">{{cite news|url=https://www.nknews.org/2018/02/delegation-visit-shows-n-korea-can-take-drastic-steps-to-improve-relations-mo|title=Delegation visit shows N. Korea can take 'drastic' steps to improve relations: MOU|last=Ji|first=Dagyum|date=12 February 2018|work=NK News|access-date=18 January 2020|archive-date=28 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328102708/https://www.nknews.org/2018/02/delegation-visit-shows-n-korea-can-take-drastic-steps-to-improve-relations-mo/|url-status=live}}</ref> A series of summits took place between Kim Jong Un of North Korea, President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, and President Trump.<ref>[https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/06/29/donald-trump-looks-brief-handshake-meeting-kim-jong-un/1608092001/ Donald Trump meets Kim Jong Un in DMZ; steps onto North Korean soil.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215213632/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/06/29/donald-trump-looks-brief-handshake-meeting-kim-jong-un/1608092001/ |date=15 February 2021 }} ''USA Today''. 30 June 2019.</ref>
[[File:Putin motorcade in Pyongyang (2024).jpg|thumb|Motorcade transporting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang, 19 June 2024]]
On 10 January 2021, Kim Jong Un was formally elected as the General Secretary in 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, a top title previously held by Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.<ref>{{cite web|author=Hyonhee Shin|date=11 January 2021|title=Mixed signals for North Korean leader's sister as Kim seeks to cement power|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-politics/north-korea-says-leader-kim-elected-as-general-secretary-of-ruling-party-kcna-idUSKBN29F0OD|access-date=11 January 2021|publisher=Reuters|archive-date=26 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926081208/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-politics/north-korea-says-leader-kim-elected-as-general-secretary-of-ruling-party-kcna-idUSKBN29F0OD|url-status=live}}</ref> On 24 March 2022, North Korea conducted a successful ICBM test launch for the first time since the 2017 crisis.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Yoonjung|last1=Seo|first2=Gawon|last2=Bae|first3=Emiko|last3=Jozuka|first4=Brad|last4=Lendon|title=North Korea fires first suspected ICBM since 2017|url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/24/asia/north-korea-missile-test-intl-hnk/index.html|website=CNN|date=24 March 2022|access-date=12 June 2022|archive-date=7 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220507175443/https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/24/asia/north-korea-missile-test-intl-hnk/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In September 2022, North Korea passed a law that declared itself a nuclear state.<ref>{{cite news|title=North Korea declares itself a nuclear weapons state|date=9 September 2022|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62845958|access-date=9 September 2022|publisher=BBC News|archive-date=9 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909015548/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62845958|url-status=live}}</ref>

On December 30, 2023, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un provocatively declared South Korea, under the leadership of Yoon Suk Yeol, a "colonial vassal state",<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ko:조선로동당 중앙위원회 제8기 제9차전원회의 확대회의에 관한 보도 |publisher=로동신문 |url=http://www.rodong.rep.kp/ko/index.php?MTJAMjAyMy0xMi0zMS1OMDAxQDExQDBA64yA7ZWc66+86rWtQDBAMTE=== |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=www.rodong.rep.kp |archive-date=25 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125042536/http://www.rodong.rep.kp/ko/index.php?MTJAMjAyMy0xMi0zMS1OMDAxQDExQDBA64yA7ZWc66%2086rWtQDBAMTE=%3D%3D |url-status=live }}</ref> marking a significant departure from the longstanding position of mutual claims over the entire Korean Peninsula by both North and South Korea. This statement was followed by a call on January 15, 2024, for a constitutional amendment to redefine the boundary with South Korea as the 'Southern National Borderline,' further intensifying the rhetoric against South Korea. Kim Jong Un also stated that in the event of a war, North Korea would seek to annex the entirety of South Korea.<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ko:공화국의 부흥발전과 인민들의 복리증진을 위한 당면과업에 대하여 |publisher=Rodong Sinmun |url=http://www.rodong.rep.kp/ko/index.php?MTJAMjAyNC0wMS0xNi1OMDAxQDExQDBA64yA7ZWc66+86rWtQDBANA==== |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=www.rodong.rep.kp |archive-date=25 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125042532/http://www.rodong.rep.kp/ko/index.php?MTJAMjAyNC0wMS0xNi1OMDAxQDExQDBA64yA7ZWc66+86rWtQDBANA==== |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2024, North Korea deployed a contingent of troops to Russia in support of Russia's war against Ukraine.<ref>{{cite news |title=What we know about North Korean troops fighting Russia's war |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2796pdm1lo |work=BBC News |date=23 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Watch: North Koreans hunted by Ukrainian drones |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/12/23/one-in-ten-north-koreans-sent-to-ukraine-killed-or-wounded/ |work=The Telegraph |date=23 December 2024}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of North Korea|Geology of North Korea}}
[[File:North Korea Topography.png|thumb|upright=1.2|Topographic map of North Korea]]
North Korea occupies the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula, lying between latitudes 37° and 43°N, and longitudes 124° and 131°E. It covers an area of {{convert|120540|km2|sqmi|0|sp=us}}.<ref name="unstats08">{{Cite book|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2012/Table03.pdf#page=5|title=Demographic Yearbook – Table 3: Population by sex, rate of population increase, surface area and density|publisher=United Nations Statistics Division|year=2012|access-date=29 November 2014|page=5|archive-date=26 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826065042/https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2012/Table03.pdf#page=5|url-status=live}}</ref> To its west are the Yellow Sea and Korea Bay, and to its east lies Japan across the Sea of Japan.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

Early European visitors to Korea remarked that the country resembled "a sea in a heavy gale" because of the many successive mountain ranges that crisscross the peninsula.<ref name="Topography">{{cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+kp0030)|title=Topography and Drainage|publisher=Library of Congress|access-date=17 August 2009|date=1 June 1993|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041117072403/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd%2Fcstdy%3A%40field%28DOCID+kp0030%29|archive-date=17 November 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref> Some 80 percent of North Korea is composed of mountains and uplands, separated by deep and narrow valleys. All of the Korean Peninsula's mountains with elevations of {{convert|2000|m|ft|sp=us}} or more are located in North Korea. The highest point in North Korea is Paektu Mountain, a volcanic mountain with an elevation of {{convert|2744|m|ft|sp=us}} above sea level.<ref name="Topography"/> Considered a sacred place by North Koreans, Mount Paektu holds significance in Korean culture and has been incorporated in the elaborate folklore and personality cult around the Kim family.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Song|first=Yong-deok|title=The recognition of mountain Baekdu in the Koryo dynasty and early times of the Joseon dynasty|journal=History and Reality V.64|year=2007}}</ref> For example, the song, "We Will Go To Mount Paektu" sings in praise of Kim Jong Un and describes a symbolic trek to the mountain. Other prominent ranges are the Hamgyong Range in the extreme northeast and the Rangrim Mountains, which are located in the north-central part of North Korea. Mount Kumgang in the Taebaek Range, which extends into South Korea, is famous for its scenic beauty.<ref name="Topography"/>

The coastal plains are wide in the west and discontinuous in the east. A great majority of the population lives in the plains and lowlands. According to a United Nations Environmental Programme report in 2003, forest covers over 70 percent of the country, mostly on steep slopes.<ref name="United Nations Environmental Programme 12">{{cite web|url=http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20100724234402/http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 July 2010|title=DPR Korea: State of the Environment, 2003|author=United Nations Environmental Programme|page=12|access-date=26 August 2014}}</ref> North Korea had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 8.02/10, ranking it 28th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|display-authors=1|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G |doi-access=free}}</ref> The longest river is the Amnok (Yalu) River which flows for {{convert|790|km|mi|0|sp=us}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.koreanhistoryproject.org/Jta/Kr/KrGEO0.htm|title=Korea Geography|access-date=1 August 2007|last=Caraway|first=Bill|year=2007|work=The Korean History Project|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070706035307/http://koreanhistoryproject.org/Jta/Kr/KrGEO0.htm|archive-date=6 July 2007}}</ref> The country contains three terrestrial ecoregions: Central Korean deciduous forests, Changbai Mountains mixed forests, and Manchurian mixed forests.<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=1|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Climate===
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map PRK present.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|North Korea map of Köppen climate classification]]
North Korea experiences a humid continental climate within the Köppen climate classification scheme. Winters bring clear weather interspersed with snow storms as a result of northern and northwestern winds that blow from Siberia.<ref name="climate">{{cite web |title=North Korea Country Studies. Climate |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+kp0031) |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121212003435/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+kp0031) |archive-date=12 December 2012 |access-date=23 June 2010 |publisher=Lcweb2.loc.gov}}</ref> Summer tends to be by far the hottest, most humid, and rainiest time of year because of the southern and southeastern monsoon winds that carry moist air from the Pacific Ocean. Approximately 60 percent of all precipitation occurs from June to September.<ref name="climate"/> Spring and autumn are transitional seasons between summer and winter. The daily average high and low temperatures for Pyongyang are {{convert|−3|and|−13|°C|°F}} in January and {{convert|29|and|20|°C|°F}} in August.<ref name="climate"/>
{{clear}}

==Government and politics==
{{Main|Government of North Korea|Politics of North Korea}}
{{multiple image
| total_width = 330
| image1      = Kim_Jong-un_April_2019_(cropped).jpg
| height1     = 317.2
| caption1     = Kim Jong Un<br /><small>WPK General Secretary
and SAC President</small>
| image2      = Pak Thae-song in Moscow (cropped).jpg
| caption2     = Pak Thae-song<br /><small>Premier of the Cabinet</small>
| height2     = 317.2
| image3      = 18th_Summit_of_Non-Aligned_Movement_gets_underway_in_Baku_005_(cropped).jpg
| height3     = 317.2
| caption3      = Choe Ryong-hae<br /><small>SPA Standing Committee Chairman and SAC First Vice President</small>
}}

North Korea functions as a highly centralized, one-party totalitarian dictatorship.<ref name=":9">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15256929|title=North Korea country profile|date=9 April 2018|publisher=BBC News|access-date=21 June 2018|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308085335/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15256929|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/world/north-korea-defectors/|title=Kim Jong Un's North Korea: Life inside the totalitarian state|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=31 October 2020|archive-date=1 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201200057/https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/world/north-korea-defectors/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="britannica">{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/totalitarianism|title=Totalitarianism|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica|date=2018|access-date=31 October 2020|archive-date=17 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317045209/https://www.britannica.com/topic/totalitarianism|url-status=live}}</ref><!--Do not change without consensus. See Talk page and its archives.--><ref>{{cite book|title=Britannica Book of the Year 2014|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LccRAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA642|year=2014|publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.|location=London|isbn=978-1-62513-171-3|page=642|chapter=Korea, North}}</ref> According to its constitution, it is a communist state that self-describes as a revolutionary and socialist state "guided in its building and activities only by great Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism".<ref name="naenara">{{cite web |title=DPRK Socialist Constitution |url=http://www.naenara.com.kp/index.php/Main/index/en/politics?arg_val=constitution |website=Naenara |access-date=24 April 2020 |archive-date=15 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815120128/http://www.naenara.com.kp/index.php/Main/index/en/politics?arg_val=constitution |url-status=dead}}</ref> In addition to the constitution, North Korea is governed by the Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System (also known as the "Ten Principles of the One-Ideology System") which establishes standards for governance and a guide for the behaviors of North Koreans.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00400&num=4162|title=Kim Jong Il's Ten Principles: Restricting the People|author=Namgung Min|newspaper=Daily NK|date=13 October 2008|access-date=20 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408033900/http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00400&num=4162|archive-date=8 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), a communist party led by a member of the Kim family,<ref name="scmp-yoo-sep-18-2013">{{cite news |author=Audrey Yoo |date=16 October 2013 |title=North Korea rewrites rules to legitimise Kim family succession |newspaper=South China Morning Post |url=http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1296394/democratic-peoples-monarchy-korea-north-korea-changes-ruling-principles |url-status=live |access-date=16 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131028160038/http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1296394/democratic-peoples-monarchy-korea-north-korea-changes-ruling-principles |archive-date=28 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1 June 2021 |script-title=ko:북한 노동당 규약 주요 개정 내용 |trans-title=Major revisions to North Korea's Workers' Party rules |work=Yonhap News Agency |url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20210601170100504 |access-date=13 August 2022 |archive-date=2 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602021004/https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20210601170100504 |url-status=live }}</ref> has an estimated 6.5 million members<ref>{{cite web |last=Na |first=Hye-yoon |date=6 January 2021 |title= |script-title=ko:北, 당원 대폭 늘었나{{nbsp}}... 당 대회 참석수로 '650만 명' 추정 |trans-title=Has party membership surged in the north? Estimated attendance of '6.5 million' at party convention |url=https://www.news1.kr/articles/4172242 |access-date=28 August 2022 |website=News1 Korea |language=ko |archive-date=28 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828130640/https://www.news1.kr/articles/4172242 |url-status=live }}</ref> and is in control of North Korean politics. It has two satellite parties, the Korean Social Democratic Party and the Chondoist Chongu Party.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=192}}

Kim Jong Un of the Kim family is the current Supreme Leader or ''Suryeong'' of North Korea.<ref name="leon_DPRK">{{cite web |title=DPRK has quietly amended its Constitution |last=Petrov |first=Leonid |work=Korea Vision |date=12 October 2009 |access-date=21 July 2015|url=https://leonidpetrov.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/dprk-has-quietly-amended-its-constitution/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016015037/https://leonidpetrov.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/dprk-has-quietly-amended-its-constitution/ |archive-date=16 October 2015}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|reason=See reliable sources list on WP:KO/RS|date=May 2025}} He heads all major governing structures: he is the general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the Central Military Commission and president of the State Affairs.<ref name="NK Leaders">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-15258881 |title=North Korea profile: Leaders |publisher=BBC News |date=26 March 2014 |access-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518174559/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-15258881 |archive-date=18 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16325390|title=North Korea: Kim Jong-un hailed 'supreme commander' |publisher=BBC News |date=24 December 2011 |access-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107065350/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16325390 |archive-date=7 January 2014}}</ref> His grandfather Kim Il Sung, the founder and leader of North Korea until his death in 1994, is the country's "eternal President",<ref name="hitchens07">{{cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2180464/|title=Why has the Bush administration lost interest in North Korea?|last=Hitchens|first=Christopher|date=24 December 2007|work=Slate |access-date=9 April 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100520172644/http://www.slate.com/id/2180464/ |archive-date=20 May 2010}}</ref> while his father Kim Jong Il who succeeded Kim Il Sung as the leader was announced "Eternal General Secretary" and "Eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission" after his death in 2011.<ref name="NK Leaders"/>

According to the constitution, there are officially three main branches of government. The first of these is the State Affairs Commission (SAC), which acts as "the supreme national guidance organ of state sovereignty".<ref>Article 109 of the Constitution of North Korea</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=DPRK Constitution Text Released Following 2016 Amendments|url=https://nkleadershipwatch.wordpress.com/2016/09/04/dprk-constitution-text-released-following-2016-amdendments/|website=North Korea Leadership Watch |access-date=18 April 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418164245/https://nkleadershipwatch.wordpress.com/2016/09/04/dprk-constitution-text-released-following-2016-amdendments/ |archive-date=18 April 2017|date=4 September 2016}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|reason=See reliable sources list on WP:KO/RS|date=May 2025}} Its role is to deliberate and decide the work on defense building of the State, including major policies of the State, and to carry out the directions of the president of the commission, Kim Jong Un.<ref name="unikorea">{{cite web |date=January 2018 |title=Organizational Chart of North Korean Leadership |url=https://www.unikorea.go.kr/cms/getFile.do?file=2018012913454378143.pdf&orgname=north_korean_Leadership.pdf&mgmtId=MGMT_0000000754&siteId=SITE_00003&filePath=eng_unikorea/common/file/&count=Y#.pdf |access-date=17 October 2018 |publisher=Political and Military Analysis Division, Intelligence and Analysis Bureau; Ministry of Unification |location=Seoul |archive-date=18 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018003157/https://www.unikorea.go.kr/cms/getFile.do?file=2018012913454378143.pdf&orgname=north_korean_Leadership.pdf&mgmtId=MGMT_0000000754&siteId=SITE_00003&filePath=eng_unikorea%2Fcommon%2Ffile%2F&count=Y#.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The SAC also directly supervises the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of State Security and the Ministry of Social Security.<ref name="unikorea" />

[[File:Mansudae-Kongressalle.JPG|thumb|right|Mansudae Assembly Hall, seat of the Supreme People's Assembly]]

Legislative power is held by the unicameral Supreme People's Assembly (SPA).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-07 |title=North Korea {{!}} Facts, Map, & History {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/North-Korea |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=12 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012091631/https://www.britannica.com/place/North-Korea |url-status=live }}</ref> Its 687 members are elected every five years by universal suffrage,<ref>{{cite book|title=Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea|publisher=Foreign Languages Publishing House|year=2014|isbn=978-9946-0-1099-1|location=Pyongyang|page=1|chapter=Preamble|chapter-url=http://www.naenara.com.kp/en/book/download.php?4+4047#.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822192732/http://www.naenara.com.kp/en/book/download.php?4+4047|archive-date=22 August 2016|url-status=dead}} Amended and supplemented on 1 April, Juche 102 (2013), at the Seventh Session of the Twelfth Supreme People's Assembly.</ref> though the elections have been described by outside observers as similar to elections in the Soviet Union.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/10/world/asia/north-korea.html|title=North Korea Uses Election To Reshape Parliament|author=Choe Sang-Hun|date=9 March 2014|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=18 March 2014|archive-date=19 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319124440/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/10/world/asia/north-korea.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="defectorcensus">{{cite news|url=http://www.nknews.org/2014/03/the-weird-weird-world-of-north-korean-elections/|title=The weird, weird world of North Korean elections|last=Hotham|first=Oliver|date=3 March 2014|newspaper=NK News|access-date=17 July 2015|archive-date=21 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721115655/http://www.nknews.org/2014/03/the-weird-weird-world-of-north-korean-elections/|url-status=live}}</ref> The V-Dem Democracy report describes North Korea as a closed autocracy.<ref name="j496">{{cite web | title=Democracy Report 2025, 25 Years of Autocratization – Democracy Trumped? | url=https://v-dem.net/documents/54/v-dem_dr_2025_lowres_v1.pdf | access-date=14 March 2025}}</ref> Elections in North Korea have also been described as a form of government census, due to the near 100% turnout. Although the elections are not pluralistic, North Korean state media describes the elections as "an expression of the absolute support and trust of all voters in the DPRK government".<ref>{{Cite web |title=North Korea election turnout 99.99 percent: State media |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/3/12/north-korea-election-turnout-99-99-percent-state-media |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en |archive-date=5 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205124005/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/3/12/north-korea-election-turnout-99-99-percent-state-media |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-07-19 |title=North Korea elections: What is decided and how? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33584638 |access-date=2024-02-11 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |archive-date=4 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201004192001/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33584638 |url-status=live }}</ref> Supreme People's Assembly sessions are convened by the SPA Standing Committee, whose Chairman (Choe Ryong-hae since 2019) is the third-ranking official in North Korea.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|date=1 August 2022|title=North Korea's premier now ranks as top official. Is he Kim Jong Un's successor?|url=https://www.nknews.org/pro/north-koreas-premier-now-ranks-as-top-official-is-he-kim-jong-uns-successor/|access-date=28 August 2022|website=NK PRO|language=en-US|archive-date=5 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005003056/https://www.nknews.org/pro/north-koreas-premier-now-ranks-as-top-official-is-he-kim-jong-uns-successor/|url-status=live}}</ref> Deputies formally elect the chairman, the vice chairpersons and members of the Standing Committee and take part in the constitutionally appointed activities of the legislature: pass laws, establish domestic and foreign policies, appoint members of the cabinet, review and approve the state economic plan, among others.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=198}} The SPA itself cannot initiate any legislation independently of party or state organs. It is unknown whether it has ever criticized or amended bills placed before it, and the elections are based around a single list of WPK-approved candidates who stand without opposition.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|pp=197–198}}

Executive power is vested in the Cabinet of North Korea, which has been headed by Premier Pak Thae-song since 29 December 2024,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk01700&num=10516|title=Pak Opens Account with Conservative Aire|newspaper=Daily NK|date=23 April 2013 |access-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006095253/http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk01700&num=10516 |archive-date=6 October 2014}}</ref> who is officially the second-ranking official after Kim Jong Un.<ref name=":5" /> The Premier represents the government and functions independently. His authority extends over two vice premiers, 30 ministers, two cabinet commission chairmen, the cabinet chief secretary, the president of the Central Bank, the director of the Central Bureau of Statistics and the president of the Academy of Sciences.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=200}}

North Korea, like its southern counterpart, claims to be the legitimate government of the entire Korean Peninsula and adjacent islands.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.law.go.kr/lsInfoP.do?lsiSeq=61603&efYd=19880225#0000|language=ko|script-title=ko:국가법령정보센터 {{!}} 법령 > 본문 – 대한민국헌법|website=www.law.go.kr|access-date=25 October 2019|archive-date=8 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508110539/http://www.law.go.kr/lsInfoP.do?lsiSeq=61603&efYd=19880225#0000|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite its official title as the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea", some observers have described North Korea's political system as a "hereditary dictatorship".<ref name="Hallam Magramo Seo 2023 x856">{{cite web | last1=Hallam | first1=Jonny | last2=Magramo | first2=Kathleen | last3=Seo | first3=Yoonjung | title=Kim says North Korea must be ready to launch nuclear counterattack as daughter watches latest missile test | website=CNN | date=March 20, 2023 | url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/19/asia/north-korea-nuclear-counterattack-drill-intl-hnk/index.html | quote=North Korea has been ruled as a hereditary dictatorship since its founding in 1948 by Kim Il Sung. His son, Kim Jong Il, took over after his father’s death in 1994. And Kim Jong Un took power 17 years later when Kim Jong Il died. | access-date=10 February 2024 | archive-date=10 June 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610224123/https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/19/asia/north-korea-nuclear-counterattack-drill-intl-hnk/index.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Lim Ko 2020 pp. 216–233">{{cite journal | last1=Lim | first1=Sora | last2=Ko | first2=Sunghwah | title=North Korean Leaders' Personality Reflection on Provocation Patterns: Narcissism and Fear | journal=Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia | volume=19 | issue=2 | date=2020-12-31 | doi=10.17477/JCEA.2020.19.2.216 | pages=216–233}}</ref><ref name="Flannery 2016 s094">{{cite web | last=Flannery | first=Nathaniel Parish | title=Most Corrupt Countries | website=Forbes | date=May 25, 2016 | url=https://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehii45ifhm/most-corrupt-countries/?sh=ff34f5256a28 | access-date=February 10, 2024}}</ref> It has also been described as a Stalinist dictatorship.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/28/wnkorea128.xml|title=North Korea power struggle looms |access-date=31 October 2007|last=Spencer|first=Richard|date=28 August 2007|work=The Telegraph (online version of United Kingdom's national newspaper)|quote=A power struggle to succeed Kim Jong-il as leader of North Korea's Stalinist dictatorship may be looming after his eldest son was reported to have returned from semi-voluntary exile.|location=London |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071120121946/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2007%2F08%2F28%2Fwnkorea128.xml |archive-date=20 November 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2388356.ece|title=North Korea's nuclear 'deal' leaves Japan feeling nervous |access-date=31 October 2007|last=Parry|first=Richard Lloyd |author-link=Richard Lloyd Parry|date=5 September 2007|work=The Times (online version of United Kingdom's national newspaper of record)|quote=The US Government contradicted earlier North Korean claims that it had agreed to remove the Stalinist dictatorship's designation as a terrorist state and to lift economic sanctions, as part of talks aimed at disarming Pyongyang of its nuclear weapons.|location=London |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726115520/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2388356.ece |archive-date=26 July 2008}}</ref><ref name="nysuccess">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/02/international/asia/02CND-KORE.html?ex=1380513600&en=a29d7f1e49aabee0&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND|title=North Korea Says It Is Using Plutonium to Make A-Bombs |access-date=31 October 2007|last=Brooke|first=James |author-link=James Brooke (journalist)|date=2 October 2003|work=The New York Times|quote=North Korea, run by a Stalinist dictatorship for almost six decades, is largely closed to foreign reporters and it is impossible to independently check today's claims. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206032652/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/02/international/asia/02CND-KORE.html?ex=1380513600&en=a29d7f1e49aabee0&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND |archive-date=6 December 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11465278|title=A portrait of North Korea's new rich |access-date=18 June 2009|date=29 May 2008|newspaper=The Economist|quote=EVERY developing country worth its salt has a bustling middle class that is transforming the country and thrilling the markets. So does Stalinist North Korea. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080802001701/http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11465278 |archive-date=2 August 2008}}</ref>

===Political ideology===
{{Further|Ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea|Juche}}

Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism is the official ideology of North Korea and the WPK, and is the cornerstone of party works and government operations.<ref name="naenara" /> ''Juche'', part of the larger Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism along with ''Songun'' under Kim Jong Un,{{sfn|Alton|Chidley|2013}} is viewed by the official North Korean line as an embodiment of Kim Il Sung's wisdom, an expression of his leadership, and an idea which provides "a complete answer to any question that arises in the struggle for national liberation".{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=203}} ''Juche'' was pronounced in December 1955 in a speech called ''On Eliminating Dogmatism and Formalism and Establishing Juche in Ideological Work'' in order to emphasize a Korea-centered revolution.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=203}} Its core tenets are economic self-sufficiency, military self-reliance and an independent foreign policy. The roots of ''Juche'' were made up of a complex mixture of factors, including the popularity of Kim Il Sung, the conflict with pro-Soviet and pro-Chinese dissenters, and Korea's centuries-long struggle for independence.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=204}} ''Juche'' was introduced into the constitution in 1972.<ref>Wikisource:Constitution of North Korea (1972)</ref>{{sfn|Martin|2004|p=111|ps=: "Although it was in that 1955 speech that Kim Il Sung gave full voice to his arguments for ''juche'', he had been talking along similar lines as early as 1948."}}

''Juche'' was initially promoted as a "creative application" of Marxism–Leninism, but in the mid-1970s, it was described by state propaganda in North Korea as "the only scientific thought... and most effective revolutionary theoretical structure that leads to the future of communist society".<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Cha |first1=Victor |last2=Cumings |first2=Bruce |title=North Korea: A Country Study |url=https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Publications/North%20Korea%20Study_2.pdf |access-date=October 8, 2024 |website=marines.mil}}</ref> ''Juche'' eventually replaced Marxism–Leninism entirely by the 1980s,{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=206}} and in 1992 references to the latter were omitted from the constitution.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=186}} The 2009 constitution dropped references to communism and elevated the ''Songun'' military first policy while explicitly confirming the position of Kim Jong Il.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSSEO253213|title=North Korea drops communism, boosts "Dear Leaders"|first1=Jon|last1=Herskovitz|first2=Christine|last2=Kim|date=28 September 2009 |access-date=17 July 2011|work=Reuters |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816144214/http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/09/28/idUSSEO253213 |archive-date=16 August 2011}}</ref> However, the constitution retains references to socialism.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nknews.org/2016/06/n-korea-updates-constitution-expanding-kim-jong-uns-position|title=N.Korea updates constitution expanding Kim Jong Un's position|author=JH Ahn|work=NK News|date=30 June 2016|access-date=20 October 2017|archive-date=20 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020135959/https://www.nknews.org/2016/06/n-korea-updates-constitution-expanding-kim-jong-uns-position|url-status=live}}</ref> The WPK reasserted its commitment to communism in 2021.<ref name=":4">{{cite web |last=권 |first=영전 |date=1 June 2021 |script-title=ko:[표] 북한 노동당 규약 주요 개정 내용 |url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20210601170100504 |access-date=13 August 2022 |website=Yonhap News Agency |language=ko |archive-date=2 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602021004/https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20210601170100504 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Juche''{{'}}s concepts of self-reliance have evolved with time and circumstances, but still provide the groundwork for the spartan austerity, sacrifice, and discipline demanded by the party.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=207}}

===Kim family===
{{Main|Supreme Leader (North Korean title)}}
[[File:Mansudae-Monument-Bow-2014.jpg|230px|thumb|North Korean citizens paying respect to the statues of Kim Il Sung (left) and Kim Jong Il at the Mansudae Grand Monument]]
Since the founding of the nation, North Korea's supreme leadership has stayed within the Kim family, which in North Korea is referred to as the ''Mount Paektu Bloodline''. It is a three-generation lineage descending from the country's first leader, Kim Il Sung, who developed North Korea around the ''Juche ideology'', and stayed in power until his death.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kim-Il-Sung|title=Kim Il-Sung &#124; Biography, Facts, Leadership of North Korea, Significance, & Death &#124; Britannica|website=www.britannica.com|date=17 May 2023|access-date=6 January 2022|archive-date=3 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203074526/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/317881/Kim-Il-Sung|url-status=live}}</ref> Kim developed a cult of personality closely tied to the state philosophy of Juche, which was later passed on to his successors: his son Kim Jong Il in 1994 and grandson Kim Jong Un in 2011. In 2013, Clause 2 of Article 10 of the newly edited ''Ten Fundamental Principles of the Workers' Party of Korea'' stated that the party and revolution must be carried "eternally" by the "Mount Paektu Bloodline".<ref>[http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/08/13/2013081301558.html The Twisted Logic of the N.Korean Regime] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113064929/http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/08/13/2013081301558.html |date=13 January 2017 }}. Chosun Ilbo. 13 August 2013. Accessed date: 11 January 2017.</ref>

According to ''New Focus International'', the cult of personality, particularly surrounding Kim Il Sung, has been crucial for legitimizing the family's hereditary succession.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newfocusintl.com/just-witnessed-coup-north-korea/|title=We have just witnessed a coup in North Korea|author=<!--Not stated-->|publisher=New Focus International|date=27 December 2013 |access-date=22 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140126131556/http://newfocusintl.com/just-witnessed-coup-north-korea/ |archive-date=26 January 2014}}</ref> The control the North Korean government exercises over many aspects of the nation's culture is used to perpetuate the cult of personality surrounding Kim Il Sung,{{Sfn|Myers|2011|p= 100}} and Kim Jong Il.{{Sfn|Myers|2011|p=113}} While visiting North Korea in 1979, journalist Bradley Martin wrote that nearly all music, art, and sculpture that he observed glorified "Great Leader" Kim Il Sung, whose personality cult was then being extended to his son, "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il.{{sfn|Martin|2004|p=353}}

Claims that the family has been deified are contested by B. R. Myers: "Divine powers have never been attributed to either of the two Kims. In fact, the propaganda apparatus in Pyongyang has generally been careful ''not'' to make claims that run directly counter to citizens' experience or common sense."{{Sfn|Myers|2011|p=7}} He further explains that the state propaganda painted Kim Jong Il as someone whose expertise lay in military matters and that the famine of the 1990s was partially caused by natural disasters out of Kim Jong Il's control.{{Sfn|Myers|2011|p=114, 116}}

[[File:Chung Eui-yong and Kim Jong-un.jpg|thumb|Kim Jong Un and his sister Kim Yo Jong (right) in March 2018]]
The song "No Motherland Without You", sung by the North Korean army choir, was created especially for Kim Jong Il and is one of the most popular tunes in the country. Kim Il Sung is still officially revered as the nation's "Eternal President". Several landmarks in North Korea are named for Kim Il Sung, including Kim Il Sung University, Kim Il Sung Stadium, and Kim Il Sung Square. Defectors have been quoted as saying that North Korean schools deify both father and son.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kang|first1=Chol-hwan|author-mask1=Kang Chol-hwan|last2=Rigoulot|first2=Pierre|title=The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in a North Korean Gulag|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cp5xAAAAMAAJ|year=2001|publisher=BasicBooks|location=New York|isbn=978-0-465-01101-8|page=2}}</ref> Kim Il Sung rejected the notion that he had created a cult around himself and accused those who suggested this of "factionalism".{{sfn|Martin|2004|p=105}} Following the death of Kim Il Sung, North Koreans were prostrating and weeping to a bronze statue of him in an organized event;<ref>{{cite news|title=DEATH OF A LEADER: THE SCENE; In Pyongyang, Crowds of Mourners Gather at Kim Statue|work=The New York Times|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E5D9143FF933A25754C0A962958260| access-date=19 November 2007|date=10 July 1994}}</ref> similar scenes were broadcast by state television following the death of Kim Jong Il.<ref>{{cite news|title=North Koreans' reaction to Kim Jong-il's death is impossible to gauge|first=Justin|last=McCurry|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/19/north-koreans-kim-jong-il|newspaper=The Guardian|date=19 December 2011 |access-date=29 May 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423004813/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/19/north-koreans-kim-jong-il |archive-date=23 April 2016}}</ref>

Critics maintain that Kim Jong Il's personality cult was inherited from his father. Kim Jong Il was often the center of attention throughout ordinary life. His birthday is one of the most important public holidays in the country. On his 60th birthday (based on his official date of birth), mass celebrations occurred throughout the country.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1823713.stm|title=North Korea marks leader's birthday|publisher=BBC|date=16 February 2002 |access-date=18 December 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081123095151/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1823713.stm |archive-date=23 November 2008}}</ref> Kim Jong Il's personality cult, although significant, was not as extensive as his father's. One point of view is that Kim Jong Il's cult of personality was solely out of respect for Kim Il Sung or out of fear of punishment for failure to pay homage,<ref name="Hermit">{{cite web|url=http://nautilus.org/publications/books/dprkbb/negotiating/dprk-briefing-book-korean-monarch-kim-jong-il-technocrat-ruler-of-the-hermit-kingdom-facing-the-challenge-of-modernity/|title=Korean Monarch Kim Jong Il: Technocrat Ruler of the Hermit Kingdom Facing the Challenge of Modernity|publisher=The Nautilus Institute |access-date=18 December 2007|last=Mansourov|first=Alexandre |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922040313/http://nautilus.org/publications/books/dprkbb/negotiating/dprk-briefing-book-korean-monarch-kim-jong-il-technocrat-ruler-of-the-hermit-kingdom-facing-the-challenge-of-modernity/ |archive-date=22 September 2013}}</ref> while North Korean government sources consider it genuine hero worship.<ref>LaBouyer, Jason (May/June 2005) {{cite web |url=http://www.korea-dpr.com/lodestar0605v.pdf |title=When friends become enemies&nbsp;– Understanding left-wing hostility to the DPRK |access-date=3 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216051805/http://www.korea-dpr.com/lodestar0605v.pdf |archive-date=16 February 2008 }}, ''Lodestar'', pp. 7–9. Korea-DPR.com. Retrieved 18 December 2007.</ref>

=== Administrative divisions ===
{{Main|Administrative divisions of North Korea}}
{{See also|Provinces of North Korea|Special cities of North Korea|Provinces of Korea}}
<div class="left">
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Map !! Name !! Chosŏn'gŭl !! Administrative seat
|-
| rowspan="17" |{{North Korea Provincial level Labelled Map}}
! colspan="4" |Directly-governed city (''직할시'')
|-
| Pyongyang ||{{lang|ko-Hang|평양}}|| Chung-guyok
|-
! colspan="4" |Special-level city (''특별시'')
|-
| Kaesong ||{{lang|ko-Hang|개성}}||Kaesong
|-
! colspan="4" |Special cities (''특별시'')
|-
| Rason ||{{lang|ko-Hang|라선}}|| Rajin-guyok
|-
| Nampo ||{{lang|ko-Hang|남포}}|| Waudo-guyok
|-
! colspan="4" |Provinces (''도'')
|-
| South Pyongan ||{{lang|ko-Hang|평안남도}}|| Pyongsong
|-
| North Pyongan ||{{lang|ko-Hang|평안북도}}|| Sinuiju
|-
| Chagang ||{{lang|ko-Hang|자강도}}|| Kanggye
|-
| South Hwanghae ||{{lang|ko-Hang|황해남도}}|| Haeju
|-
| North Hwanghae ||{{lang|ko-Hang|황해북도}}|| Sariwon
|-
| Kangwon ||{{lang|ko-Hang|강원도}}|| Wonsan
|-
|South Hamgyong|| {{lang|ko-Hang|함경남도}}
|Hamhung
|-
|North Hamgyong|| {{lang|ko-Hang|함경북도}}
|Chongjin
|-
|Ryanggang|| {{lang|ko-Hang|량강도}}
|Hyesan
|}
</div>

===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of North Korea}}
[[File:North Korea - China friendship (5578914865).jpg|thumb|left|The close China-North Korea relationship is celebrated at the Arirang Mass Games in Pyongyang.]]

As a result of its isolation, North Korea is sometimes known as the "hermit kingdom", a term that originally referred to the isolationism in the latter part of the Joseon period.<ref name="alja_NKorLankov">{{cite web|title=N Korea: Tuning into the 'hermit kingdom'|last=Lankov|first=Andrei| author-link = Andrei Lankov|work=Al Jazeera|date=10 June 2015 |access-date=20 February 2015|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/05/north-korea-media-control-201452853742460657.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321155911/http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/05/north-korea-media-control-201452853742460657.html |archive-date=21 March 2015}}</ref> Initially, North Korea had diplomatic ties only with other communist countries, and even today, most of the foreign embassies accredited to North Korea are located in Beijing rather than in Pyongyang.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://app.yonhapnews.co.kr/YNA/Basic/article/search/YIBW_showSearchArticle.aspx?searchpart=article&searchtext=%E5%8C%97%20%EC%88%98%EA%B5%90%EA%B5%AD%20%EC%83%81%EC%A3%BC%EA%B3%B5%EA%B4%80&contents_id=AKR20090302193700083 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429043944/http://app.yonhapnews.co.kr/YNA/Basic/article/search/YIBW_showSearchArticle.aspx?searchpart=article&searchtext=%E5%8C%97%20%EC%88%98%EA%B5%90%EA%B5%AD%20%EC%83%81%EC%A3%BC%EA%B3%B5%EA%B4%80&contents_id=AKR20090302193700083 |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 April 2011|language=ko-kr |script-title=ko:北 수교국 상주공관, 평양보다 베이징에 많아 |access-date=13 December 2010|date=2 March 2009|work=Yonhap News Agency}}</ref> In the 1960s and 1970s, it pursued an independent foreign policy, established relations with many developing countries, and joined the Non-Aligned Movement. In the late 1980s and the 1990s its foreign policy was thrown into turmoil with the collapse of the Soviet Bloc. Suffering an economic crisis, it closed a number of its embassies. At the same time, North Korea sought to build relations with developed free market countries.<ref name="DPRK Diplomatic Relations">{{cite web|url=http://www.ncnk.org/resources/publications/NCNK_Issue_Brief_DPRK_Diplomatic_Relations.pdf|last1=Wertz|first1=Daniel|author2=JJ Oh|author3=Kim Insung|title=Issue Brief: DPRK Diplomatic Relations |access-date=17 April 2016|date=August 2015|publisher=The National Committee on North Korea|pages=1–7; n4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304085503/http://www.ncnk.org/resources/publications/NCNK_Issue_Brief_DPRK_Diplomatic_Relations.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>

North Korea joined the United Nations in 1991 together with South Korea. North Korea is also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, G77 and the ASEAN Regional Forum.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19910917/1306025/a-single-flag----north-and-south-korea-join-un-and-the-world|title=A Single Flag – North And South Korea Join U.N. And The World|date=17 September 1991|newspaper=The Seattle Times|access-date=3 September 2017|archive-date=4 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904113056/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19910917&slug=1306025|url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2015}}, North Korea had diplomatic relations with 166 countries and embassies in 47 countries.<ref name="DPRK Diplomatic Relations" /> North Korea does not have diplomatic relations with Argentina, Botswana,<ref name="suspension of diplomatic relations">{{cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=20 February 2014|title=Botswana Cuts Ties with North Korea|url=http://www.gov.bw/en/Ministries--Authorities/Ministries/Ministry-of-Foreign-Affairs-and-International-Cooperation/News/BOTSWANA-CUT-TIES-WITH-NORTH-KOREA/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106001946/http://www.gov.bw/en/Ministries--Authorities/Ministries/Ministry-of-Foreign-Affairs-and-International-Cooperation/News/BOTSWANA-CUT-TIES-WITH-NORTH-KOREA/ |archive-date=6 January 2015 |access-date=5 January 2015|website=www.gov.bw|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation}}</ref> Estonia, France,<ref name="France and Estonia">{{cite web|author=Commission de la défense nationale et des forces armées|date=30 March 2010|title=Audition de M. Jack Lang, envoyé spécial du Président de la République pour la Corée du Nord.|url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/13/cr-cdef/09-10/c0910024.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421021201/http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/13/cr-cdef/09-10/c0910024.asp |archive-date=21 April 2010 |access-date=2 May 2010|language=fr}}</ref> Iraq, Israel, Japan, Taiwan,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kennedy|first=Pamela|date=14 May 2019|title=Taiwan and North Korea: Star-Crossed Business Partners|url=https://www.38north.org/2019/05/pkennedy051419/|access-date=18 November 2019|website=38 North|language=en|archive-date=30 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630053246/https://www.38north.org/2019/05/pkennedy051419/|url-status=live}}</ref> the United States,{{efn|In spite of the United States' recognition of South Korea ''de jure'', Sweden acts as its protecting power.}} and Ukraine.<ref name="Haggard">{{cite journal|last=Haggard|first=M|year=1965|title=North Korea's International Position|journal=Asian Survey|volume=5|issue=8|pages=375–388|doi=10.2307/2642410|issn=0004-4687|jstor=2642410|oclc=48536955}}</ref><ref>Seung-Ho Joo, Tae-Hwan Kwak - [https://books.google.com/books?id=0QNyDUpXhA8C&dq=us+recognize+south+korea+de+jure+sole+legitimate&pg=PA184 Korea in the 21st Century] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404174039/https://books.google.com/books?id=0QNyDUpXhA8C&dq=us+recognize+south+korea+de+jure+sole+legitimate&pg=PA184 |date=4 April 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=13 July 2022|title=North Korea recognises breakaway of Russia's proxies in east Ukraine|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/north-korea-recognises-breakaway-russias-proxies-east-ukraine-2022-07-13/|access-date=14 July 2022|archive-date=13 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713165143/https://www.reuters.com/world/north-korea-recognises-breakaway-russias-proxies-east-ukraine-2022-07-13/|url-status=live}}</ref> Germany is unusual in maintaining a North Korean embassy. German Ambassador Friedrich Lohr says most of his time in North Korea involved facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid and agricultural assistance to a population plagued by food shortages.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Joubert |first=Shayna |date=2017-07-03 |title=Friedrich Lohr Is Bringing His Years of Diplomacy Into the Classroom |url=https://graduate.northeastern.edu/resources/friedrich-lohr/ |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=Graduate Blog |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[File:Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin (2019-04-25) 05.jpg|thumb|North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, 25 April 2019]]

North Korea enjoys a close relationship with China which is often called North Korea's closest ally.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Nanto|first1=Dick K.|last2=Manyin|first2=Mark E.|date=2011|title=China-North Korea Relations|url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc227656/|journal=North Korean Review|volume=7|issue=2|pages=94–101|doi=10.3172/NKR.7.2.94|issn=1551-2789|jstor=43908855|access-date=19 August 2019|archive-date=19 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819104445/https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc227656/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinas-xi-to-visit-north-korea-as-both-countries-lock-horns-with-united-states/2019/06/17/4777087c-90f5-11e9-b72d-d56510fa753e_story.html|title=China's Xi to visit North Korea as both countries lock horns with United States|last1=Shih|first1=Gerry|last2=Denyer|first2=Simon|date=17 June 2019|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=25 October 2019|archive-date=25 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725085044/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinas-xi-to-visit-north-korea-as-both-countries-lock-horns-with-united-states/2019/06/17/4777087c-90f5-11e9-b72d-d56510fa753e_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Relations were strained beginning in 2006 because of China's concerns about North Korea's nuclear program.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/china-north-korea-relationship|title=Understanding the China-North Korea Relationship|website=Council on Foreign Relations|access-date=24 September 2022|archive-date=21 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521102036/https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/china-north-korea-relationship|url-status=live}}</ref> Relations improved after Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese leader visited North Korea in June 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2139178/rumours-china-and-north-korea-were-no-longer-allies-put|title=Kim's visit evidence China, North Korea remain allies, analysts say|last1=Shi|first1=Jiangtao|last2=Chan|first2=Minnie|date=27 March 2018|website=South China Morning Post|language=en|access-date=25 July 2019|last3=Zheng|first3=Sarah|archive-date=25 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725192608/https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2139178/rumours-china-and-north-korea-were-no-longer-allies-put|url-status=live}}</ref> North Korea continues to have strong ties with several Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia,<ref>{{cite web|year=2001|title=Kim Yong Nam Visits 3 ASEAN Nations To Strengthen Traditional Ties|url=http://www1.korea-np.co.jp/pk/165th_issue/2001072510.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930152339/http://www1.korea-np.co.jp/pk/165th_issue/2001072510.htm |archive-date=30 September 2007 |access-date=1 August 2007|work=The People's Korea}}</ref> and Indonesia. Relations with Malaysia were strained in 2017 by the assassination of Kim Jong-nam. North Korea has a close relationship with Russia and has voiced support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=A New U.N. Vote Shows Russia Isn't as Isolated as the West May Like to Think |url=https://time.com/6222005/un-vote-russia-ukraine-allies/ |magazine=Time |date=13 October 2022 |access-date=11 August 2023 |archive-date=11 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811053026/https://time.com/6222005/un-vote-russia-ukraine-allies/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Putin thanks North Korea for supporting Ukraine war as Pyongyang displays its nukes in parade |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/28/asia/putin-north-korea-ukraine-parade-intl-hnk/index.html |work=CNN |date=28 July 2023 |access-date=11 August 2023 |archive-date=11 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811065819/https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/28/asia/putin-north-korea-ukraine-parade-intl-hnk/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

North Korea was previously designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2007/103711.htm|title=Country Reports on Terrorism: Chapter 3 – State Sponsors of Terrorism Overview|author=Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism|date=30 April 2008|access-date=26 June 2008|archive-date=18 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418093903/https://2001-2009.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2007/103711.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> because of its alleged involvement in the 1983 Rangoon bombing and the 1987 bombing of a South Korean airliner.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/countries/korea.html|title=Country Guide |access-date=26 June 2008|newspaper=The Washington Post |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100524123409/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/countries/korea.html |archive-date=24 May 2010}}</ref> On 11 October 2008, the United States removed North Korea from its list of states that sponsor terrorism after Pyongyang agreed to cooperate on issues related to its nuclear program.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/11/us.north.korea/index.html|title=U.S. takes North Korea off terror list|work=CNN|date=11 October 2008 |access-date=11 October 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012063548/http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/11/us.north.korea/index.html |archive-date=12 October 2008}}</ref> North Korea was re-designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. under the administration of Donald Trump on 20 November 2017 after continued nuclear tests.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42058686|title=Trump declares North Korea 'sponsor of terror'|access-date=20 November 2017|date=20 November 2017|work=BBC News|archive-date=20 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120172723/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42058686|url-status=live}}</ref> The kidnapping of at least 13 Japanese citizens by North Korean agents in the 1970s and the 1980s has had a detrimental effect on North Korea's relationship with Japan.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5074234.stm|title=N Korea to face Japan sanctions |access-date=26 June 2008|date=13 June 2006|work=BBC News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115162059/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5074234.stm |archive-date=15 January 2009}}</ref>

US President Trump met with Kim in Singapore on 12 June 2018. An agreement was signed between the two countries endorsing the 2017 Panmunjom Declaration signed by North and South Korea, pledging to work towards denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/12/full-text-of-the-trump-kim-summit-agreement.html|title=Read the full text of the Trump-Kim agreement here|last=Rosenfeld|first=Everett|date=12 June 2018|work=CNBC|access-date=2 October 2018|archive-date=13 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613013354/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/12/full-text-of-the-trump-kim-summit-agreement.html|url-status=live}}</ref> They met in Hanoi from 27 to 28 February 2019, but failed to achieve an agreement.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/28/white-house-trump-kim-meetings-change-of-schedule.html|title=Trump-Kim summit was cut short after North Korea demanded an end to all sanctions|last=Rosenfeld|first=Everett|date=28 February 2019|publisher=CNBC|access-date=28 February 2019|archive-date=28 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228095036/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/28/white-house-trump-kim-meetings-change-of-schedule.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On 30 June 2019, Trump met with Kim along with South Korean president Moon Jae-in at the Korean DMZ.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/06/29/donald-trump-looks-brief-handshake-meeting-kim-jong-un/1608092001/|title=Donald Trump meets Kim Jong Un in DMZ; steps onto North Korean soil|work=USA Today|date=30 June 2019|access-date=4 July 2019|archive-date=15 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215213632/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/06/29/donald-trump-looks-brief-handshake-meeting-kim-jong-un/1608092001/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====South Korea====
{{Main|North Korea–South Korea relations|Korean reunification}}
[[File:2018 inter-Korean summit 01.jpg|thumb|Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shake hands during the inter-Korean Summit, April 2018]]
The Korean Demilitarized Zone with South Korea remains the most heavily fortified border in the world.<ref name=border>{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/06/03/koreas.agree/index.html|title=Koreas agree to military hotline|publisher=CNN|date=4 June 2004 |access-date=22 April 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091130235815/http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/06/03/koreas.agree/index.html |archive-date=30 November 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Choe|first=Sang-Hun|date=2020-11-27|title=How Did the North Korean Defector Cross the Border? Loose Screws|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/27/world/asia/korea-defector-screws-sensors.html|access-date=2023-12-26|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=16 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116130024/http://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/27/world/asia/korea-defector-screws-sensors.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Inter-Korean relations are at the core of North Korean diplomacy and have seen numerous shifts in the last few decades. North Korea's policy is to seek reunification without what it sees as outside interference, through a federal structure retaining each side's leadership and systems. In 1972, the two Koreas agreed in principle to achieve reunification through peaceful means and without foreign interference.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=218}} On 10 October 1980, the then North Korean leader Kim Il Sung proposed a federation between North and South Korea named the Democratic Federal Republic of Korea in which the respective political systems would initially remain.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.songunpoliticsstudygroup.org/Oct102008/W-801010.HTM|title=REPORT TO THE SIXTH CONGRESS OF THE WORKERS' PARTY OF KOREA ON THE WORK OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE|last=Kim|first=Il Sung|date=10 October 1980|publisher=Songun Politics Study Group (USA)|access-date=4 July 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090829094118/http://www.songunpoliticsstudygroup.org/Oct102008/W-801010.HTM|archive-date=29 August 2009}}</ref> However, relations remained cool well until the early 1990s, with a brief period in the early 1980s when North Korea offered to provide flood relief to its southern neighbor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/northkorea/55938.htm|title=North Korea (11/05)|website=U.S. Department of State|access-date=17 April 2017|archive-date=18 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418083620/https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/northkorea/55938.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Although the offer was initially welcomed, talks over how to deliver the relief goods broke down and none of the promised aid ever crossed the border.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/19/world/koreans-disagree-on-aid-by-north.html Koreans disagree on aid by North] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418083842/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/19/world/koreans-disagree-on-aid-by-north.html |date=18 April 2017 }} – NY Times</ref>
The two countries also organized a reunion of 92 separated families.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=220}}

[[File:501 cows sent to North Korea.jpg|thumb|upright|left|South Korean aid convoy entering North Korea through the Demilitarized Zone, 1998]]

The Sunshine Policy instituted by South Korean president Kim Dae-jung in 1998 was a watershed in inter-Korean relations. It encouraged other countries to engage with the North, which allowed Pyongyang to normalize relations with a number of European Union states and contributed to the establishment of joint North-South economic projects. The culmination of the Sunshine Policy was the 2000 inter-Korean summit, when Kim Dae-jung visited Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=222}} Both North and South Korea signed the June 15th North–South Joint Declaration, in which both sides promised to seek peaceful reunification.<ref name=joint>{{cite web|url=http://www.kcckp.net/en/one/nation.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113143537/http://www.kcckp.net/en/one/nation.php |archive-date=13 November 2007|title=North-South Joint Declaration |access-date=1 August 2007|date=15 June 2000|work=Naenara}}</ref> On 4 October 2007, South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Jong Il signed an eight-point peace agreement.<ref name=idUKSEO16392220071004>{{Cite news|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKSEO16392220071004|title=Factbox&nbsp;– North, South Korea pledge peace, prosperity |access-date=4 October 2007|work=Reuters|date=4 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223105941/http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKSEO16392220071004 |archive-date=23 December 2007}}</ref>
However, relations worsened when South Korean president Lee Myung-bak adopted a more hard-line approach and suspended aid deliveries pending the de-nuclearization of the North. In 2009, North Korea responded by ending all of its previous agreements with the South.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7859671.stm|title=North Korea tears up agreements|work=BBC News|date=30 January 2009 |access-date=8 March 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306071916/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7859671.stm |archive-date=6 March 2009}}</ref> It deployed additional ballistic missiles<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7905361.stm|title=North Korea deploying more missiles|work=BBC News|date=23 February 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100824214110/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7905361.stm |archive-date=24 August 2010}}</ref> and placed its military on full combat alert after South Korea, Japan and the United States threatened to intercept a Unha-2 space launch vehicle.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7931670.stm|work=BBC News|date=3 March 2009 |access-date=8 March 2009|title=North Korea warning over satellite |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309171011/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7931670.stm |archive-date=9 March 2009}}</ref> The next few years witnessed a string of hostilities, including the alleged North Korean involvement in the sinking of South Korean warship ''Cheonan'',<ref name="Anger at North Korea over sinking"/> mutual ending of diplomatic ties,<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64O3YU20100525 Text from North Korea statement] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605153427/http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64O3YU20100525 |date=5 June 2010}}, by Jonathan Thatcher, Reuters, 25 May 2010</ref> a North Korean artillery attack on Yeonpyeongdo,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Branigan |first1=Tania |last2=MacAskill |first2=Ewen |title=North Korea: a deadly attack, a counter-strike&nbsp;– now Koreans hold their breath |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/23/north-south-korea-crisis-conflict |url-status=live |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=23 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227130702/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/23/north-south-korea-crisis-conflict |archive-date=27 December 2016}}</ref> and growing international concern over North Korea's nuclear program.<ref>{{cite news |last=MacAskill |first=Ewen |title=US warns North Korea of increased isolation if threats escalate further |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/29/us-condemns-north-korea-threats |url-status=live |newspaper=The Guardian |location=Washington, DC |date=29 March 2013 |access-date=5 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925075410/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/29/us-condemns-north-korea-threats |archive-date=25 September 2013}}</ref>

In May 2017, Moon Jae-in was elected president of South Korea with a promise to return to the Sunshine Policy.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/south-koreas-likely-next-president-warns-the-us-not-to-meddle-in-its-democracy/2017/05/02/2295255e-29c1-11e7-9081-f5405f56d3e4_story.html|title=South Korea's likely next president warns the U.S. not to meddle in its democracy|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502160241/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/south-koreas-likely-next-president-warns-the-us-not-to-meddle-in-its-democracy/2017/05/02/2295255e-29c1-11e7-9081-f5405f56d3e4_story.html|archive-date=2 May 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2018, a détente developed at the Winter Olympics held in South Korea.<ref name="auto2"/> In April, South Korean president Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un met at the DMZ, and, in the Panmunjom Declaration, pledged to work for peace and nuclear disarmament.<ref name="BBC_pledge">{{cite news|title=Koreas make nuclear pledge after summit|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-43921385|access-date=27 April 2018|work=BBC News|date=27 April 2018|archive-date=27 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180427092644/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-43921385|url-status=live}}</ref> In September, at a joint news conference in Pyongyang, Moon and Kim agreed upon turning the Korean Peninsula into a "land of peace without nuclear weapons and nuclear threats".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-southkorea-summit/north-koreas-kim-says-to-scrap-missile-sites-visit-seoul-idUSKCN1LY30R|title=North Korea's Kim says to scrap missile sites, visit Seoul|publisher=Reuters|access-date=19 September 2018|archive-date=19 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919052432/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-southkorea-summit/north-koreas-kim-says-to-scrap-missile-sites-visit-seoul-idUSKCN1LY30R|url-status=live}}</ref>

In January 2024, North Korea officially announced through its leader Kim Jong Un that it would no longer seek reunification with South Korea. Kim instead called for "completely occupying, subjugating and reclaiming" South Korea if war breaks out.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Delury |first=John |date=2024-03-16 |title=Opinion {{!}} A Solution on North Korea Is There, if Biden Will Only Grasp It |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/16/opinion/north-korea-kim-jong-un-peace.html |access-date=2024-03-16 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=16 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316213615/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/16/opinion/north-korea-kim-jong-un-peace.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Kim Jong Un also announced to the Supreme People's Assembly that the constitution should be changed such that South Korea would be considered the "primary foe and invariable principal enemy" of North Korea.<ref>{{cite news |date=2024-01-16 |title=North Korea's Kim Jong Un abandons unification goal with South |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-67990948 |accessdate=2024-01-17 |work=BBC News |archive-date=17 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117175933/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-67990948 |url-status=live }}</ref> Additionally, government agencies tasked with promoting reunification were closed.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/16/north-korea-shuts-agencies-working-for-reunification-with-south-korea |title=North Korea's Kim shuts agencies working for reunification with South Korea |work=Al Jazeera English |date=2024-01-16 |accessdate=2024-01-17 |archive-date=17 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117110946/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/16/north-korea-shuts-agencies-working-for-reunification-with-south-korea |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Military===
{{Main|Korean People's Army}}
{{See also|North Korea and weapons of mass destruction|Songun}}
[[File:AIR KORYO IL76 P912 AT SONDOK HAMHUNG AIRPORT DPR KOREA OCT 2012 (8179381094).jpg|thumb|Ilyushin Il-76 strategic military airlifter used by Air Koryo]]

The North Korean armed forces, or the Korean People's Army (KPA), is estimated to comprise 1,280,000 active and 6,300,000 reserve and paramilitary troops, making it one of the largest military institutions in the world.<ref name="auto3">{{cite web|url=https://carnegieendowment.org/2020/03/18/state-of-north-korean-military-pub-81232|title=The State of the North Korean Military|year=2020|publisher=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|access-date=8 August 2021|archive-date=8 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808070637/https://carnegieendowment.org/2020/03/18/state-of-north-korean-military-pub-81232|url-status=dead}}</ref> With an active duty army consisting of {{Percentage|1280000|{{UN_Population|Dem. People's Republic of Korea}}|1}} of its population, North Korea maintains the fourth largest active military force in the world behind China, India and the United States.<ref name="bgn">{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2792.htm|title=Background Note: North Korea|author=Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs|author-link=Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs|date=April 2007|work=United States Department of State|access-date=1 August 2007|archive-date=18 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818233244/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2792.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> About 20 percent of men aged 17–54 serve in the regular armed forces,<ref name="bgn"/> and approximately one in every 25 citizens is an enlisted soldier.<ref name="economist-armied">{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/07/armed-forces|title=Armed forces: Armied to the hilt|date=19 July 2011|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=28 July 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728030228/https://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/07/armed-forces|archive-date=28 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/mil_arm_per_percap-military-army-personnel-per-capita |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070217230331/http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/mil_arm_per_percap-military-army-personnel-per-capita |archive-date=17 February 2007|title=Army personnel (per capita) by country |access-date=1 August 2007|year=2007|work=NationMaster}}</ref>

The KPA is divided into five branches: Ground Force, Navy, Air and Anti-Air Force, Special Operations Force, and Rocket Force. Command of the KPA lies in both the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea and the independent State Affairs Commission, which controls the Ministry of Defence.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=239}}

Of all the KPA's branches, the Ground Force is the largest, comprising approximately one million personnel divided into 80 infantry divisions, 30 artillery brigades, 25 special warfare brigades, 20 mechanized brigades, 10 tank brigades and seven tank regiments.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=247}} It is equipped with 3,700 tanks, 2,100 armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles,{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=248}} 17,900 artillery pieces, 11,000 anti-aircraft guns{{Sfn|Country Profile|2007|p= 19 – Major Military Equipment}} and some 10,000 MANPADS and anti-tank guided missiles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.soldiering.ru/country/guide2003/army-09.php |title=Worls militaries: K |publisher=soldiering.ru |access-date=23 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006112837/http://www.soldiering.ru/country/guide2003/army-09.php |archive-date=6 October 2014 }}</ref> The Air Force is estimated to possess around 1,600 aircraft (with between 545 – 810 serving combat roles), while the Navy operates approximately 800 vessels, including the largest submarine fleet in the world.<ref name="auto3"/>{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|pp=288–293}} The KPA's Special Operation Force is also the world's largest special forces unit.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|pp=288–293}}

[[File:Mansudae Grand Monument 26.JPG|thumb|upright|The Memorial of Soldiers at the Mansudae Grand Monument]]
North Korea is a nuclear-armed state,<ref name="economist-armied" /><ref>{{cite book|url=http://csis.org/files/publication/110712_Cordesman_KoreaMilBalance_WEB.pdf|title=The Korean Military Balance|last=Cordesman|first=Anthony H.|year=2011|publisher=Center for Strategic & International Studies|isbn=978-0-89206-632-2|page=156|quote=The DPRK has implosion fission weapons.|access-date=28 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011185007/http://csis.org/files/publication/110712_Cordesman_KoreaMilBalance_WEB.pdf|archive-date=11 October 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> though the nature and strength of the country's arsenal is uncertain. {{As of|2023|9}}, estimates of its size ranged between 40 and 116 assembled nuclear warheads.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2023-08-01|title=How the Nuclear Missile Threat from North Korea Keeps Growing|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-01/how-the-north-korea-nuclear-missile-threat-keeps-growing|access-date=2023-12-26|archive-date=16 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316110649/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-01/how-the-north-korea-nuclear-missile-threat-keeps-growing|url-status=live}}</ref> Delivery capabilities<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6155956.ece|title=North Korea is fully fledged nuclear power, experts agree |access-date=25 April 2009|work=The Times|location=London|date=24 April 2009|last=Hipwell|first=Deirdre |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525120848/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6155956.ece |archive-date=25 May 2010}}</ref> are provided by the Rocket Force, which has some 1,000 ballistic missiles with a range of up to {{convert|7400|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ryall|first1=Julian|title=How far can North Korean missiles travel? Everything you need to know|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/far-can-north-korean-missiles-travel/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/far-can-north-korean-missiles-travel/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=9 August 2017|work=The Telegraph|date=9 August 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

According to a 2004 South Korean assessment, North Korea also possesses a stockpile of chemical weapons estimated to amount to between 2,500 and 5,000 tons, including nerve, blister, blood, and vomiting agents, as well as the ability to cultivate and produce biological weapons including anthrax, smallpox, and cholera.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=260}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/04/29/2010042901362.html|title=New Threat from N. Korea's 'Asymmetrical' Warfare|work=The Chosun Ilbo|date=29 April 2010 |access-date=13 December 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224190403/http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/04/29/2010042901362.html |archive-date=24 December 2010}}</ref> As a result of its nuclear and missile tests, North Korea has been sanctioned under United Nations Security Council resolutions 1695 of July 2006, 1718 of October 2006, 1874 of June 2009, 2087 of January 2013,<ref name="secu_UNDo">{{Cite web|title=UN Documents for DPRK (North Korea): Security Council Resolutions [View All Security Council Resolutions]|work=securitycouncilreport.org|access-date=2 October 2015|url=http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/un-documents/dprk-north-korea/|archive-date=17 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517092802/http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/un-documents/dprk-north-korea/|url-status=live}}</ref> and 2397 in December 2017.

The sale of weapons to North Korea by other states is prohibited by UN sanctions, and the KPA's conventional capabilities are limited by a number of factors including obsolete equipment, insufficient fuel supplies and a shortage of digital command and control assets. To compensate for these deficiencies, the KPA has deployed a wide range of asymmetric warfare technologies including anti-personnel blinding lasers,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/24/north.korea.capability/index.html|title=North Korea's military aging but sizable|work=CNN|date=25 November 2010 |access-date=23 May 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903021838/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/24/north.korea.capability/index.html |archive-date=3 September 2014}}</ref> GPS jammers,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/09/07/2011090700649.html|title=N.Korea Developing High-Powered GPS Jammer|newspaper=The Chosun Ilbo|date=7 September 2011 |access-date=8 September 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924042157/http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/09/07/2011090700649.html |archive-date=24 September 2012}}</ref> midget submarines and human torpedoes,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk02500&num=6463|title=North Korea's Human Torpedoes|publisher=Daily NK|date=6 May 2010 |access-date=23 May 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140830193719/http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk02500&num=6463 |archive-date=30 August 2014}}</ref> stealth paint,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/7960218/North-Korea-develops-stealth-paint-to-camouflage-fighter-jets.html|title=North Korea 'develops stealth paint to camouflage fighter jets'|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=23 August 2010 |access-date=23 May 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140916214022/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/7960218/North-Korea-develops-stealth-paint-to-camouflage-fighter-jets.html |archive-date=16 September 2014}}</ref> and cyberwarfare units.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/11/05/2013110501790.html|title=N.Korea Boosting Cyber Warfare Capabilities|newspaper=The Chosun Ilbo|date=5 November 2013 |access-date=23 May 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210175415/http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/11/05/2013110501790.html |archive-date=10 December 2013}}</ref> In 2015, North Korea was reported to employ 6,000 sophisticated computer security personnel in a cyberwarfare unit operating out of China.<ref name="auto1">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-32925495|title=North Korean hackers 'could kill'|first=Dave Lee and Nick|last=Kwek|work=BBC News|date=29 May 2015|access-date=21 June 2018|archive-date=9 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180609032542/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-32925495|url-status=live}}</ref> KPA units were blamed for the 2014 Sony Pictures hack<ref name="auto1"/> and have allegedly attempted to jam South Korean military satellites.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00100&num=10043|title=Satellite in Alleged NK Jamming Attack|newspaper=Daily NK|date=15 November 2012 |access-date=12 December 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006114925/http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00100&num=10043 |archive-date=6 October 2014}}</ref>

Much of the equipment in use by the KPA is engineered and manufactured by the domestic defense industry. Weapons are manufactured in roughly 1,800 underground defense industry plants scattered throughout the country, most of them located in Chagang Province.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fas.org/irp/world/rok/nis-docs/defense09.htm|title=Defense|publisher=Federation of American Scientists |access-date=11 October 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602012219/http://www.fas.org/irp/world/rok/nis-docs/defense09.htm |archive-date=2 June 2013}}</ref> The defense industry is capable of producing a full range of individual and crew-operated weapons, artillery, armored vehicles, tanks, missiles, helicopters, submarines, landing and infiltration craft and Yak-18 trainers, and may even have limited jet aircraft manufacturing capacity.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=272}} According to North Korean state media, military expenditure amounted to 15.8 percent of the state budget in 2010.<ref name="kcna2010budget">{{cite web|title=Report on Implementation of 2009 Budget and 2010 Budget|url=http://kcna.co.jp/item/2010/201004/news09/20100409-10ee.html|agency=Korean Central News Agency|date=9 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429044154/http://kcna.co.jp/item/2010/201004/news09/20100409-10ee.html |archive-date=29 April 2011}}</ref> The U.S. State Department has estimated that North Korea's military spending averaged 23% of its GDP from 2004 to 2014, the highest level in the world.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2016/12/23/26/0301000000AEN20161223000200315F.html|title=N. Korea ranks No. 1 for military spending relative to GDP: State Department report|publisher=Yonhap News Agency|date=23 December 2016|access-date=18 February 2018|archive-date=18 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180218210237/http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2016/12/23/26/0301000000AEN20161223000200315F.html|url-status=live}}</ref> North Korea successfully tested a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile, named Hwasong-11S on 19 October 2021.<ref name="nti">{{Cite web|title=The CNS North Korea Missile Test Database|url=https://www.nti.org/analysis/articles/cns-north-korea-missile-test-database/|access-date=26 May 2025|website=Nuclear Threat Initiative|date=12 November 2024 }} For the Excel file, see [https://www.nti.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/north_korea_missile_test_database.xlsx here].</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=20 October 2021|title=North Korea Confirms Test of New Type of Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile – October 20, 2021|url=https://dailynewsbrief.com/2021/10/20/north-korea-confirms-test-of-new-type-of-submarine-launched-ballistic-missile/|access-date=20 October 2021|website=Daily News Brief|language=en-US|archive-date=5 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205071716/https://dailynewsbrief.com/2021/10/20/north-korea-confirms-test-of-new-type-of-submarine-launched-ballistic-missile/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Law enforcement and internal security===
{{Main|Law enforcement in North Korea}}
{{See also|Law of North Korea|Judiciary of North Korea}}
[[File:Police car outside Okryu Restaurant.jpg|thumb|A North Korean police car in 2017; the Chosŏn'gŭl lettering on the side translates to "Traffic safety".]]
North Korea has a civil law system based on the Prussian model and influenced by Japanese traditions and communist legal theory.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2100.html#kn |title=Legal System field listing |publisher=CIA The World Factbook |access-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518174611/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2100.html |archive-date=18 May 2014 }}</ref> Judiciary procedures are handled by the Central Court (the highest court of appeal), provincial or special city-level courts, people's courts, and special courts. People's courts are at the lowest level of the system and operate in cities, counties and urban districts, while different kinds of special courts handle cases related to military, railroad, or maritime matters.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=274}}

Judges are elected by their respective local people's assemblies, but this vote tends to be overruled by the Workers' Party of Korea. The penal code is based on the principle of ''nullum crimen sine lege'' (no crime without a law), but remains a tool for political control despite several amendments reducing ideological influence.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=274}} Courts carry out legal procedures related to not only criminal and civil matters, but also political cases as well.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=201}} Political prisoners are sent to labor camps, while criminal offenders are incarcerated in a separate system.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/19/AR2009071902178.html|title=Outside World Turns Blind Eye to N. Korea's Hard-Labor Camps|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=20 July 2009 |access-date=19 May 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919191331/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/19/AR2009071902178.html |archive-date=19 September 2010}}</ref>

The Ministry of Social Security maintains most law enforcement activities. It is one of the most powerful state institutions in North Korea and oversees the national police force, investigates criminal cases and manages non-political correctional facilities.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=276}} It handles other aspects of domestic security like civil registration, traffic control, fire departments and railroad security.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=277}} The Ministry of State Security was separated from the Ministry of Public Security in 1973 to conduct domestic and foreign intelligence, counterintelligence and manage the political prison system. Political camps can be short-term reeducation zones or "kwalliso" (total control zones) for lifetime detention.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|pp=277–278}} Camp 15 in Yodok<ref name=csw >{{cite web|title=North Korea: A case to answer – a call to act|pages=25–26|work=Christian Solidarity Worldwide|date=20 June 2007|url=http://docs-eu.livesiteadmin.com/c8880e0f-f6ed-4585-8f09-4e4b6d11e698/north-korea-a-case-to-answer-a-call-to-act.pdf|access-date=10 April 2012|archive-date=21 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021204741/http://docs-eu.livesiteadmin.com/c8880e0f-f6ed-4585-8f09-4e4b6d11e698/north-korea-a-case-to-answer-a-call-to-act.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Camp 18 in Pukchang<ref name=sub_ihr>{{cite web|title=Subcommittee on International Human Rights, 40th Parliament, 3rd session, February 1, 2011: Testimony of Ms. Hye Sook Kim|work=Parliament of Canada|url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4916717&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=3#Int-3706941 |access-date=22 April 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112012047/http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4916717&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=3 |archive-date=12 November 2012}}</ref> have been described in detailed testimonies.<ref name="hrnk2">{{cite web |title=The Hidden Gulag – Exposing Crimes against Humanity in North Korea's Vast Prison System |url=http://www.hrnk.org/uploads/pdfs/HRNK_HiddenGulag2_Web_5-18.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150313045221/http://www.hrnk.org/uploads/pdfs/HRNK_HiddenGulag2_Web_5-18.pdf |archive-date=13 March 2015 |access-date=14 September 2012 |work=The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea}}</ref>

The security apparatus is extensive,{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=272}} exerting strict control over residence, travel, employment, clothing, food and family life.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=273}} Security forces employ mass surveillance. It is believed they tightly monitor cellular and digital communications.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://uskoreainstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Kim-Yonho-Cell-Phones-in-North-Korea.pdf|title=Cell Phones in North Korea|author=Kim Yonho|pages=35–38|year=2014 |access-date=3 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607005720/http://uskoreainstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Kim-Yonho-Cell-Phones-in-North-Korea.pdf |archive-date=7 June 2014}}</ref>

North Korea has updated its constitution, labeling South Korea as a "hostile state" and abandoning its previous goal of peaceful reunification. This shift coincides with the destruction of inter-Korean connections and increased border defenses.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-10-17 |title=North Korea says its revised constitution defines South Korea as 'hostile state' for first time|language=en|work=Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/north-korea-ap-south-korea-kim-jong-un-seoul-b2630597.html|access-date=2024-10-17}}</ref>

===Human rights===
{{Main|Human rights in North Korea}}
{{See also|Prisons in North Korea|LGBT rights in North Korea}}

{{location map+|North Korea|caption = A map of political prison camps in North Korea. An estimated 40% of prisoners die of malnutrition.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/04/north.korea.amnesty/|title=Report: Torture, starvation rife in North Korea political prisons|work=CNN|date=4 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228194113/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/04/north.korea.amnesty/ |archive-date=28 December 2014}}</ref>| float=right|width=|places=
{{location map~|North Korea|label=Pukchang| position=bottom|lat=39.446164|long=126.163223 <!--exact position is lat=39.546164,long=126.063223, slightly shifted for better visibility --> |region=KP-02}}
{{location map~|North Korea|label=Chongjin| position=left|lat=41.833486|long=129.725597|region=KP-09}}
{{location map~|North Korea|label=Hoeryong| position=left|lat=42.537967|long=129.935517|region=KP-09}}
{{location map~|North Korea|label=Hwasong| position=left|lat=41.268505|long=129.391211|region=KP-09}}
{{location map~|North Korea|label=Kaechon| position=left|lat=39.571086|long=126.055466|region=KP-02}}
{{location map~|North Korea|label=Yodok|position=right|lat=39.674163|long=126.851406|region=KP-08}}}}
The state of human rights in North Korea has been widely condemned. A 2014 UN inquiry into the DPRK's human rights record found evidence for "systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations" and stated that "the gravity, scale and nature of these violations reveal a state that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world",{{sfn|Kirby|Darusman|Biserko|2014|p=346}} with Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch holding similar views.<ref name="Amnesty International 2007">{{cite web |author=Amnesty International |author-link=Amnesty International |year=2007 |title=Our Issues, North Korea |url=http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/north_korea/index.do |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070329050950/http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/north_korea/index.do |archive-date=29 March 2007 |access-date=1 August 2007 |work=Human Rights Concerns }}</ref><ref name="hrw1">{{cite web|author=Kay Seok|date=15 May 2007|title=Grotesque indifference|url=http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/05/16/nkorea15944.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929174709/http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/05/16/nkorea15944.htm |archive-date=29 September 2007 |access-date=1 August 2007|work=Human Rights Watch}}</ref><ref name="hrw2">{{cite web|date=17 February 2009|title=Human Rights in North Korea|url=https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/02/17/human-rights-north-korea |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429044053/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/02/17/human-rights-north-korea |archive-date=29 April 2011 |access-date=13 December 2010|work=hrw.org|publisher=Human Rights Watch}}</ref> North Koreans have been referred to as "some of the world's most brutalized people" by Human Rights Watch, because of the severe restrictions placed on their political and economic freedoms.<ref name="hrw1"/><ref name="hrw2"/> The North Korean population is strictly managed by the state and all aspects of daily life are subordinated to party and state planning. According to US government reports, employment is managed by the party on the basis of political reliability, and travel is tightly controlled by the Ministry of People's Security.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|pp=272–273}} The US State Department says that North Koreans do not have a choice in the jobs they work and are not free to change jobs at will.<ref name=dos/>

There are restrictions on the freedom of association, expression and movement; arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment result in death and execution.<ref name="ai1">{{cite web|title=Annual Report 2011: North Korea|work=Amnesty International|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/north-korea/report-2011 |access-date=20 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314232341/http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/north-korea/report-2011 |archive-date=14 March 2012}}</ref> Citizens in North Korea are generally not permitted to leave the country<ref name=":0" /> at will and its government denies access to UN human rights observers.<ref>{{Cite web|title=North Korea|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/asia-and-the-pacific/north-korea/|access-date=12 June 2020|website=www.amnesty.org|language=en|archive-date=7 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607023813/https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/asia-and-the-pacific/north-korea/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Ministry of State Security extrajudicially apprehends and imprisons those accused of political crimes without due process.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=278}} People perceived as hostile to the government, such as Christians or critics of the leadership,<ref name="ai_ppc"/> are deported to labor camps without trial,<ref>{{cite web|title=Concentrations of Inhumanity (p. 40–44)|work=Freedom House, May 2007|url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/ConcentrationsInhumanity.pdf |access-date=10 April 2012|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030153816/http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/ConcentrationsInhumanity.pdf |archive-date=30 October 2012}}</ref> often with their whole family and mostly without any chance of being released.<ref>{{cite web |title=Survey Report on Political Prisoners' Camps in North Korea (p. 58–73) |work=National Human Rights Commission of Korea, December 2009 |url=http://nkdb.org/bbs1/data/publication/Survey_Report_on_Political_Prisoners_Camp_in_North_Korea_.pdf |access-date=10 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426032452/http://nkdb.org/bbs1/data/publication/Survey_Report_on_Political_Prisoners_Camp_in_North_Korea_.pdf |archive-date=26 April 2012 }}</ref> Forced labor is part of an established system of political repression.<ref name=dos/>

Based on satellite images and defector testimonies, an estimated 200,000 prisoners are held in six large prison camps,<ref name=ai_ppc>{{cite web|title=North Korea: Political Prison Camps|work=Amnesty International|date=4 May 2011|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa24/001/2011/en/|access-date=10 April 2012|archive-date=22 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622152014/https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa24/001/2011/en/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ai2">{{cite web|title=North Korea: Catastrophic human rights record overshadows 'Day of the Sun'|work=Amnesty International|date=12 April 2012|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/news/north-korea-catastrophic-human-rights-record-overshadows-day-sun-2012-04-12 |access-date=10 April 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413234435/http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/north-korea-catastrophic-human-rights-record-overshadows-day-sun-2012-04-12 |archive-date=13 April 2012}}</ref> where they are made to work to right their wrongdoings.<ref>{{cite web|title=Images reveal scale of North Korean political prison camps|work=Amnesty International|date=3 May 2011|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/images-reveal-scale-north-korean-political-prison-camps-2011-05-03 |access-date=10 April 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407062241/http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/images-reveal-scale-north-korean-political-prison-camps-2011-05-03 |archive-date=7 April 2012}}</ref> Supporters of the government who deviate from the government line are subject to reeducation in sections of labor camps set aside for that purpose. Those who are deemed politically rehabilitated may reassume responsible government positions on their release.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20130523090447/http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2952180 "Report on political prisoners in North soon"]}} article by Han Yeong-ik in Korea Joongang Daily 30 April 2012</ref>

The United Nations Commission of Inquiry has accused North Korea of crimes against humanity.<ref>{{cite web|title=North Korea: UN Commission documents wide-ranging and ongoing crimes against humanity, urges referral to ICC|work=United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights|url=http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14255&LangID=E|date=17 February 2014 |access-date=18 February 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140218020308/http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14255&LangID=E |archive-date=18 February 2014}}</ref>{{sfn|Kirby|Darusman|Biserko|2014}}<ref>Walker, Peter (17 February 2014). [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/17/north-korea-human-rights-abuses-united-nations North Korean human rights abuses recall Nazis, says UN inquiry chair] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140218020741/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/17/north-korea-human-rights-abuses-united-nations |date=18 February 2014}}. ''The Guardian''. Retrieved 17 February 2014.</ref> The International Coalition to Stop Crimes Against Humanity in North Korea (ICNK) estimates that over 10,000 people die in North Korean prison camps every year.<ref>{{cite web|title=Human Rights Groups Call on UN Over N.Korea Gulag|work=The Chosun Ilbo|date=4 April 2012|url=http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2012/04/04/2012040401146.html |access-date=10 April 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405230944/http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2012/04/04/2012040401146.html |archive-date=5 April 2012}}</ref>

With 1,100,000 people in modern slavery (via forced labor), North Korea is ranked highest in the world in terms of the percentage of population in modern slavery, with 10.4 percent enslaved according to the Walk Free's 2018 Global Slavery Index.<ref name="auto4">{{cite web |title=Maps &#124; Global Slavery Index |url=https://www.globalslaveryindex.org/2018/data/maps/#prevalence |website=www.globalslaveryindex.org |access-date=30 July 2022 |archive-date=20 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120071653/https://www.globalslaveryindex.org/2018/data/maps/#prevalence |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=North Korea |publisher=Walk Free Foundation |work=The Global Slavery Index |date=2016 |access-date=12 October 2016 |url=http://www.globalslaveryindex.org/index/ |archive-date=5 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005221026/http://www.globalslaveryindex.org/index/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> North Korea is the only country in the world that has not explicitly criminalized some form of modern slavery.<ref>{{cite web|title=Asia-Pacific|publisher=The Minderoo Foundation|work=Global Slavery Index 2016|date=2016|access-date=12 October 2016|url=http://www.globalslaveryindex.org/region/asia-pacific/#footnote-|archive-date=28 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928133452/https://www.globalslaveryindex.org/region/asia-pacific/#footnote-|url-status=dead}}</ref> A United Nations report listed slavery among the crimes against humanity occurring in North Korea.<ref name=TheTimesUK>{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/best-law-firms/profile-legal/article/un-uncovers-torture-rape-and-slavery-in-north-korea-mtjc6c935r5|title=UN uncovers torture, rape and slavery in North Korea|work=The Times|date=15 February 2014|access-date=30 July 2022|archive-date=7 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407090053/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/asia/article4006887.ece|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to the US State Department, the North Korean government does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so.<ref name="dos">{{citation-attribution|1="North Korea". [https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-trafficking-in-persons-report/ ''Trafficking in Persons Report 2019'']. U.S. Department of State (17 June 2020). }}</ref> North Korea has trafficked thousands of its own citizens allegedly as forced laborers to Russia,<ref>{{Citation |title=North Korean 'worker brigades' in Russia |date=2015-07-15 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JisOJslChYM |access-date=2023-10-31 |publisher=BBC |language=en |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031171657/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JisOJslChYM |url-status=live }}</ref> Poland,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jo Harper |date=2019-02-14 |title=Dutch shipbuilder in the dock |url=https://www.dw.com/en/dutch-shipbuilder-in-dock-over-north-koreans-polish-slave-claims/a-47502242 |access-date=2023-10-31 |website=Dw.com |language=en |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031171657/https://www.dw.com/en/dutch-shipbuilder-in-dock-over-north-koreans-polish-slave-claims/a-47502242 |url-status=live }}</ref> Malaysia,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hodal |first=Kate |date=2014-11-24 |title=North Koreans are needed to do the dangerous jobs, says Malaysia |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/24/-sp-north-korea-malaysia-mine-labour |access-date=2023-10-31 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=7 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407223924/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/24/-sp-north-korea-malaysia-mine-labour |url-status=live }}</ref> various parts of Africa<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tycho A. van der Hoog |date=2018 |title=Uncovering North Korean Forced Labour in Africa: Towards a Research Framework |url=https://scholarlypublications.universiteitleiden.nl/handle/1887/63981 |website=Leiden University |access-date=31 October 2023 |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031171657/https://scholarlypublications.universiteitleiden.nl/handle/1887/63981 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the Persian Gulf<ref>{{Citation |title=ONLY ON AP NKorea sends workers to Gulf nations |date=2017-08-02 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZirOGff5XJ8 |access-date=2023-10-31 |publisher=AP Archive |language=en |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031171657/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZirOGff5XJ8 |url-status=live }}</ref> where most of the laborers' earnings are pocketed by Pyongyang.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=John Sifton |last2=Tom Lantos |date=2015-04-29 |title=North Korea's Forced Labor Enterprise: A State-Sponsored Marketplace in Human Trafficking |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/04/29/north-koreas-forced-labor-enterprise-state-sponsored-marketplace-human-trafficking |access-date=2023-10-31 |website=Human Rights Watch |language=en |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031171657/https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/04/29/north-koreas-forced-labor-enterprise-state-sponsored-marketplace-human-trafficking |url-status=live }}</ref>

The North Korean government rejects the human rights abuse claims,<ref name="human_rights4">{{cite news |date=8 October 2014 |title=North Korea defends human rights record in report to UN |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29531969 |url-status=live |access-date=8 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112172608/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29531969 |archive-date=12 November 2014}}</ref><ref name="Taylor">{{cite news|last=Taylor|first=Adam|date=22 April 2014|title=North Korea slams U.N. human rights report because it was led by gay man|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/04/22/north-korean-state-media-slams-u-n-human-rights-report-because-it-was-led-by-a-gay-man/|access-date=23 April 2014|archive-date=2 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702141504/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/04/22/north-korean-state-media-slams-u-n-human-rights-report-because-it-was-led-by-a-gay-man/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="kcna.co.jp">{{cite web|date=22 April 2014|title=KCNA Commentary Slams Artifice by Political Swindlers|url=http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2014/201404/news22/20140422-02ee.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729025304/http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2014/201404/news22/20140422-02ee.html |archive-date=29 July 2014 |access-date=17 August 2015|website=kcna.co.jp|publisher=Korean Central News Agency}}</ref> calling them a smear campaign and a human rights racket made to topple the government.<ref name="human_rights1">[http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2005/200512/news12/23.htm#3 KCNA Assails Role Played by Japan for UN Passage of "Human Rights" Resolution against DPRK] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401222746/http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2005/200512/news12/23.htm |date= 1 April 2012 }}, ''KCNA'', 22 December 2005.</ref><ref name="human_rights2">[http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2005/200511/news11/09.htm#10 KCNA Refutes U.S. Anti-DPRK Human Rights Campaign] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401222752/http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2005/200511/news11/09.htm |date= 1 April 2012 }}, ''KCNA'', 8 November 2005.</ref><ref name="SCR212">{{cite web|title=February 2012 DPRK (North Korea)|url=http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/site/c.glKWLeMTIsG/b.7966259/k.D9BB/February_2012brDPRK_North_Korea.htm|publisher=United Nations Security Council|date=February 2012}}</ref> In a 2014 report to the UN, North Korea dismissed accusations of atrocities as wild rumors.<ref name="human_rights4" /> The official state media, KCNA, responded with an article that included homophobic insults against the author of the human rights report, Michael Kirby, calling him "a disgusting old lecher with a 40-odd-year-long career of homosexuality ... This practice can never be found in the DPRK boasting of the sound mentality and good morals ... In fact, it is ridiculous for such gay {{sic}} to sponsor dealing with others' human rights issue."<ref name="Taylor" /><ref name="kcna.co.jp" /> The government, however, admitted some human rights issues related to living conditions and stated that it is working to improve them.<ref name="SCR212" />

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of North Korea}}
[[File:Economic growth of North Korea.jpg|thumb|Historical GDP per capita estimates of North Korea, 1820–2018]]
[[File:Mirae Scientists Street - Nordkorea 2015 - Pjöngjang (22971791331).jpg|thumb|Apartments along Pyongyang]]
North Korea has maintained one of the most closed and centralized economies in the world since the 1940s.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p = 135}} For several decades, it followed the Soviet pattern of five-year plans with the ultimate goal of achieving self-sufficiency. Extensive Soviet and Chinese support allowed North Korea to rapidly recover from the Korean War and register very high growth rates. Systematic inefficiency began to arise around 1960, when the economy shifted from the extensive to the intensive development stage. The shortage of skilled labor, energy, arable land and transportation significantly impeded long-term growth and resulted in consistent failure to meet planning objectives.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p = 138}} The major slowdown of the economy contrasted with South Korea, which surpassed the North in terms of absolute GDP and per capita income by the 1980s.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p = 142}} North Korea declared the last seven-year plan unsuccessful in December 1993 and thereafter stopped announcing plans.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p = 140}}

[[File:Industry Hamhung, North Korea.jpg|thumb|An industrial plant in Hamhung]]

The loss of Eastern Bloc trading partners and a series of natural disasters throughout the 1990s caused severe hardships, including widespread famine. By 2000, the situation improved owing to a massive international food assistance effort, but the economy continues to suffer from food shortages, dilapidated infrastructure and a critically low energy supply.<ref name="EB Economy" /> In an attempt to recover from the collapse, the government began structural reforms in 1998 that formally legalized private ownership of assets and decentralized control over production.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|pp = 143, 145}} A second round of reforms in 2002 led to an expansion of market activities, partial monetization, flexible prices and salaries, and the introduction of incentives and accountability techniques.{{Sfn|Country Profile|2007|p = 9}} Despite these changes, North Korea remains a command economy where the state owns almost all means of production and development priorities are defined by the government.<ref name="EB Economy">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/322222/North-Korea/34929/Economy|title=Economy|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |access-date=31 May 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706041908/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/322222/North-Korea/34929/Economy |archive-date=6 July 2014}}</ref>

North Korea has the structural profile of a relatively industrialized country{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p = 145}} where nearly half of the gross domestic product is generated by industry<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2012.html#kn |title=GDP Composition by sectory field listing |publisher=CIA The World Factbook |access-date=31 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522215220/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2012.html |archive-date=22 May 2014 }}</ref> and human development is at medium levels.<ref name="HDI">{{cite web|url=http://www.unescap.org/pdd/publications/workingpaper/wp_09_02.pdf|title=Filling Gaps in the Human Development Index|publisher=United Nations ESCAP|date=February 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005100501/http://www.unescap.org/pdd/publications/workingpaper/wp_09_02.pdf|archive-date=5 October 2011|access-date=1 August 2013}}</ref> Purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP is estimated at $40 billion,<ref name="CIAGDP(PPP)">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/real-gdp-purchasing-power-parity/country-comparison/|title=Real GDP (purchasing power parity)|publisher=CIA World Factbook|website=www.cia.gov}}</ref> with a very low per capita value of $1,800.<ref name="CIAGDP(PPP)Capita">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2004.html#kn |title=GDP (PPP) per capita Field listing |publisher=CIA World Factbook |access-date=31 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625151025/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2004.html |archive-date=25 June 2014 }}</ref> In 2012, gross national income per capita was $1,523, compared to $28,430 in South Korea.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM130717_0001|title=North Korean Economy Records Positive Growth for Two Consecutive Years|publisher=The Institute for Far Eastern Studies|date=17 July 2013 |access-date=15 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423225351/http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM130717_0001 |archive-date=23 April 2015}}</ref> The North Korean won is the national currency, issued by the Central Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.{{sfn|North Korea Handbook|2003|p=931}} The economy has been developing dramatically in recent years despite sanctions. The Sejong Institute describes these changes as "astonishing".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Report: North Korea economy developing dramatically despite sanctions|url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2019/12/04/Report-North-Korea-economy-developing-dramatically-despite-sanctions/3431575452381/|access-date=14 January 2021|website=UPI|language=en|archive-date=4 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204235408/https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2019/12/04/Report-North-Korea-economy-developing-dramatically-despite-sanctions/3431575452381/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The economy is heavily nationalized.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p = xxiii}} Food and housing are extensively subsidized by the state; education and healthcare are free;{{Sfn|Country Profile|2007|pp=7–8}} and the payment of taxes was officially abolished in 1974.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=152}} A variety of goods are available in department stores and supermarkets in Pyongyang,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.msn.com/world/pyongyang-glitters-but-most-of-north-korea-still-dark|title=Pyongyang glitters but most of North Korea still dark|publisher=AP through MSN News|date=28 April 2013|access-date=15 June 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707152256/http://news.msn.com/world/pyongyang-glitters-but-most-of-north-korea-still-dark|archive-date=7 July 2014}}</ref> though most of the population relies on small-scale ''jangmadang'' markets.<ref>[http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00400&num=2828 Jangmadang Will Prevent "Second Food Crisis" from Developing] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222171547/http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00400&num=2828 |date=22 December 2010 }}, DailyNK, 26 October 2007</ref><ref>[http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00100&num=4409 2008 Top Items in the Jangmadang] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923212529/http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00100&num=4409 |date=23 September 2015 }}, The DailyNK, 1 January 2009</ref> In 2009, the government attempted to stem the expanding free market by banning jangmadang and the use of foreign currency,<ref name="EB Economy" /> heavily devaluing the won and restricting the convertibility of savings in the old currency,<ref name=cha>{{cite book|last1=Cha|first1=Victor|title=The Impossible State|date=2012|publisher=Ecco}}</ref> but the resulting inflation spike and rare public protests caused a reversal of these policies.<ref>[http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00400&num=7084 Kim Jong Eun's Long-lasting Pain in the Neck] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203000655/http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00400&num=7084 |date=3 December 2010 }}, TheDailyNK, 30 November 2010</ref> Private trade is dominated by women because most men are required to be present at their workplace, even though many state-owned enterprises are non-operational.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/10/304_96327.html|title=NK is no Stalinist country|work=The Korea Times|date=9 October 2011 |access-date=9 October 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016015038/https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/10/304_96327.html |archive-date=16 October 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Masikryong North Korea Ski Resort (12300043424).jpg|thumb|Foreign tourists in Masikryong Ski Resort]]

Industry and services employ 65%<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2048.html#kn |title=Labor Force by occupation field listing |publisher=CIA The World Factbook |access-date=7 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522214333/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2048.html |archive-date=22 May 2014 }}</ref> of North Korea's 12.6 million labor force.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2095.html#kn |title=Labor Force field listing |publisher=CIA The World Factbook |access-date=7 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625143033/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2095.html |archive-date=25 June 2014 }}</ref> Major industries include machine building, military equipment, chemicals, mining, metallurgy, textiles, food processing and tourism.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2090.html#kn |title=Major Industries field listing |publisher=CIA The World Factbook |access-date=7 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625140807/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2090.html |archive-date=25 June 2014 }}</ref> Iron ore and coal production are among the few sectors where North Korea performs significantly better than its southern neighbor—it produces about 10 times more of each resource.<ref>[http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_northkorea/457520.html In limited N.Korean market, furor for S.Korean products] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109002743/http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_northkorea/457520.html |date=9 January 2011 }}, The Hankyoreh, 6 January 2011</ref> Using ex-Romanian drilling rigs, several oil exploration companies have confirmed significant oil reserves in the North Korean shelf of the Sea of Japan, and in areas south of Pyongyang.<ref>{{cite report|last=Bermudez|first=Joseph S. Jr.|date=14 December 2015|title=North Korea's Exploration for Oil and Gas|url=https://www.38north.org/reports/2015/12/nks-exploration-for-oil-gas/|publisher=38 North|pages=8–9|access-date=26 September 2022|archive-date=26 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926084341/https://www.38north.org/reports/2015/12/nks-exploration-for-oil-gas/|url-status=live}}</ref> The agricultural sector was shattered by the natural disasters of the 1990s.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=154}} Its 3,500 cooperatives and state farms{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=143}} were moderately successful until the mid-1990s{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=47}} but now experience chronic fertilizer and equipment shortages. Rice, corn, soybeans and potatoes are some of the primary crops.<ref name="EB Economy" /> A significant contribution to the food supply comes from commercial fishing and aquaculture.<ref name="EB Economy" /> Smaller specialized farms, managed by the state, also produce high-value crops, including ginseng, honey, matsutake and herbs for traditional Korean and Chinese medicine.{{Sfn|French|2007|p=155}} Tourism has been a growing sector for the past decade.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9882594/North-Korea-welcomes-increase-in-tourism.html|title=North Korea welcomes increase in tourism|newspaper=The Telegraph|first=Natalie|last=Paris|date=20 February 2013 |access-date=15 June 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903124330/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9882594/North-Korea-welcomes-increase-in-tourism.html |archive-date=3 September 2014}}</ref> North Korea has been aiming to increase the number of foreign visitors through projects like the Masikryong Ski Resort.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2014/02/skiing-north-korea|title=Skiing in North Korea: Mounting Problems|newspaper=The Economist|date=14 February 2014 |access-date=15 June 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140609161710/https://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2014/02/skiing-north-korea |archive-date=9 June 2014}}</ref> On 22 January 2020, North Korea closed its borders to foreign tourists in response to the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic in North Korea.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youngpioneertours.com/dprk-closes-border/|title=North Korea temporarily closes border until further notice – Coronavirus precaution|publisher=Young Pioneer Tours|date=January 2020|accessdate=15 August 2023|archive-date=25 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925103413/https://www.youngpioneertours.com/dprk-closes-border/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Foreign trade surpassed pre-crisis levels in 2005 and continues to expand.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=173}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=North Korea's Trade and the KOTRA Report|last=Boydston|first=Kent|publisher=Peterson Institute for International Economics|date=1 August 2017|access-date=22 May 2018|url=https://piie.com/blogs/north-korea-witness-transformation/north-koreas-trade-and-kotra-report|archive-date=12 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143118/https://piie.com/blogs/north-korea-witness-transformation/north-koreas-trade-and-kotra-report|url-status=live}}</ref> North Korea has a number of special economic zones (SEZs) and Special Administrative Regions where foreign companies can operate with tax and tariff incentives while North Korean establishments gain access to improved technology.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=165}} Initially four such zones existed, but they yielded little overall success.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nknews.org/2013/12/north-koreas-crusade-for-more-special-economic-zones/|title=North Korea's crusade for more special economic zones|work=NK News |date=1 December 2013 |access-date=15 June 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706120448/http://www.nknews.org/2013/12/north-koreas-crusade-for-more-special-economic-zones/ |archive-date=6 July 2014 |last1=York |first1=Rob }}</ref> The SEZ system was overhauled in 2013 when 14 new zones were opened and the Rason Special Economic Zone was reformed as a joint Chinese-North Korean project.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/16/north-korea_n_4108265.html|title=North Korea Plans To Expand Special Economic Zones|work=The Huffington Post|date=16 November 2013 |access-date=15 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140412081837/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/16/north-korea_n_4108265.html |archive-date=12 April 2014}}</ref> The Kaesong Industrial Region is a special economic zone where more than 100 South Korean companies employ some 52,000 North Korean workers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2014/06/12/14/0401000000AEN20140612007800315F.html|title=Cumulative output of Kaesong park reaches US$2.3 bln|publisher=Yonhap News Agency |date=12 June 2014 |access-date=15 June 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812123537/http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2014/06/12/14/0401000000AEN20140612007800315F.html |archive-date=12 August 2014}}</ref> {{as of|2017|August}}, China is the biggest trading partner of North Korea outside inter-Korean trade, accounting for more than 84% of the total external trade ($5.3 billion) followed by India at 3.3% share ($205 million).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/economy/data-story-india-is-north-koreas-second-biggest-trade-partner-after-china-2360981.html|title=India is North Korea's second biggest trading partner after China|date=16 August 2017|publisher=Moneycontrol|access-date=16 August 2017|archive-date=18 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818141130/http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/economy/data-story-india-is-north-koreas-second-biggest-trade-partner-after-china-2360981.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, Russia wrote off 90% of North Korea's debt and the two countries agreed to conduct all transactions in rubles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.ria.ru/business/20140328/188842736/Russia-North-Korea-Agree-to-Settle-Payments-in-Rubles-in-Trade.html|title=Russia, North Korea Agree to Settle Payments in Rubles in Trade Pact|publisher=RIA Novosti|date=28 March 2014 |access-date=15 June 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140603184150/http://en.ria.ru/business/20140328/188842736/Russia-North-Korea-Agree-to-Settle-Payments-in-Rubles-in-Trade.html |archive-date=3 June 2014}}</ref> Overall, external trade in 2013 reached a total of $7.3 billion (the highest amount since 1990<ref name="IFES1">{{cite web|url=http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM140528_0001|title=North Korean Foreign Trade Volume Posts Record High of USD 7.3 Billion in 2013|publisher=The Institute for Far Eastern Studies|date=28 May 2014 |access-date=15 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904004823/http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM140528_0001 |archive-date=4 September 2015}}</ref>), while inter-Korean trade dropped to an eight-year low of $1.1 billion.<ref name=ft-20140220>{{cite news|url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f8fca490-9a23-11e3-a407-00144feab7de.html#axzz34ikn6f8D|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210201228/https://www.ft.com/content/f8fca490-9a23-11e3-a407-00144feab7de#axzz34ikn6f8D|archive-date=10 December 2022|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|title=South Korea has lost the North to China|work=Financial Times|date=20 February 2014|access-date=15 June 2014}}</ref>

=== Transportation ===
{{Main|Transport in North Korea}}
Transport infrastructure in North Korea includes railways, highways, water and air routes, but rail transport is by far the most widespread. North Korea has some {{convert|5200|km|mi|sp=us}} of railways mostly in standard gauge which carry 80% of annual passenger traffic and 86% of freight, but electricity shortages undermine their efficiency.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=147}} Construction of a high-speed railway connecting Kaesong, Pyongyang and Sinuiju with speeds exceeding {{convert|200|km/h|mi/h|sp=us}} was approved in 2013.<ref name=NKT>{{cite web|url=http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM131220_0001|title=High Speed Rail and Road Connecting Kaesong-Pyongyang-Sinuiju to be Built|publisher=The Institute for Far Eastern Studies|date=20 December 2013 |access-date=15 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423171449/http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM131220_0001 |archive-date=23 April 2015}}</ref>{{Update inline|date=October 2021|reason=Has the railroad been completed?}} North Korea connects with the Trans-Siberian Railway through Rajin.

Road transport is very limited—only {{convert|724|km|mi|sp=us}} of the {{convert|25554|km|mi|sp=us}} road network are paved,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2085.html#kn |title=Roadways field listing |publisher=CIA The World Factbook |access-date=16 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522232116/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2085.html |archive-date=22 May 2014 }}</ref> and maintenance on most roads is poor.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=150}} Only 2% of the freight capacity is supported by river and sea transport, and air traffic is negligible.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=147}} All port facilities are ice-free and host a merchant fleet of 158 vessels.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2108.html#kn |title=Merchant marine field listing |publisher=CIA The World Factbook |access-date=16 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625145330/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2108.html |archive-date=25 June 2014 }}</ref> Eighty-two airports<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2053.html#kn |title=Airports field listing |publisher=CIA The World Factbook |access-date=16 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625161845/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2053.html |archive-date=25 June 2014 }}</ref> and 23 helipads<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2019.html#kn |title=Helipads field listing |publisher=CIA The World Factbook |access-date=16 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604005151/http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2007/06/12/afx3810988.html |archive-date=4 June 2011 }}</ref> are operational and the largest serve the state-run airline, Air Koryo.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=147}} Cars are relatively rare,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ejinsight.com/20180523-cars-on-pyongyang-streets-can-tell-us-a-lot-about-the-country/|title=Cars on Pyongyang streets can tell us a lot about the country|date=23 May 2018|website=EJ Insight|language=en-US|access-date=25 October 2019|archive-date=22 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922032403/http://www.ejinsight.com/20180523-cars-on-pyongyang-streets-can-tell-us-a-lot-about-the-country/|url-status=live}}</ref> but bicycles are common.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00100&num=4230|title=70% of Households Use Bikes|newspaper=Daily NK|date=30 October 2008 |access-date=16 June 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706144543/http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00100&num=4230 |archive-date=6 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nknews.org/2016/03/north-koreas-bike-path/|title=North Korea's bike path|date=21 March 2016|website=NK News|language=en-US|access-date=25 October 2019|archive-date=25 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025203825/https://www.nknews.org/2016/03/north-koreas-bike-path/|url-status=live}}</ref> There is only one international airport—Pyongyang International Airport—serviced by Russia and China (see List of public airports in North Korea)

=== Energy ===
{{Main|Energy in North Korea}}
[[File:Korean Peninsula at night from space.jpg|thumb|right|Satellite image of the Korean Peninsula at night, showing the difference in lighting between North and South Korea<ref>Schielke, Thomas (17 April 2018). [https://www.archdaily.com/892730/how-satellite-images-of-the-earth-at-night-help-us-understand-our-world-and-make-better-cities "How Satellite Images of the Earth at Night Help Us Understand Our World and Make Better Cities".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113110626/https://www.archdaily.com/892730/how-satellite-images-of-the-earth-at-night-help-us-understand-our-world-and-make-better-cities |date=13 November 2023 }} ArchDaily. Retrieved 15 September 2020.</ref>]]
North Korea's energy infrastructure is obsolete and in disrepair. Power shortages are chronic and would not be alleviated even by electricity imports because the poorly maintained grid causes significant losses during transmission.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=146}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/11/kim-jong-un-pursues-this-energy-strategy-to-keep-north-korea-afloat.html|title=Kim Jong Un is skirting sanctions and pursuing this energy strategy to keep North Korea afloat|last=Wee|first=Heesun|date=11 April 2019|work=CNBC|access-date=9 January 2020|archive-date=29 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229182846/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/11/kim-jong-un-pursues-this-energy-strategy-to-keep-north-korea-afloat.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Coal accounts for 70% of primary energy production, followed by hydroelectric power with 17%.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=147}} The government under Kim Jong Un has increased emphasis on renewable energy projects like wind farms, solar parks, solar heating and biomass.<ref name="IFES2">{{cite web|url=http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM140403_0001|title=North Korea to Utilize Science and Technology to Overcome Its Energy Crisis|publisher=The Institute of Far Eastern Studies|date=3 April 2014 |access-date=15 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423164029/http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM140403_0001 |archive-date=23 April 2015}}</ref> A set of legal regulations adopted in 2014 stressed the development of geothermal, wind and solar energy along with recycling and environmental conservation.<ref name="IFES2"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM130917_0001|title=North Korea Adopts Renewable Energy Law|publisher=The Institute for Far Eastern Studies|date=17 September 2013 |access-date=15 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423171303/http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM130917_0001 |archive-date=23 April 2015}}</ref> North Korea's long-term objective is to curb fossil fuel usage and reach an output of 5 million kilowatts from renewable sources by 2044, up from its current total of 430,000 kilowatts from all sources. Wind power is projected to satisfy 15% of the country's total energy demand under this strategy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM160302_0001|title=Progress in North Korea's Renewable Energy Production|work=NK Briefs|publisher=The Institute for Far Eastern Studies|date=2 March 2016 |access-date=18 December 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220224751/http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM160302_0001 |archive-date=20 December 2016}}</ref>

North Korea also strives to develop its own civilian nuclear program. These efforts are under much international dispute due to their military applications and concerns about safety.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/25/world/asia/experts-say-north-korea-may-be-producing-fuel-for-nuclear-reactor.html?_r=0|title=Activity Seen at North Korean Nuclear Plant|newspaper=The New York Times|date=24 December 2013 |access-date=15 June 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726144101/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/25/world/asia/experts-say-north-korea-may-be-producing-fuel-for-nuclear-reactor.html?_r=0 |archive-date=26 July 2014}}</ref>

=== Science and technology ===
{{further|Korean Committee of Space Technology|Telecommunications in North Korea|National Aerospace Technology Administration}}

R&D efforts are concentrated at the State Academy of Sciences, which runs 40 research institutes, 200 smaller research centers, a scientific equipment factory and six publishing houses.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nkeconwatch.com/2007/04/01/academies/|title=Academies|last=Lankov|first=Andrei| author-link = Andrei Lankov|newspaper=The Korea Times|date=1 April 2007 |access-date=16 June 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725163956/http://www.nkeconwatch.com/2007/04/01/academies/ |archive-date=25 July 2014}}</ref> The government considers science and technology to be directly linked to economic development.<ref name="IFES3"/><ref>[http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2013/08/02/15/0401000000AEN20130802005500315F.html N. Korea moves to develop cutting-edge nanotech industry] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407002220/http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2013/08/02/15/0401000000AEN20130802005500315F.html |date=7 April 2014 }} Yonhap News – 2 August 2013 (access date: 17 June 2014)</ref> A five-year scientific plan emphasizing IT, biotechnology, nanotechnology, marine technology, and laser and plasma research was carried out in the early 2000s.<ref name="IFES3">{{cite web|url=http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM121221_0001|title=North Korea to Become Strong in Science and Technology by Year 2022|publisher=The International Institute for Far Eastern Studies|date=21 December 2012 |access-date=17 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904004823/http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM121221_0001 |archive-date=4 September 2015}}</ref> A 2010 report by the South Korean Science and Technology Policy Institute identified polymer chemistry, single carbon materials, nanoscience, mathematics, software, nuclear technology and rocketry as potential areas of inter-Korean scientific cooperation. North Korean institutes are strong in these fields of research, although their engineers require additional training, and laboratories need equipment upgrades.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2010/01/06/25/0401000000AEN20100106002500320F.HTML|title=Two Koreas can cooperate in chemistry, biotech and nano science: report|publisher=Yonhap News Agency |date=6 January 2010 |access-date=17 June 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203005331/http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2010/01/06/25/0401000000AEN20100106002500320F.HTML |archive-date=3 December 2013}}</ref>

[[File:North Korean Unha-3 rocket at launch pad.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Unha-3 space launch vehicle at Sohae Satellite Launching Station]]

Under its "constructing a powerful knowledge economy" slogan, the state has launched a project to concentrate education, scientific research and production into a number of "high-tech development zones". International sanctions remain a significant obstacle to their development.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM140605_0001|title=High-Tech Development Zones: The Core of Building a Powerful Knowledge Economy Nation|publisher=The International Institute for Far Eastern Studies|date=5 June 2014 |access-date=17 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423175731/http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM140605_0001 |archive-date=23 April 2015}}</ref> The ''Miraewon'' network of electronic libraries was established in 2014 under similar slogans.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM140522_0001|title=. 'Miraewon' Electronic Libraries to be Constructed Across North Korea|publisher=The International Institute for Far Eastern Studies|date=22 May 2014 |access-date=17 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904004823/http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM140522_0001 |archive-date=4 September 2015}}</ref>

Significant resources have been allocated to the national space program, which is managed by the National Aerospace Technology Administration (formerly managed by the Korean Committee of Space Technology until April 2013).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pearlman|first=Robert|url=http://www.space.com/25337-north-korea-nada-space-agency-logo.html|website=Space.com|title=North Korea's 'NADA' Space Agency, Logo Are Anything But 'Nothing'|date=2 April 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514022729/http://www.space.com/25337-north-korea-nada-space-agency-logo.html |archive-date=14 May 2016}}</ref><ref name="Spacerace">{{cite book|last=Lele|first=Ajey|title=Asian Space Race: Rhetoric Or Reality|year=2013|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-81-322-0732-0|pages=70–72|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b5niU_drLaAC&q=korean+committee+of+space+technology&pg=PA275}}</ref> Domestically produced launch vehicles and the Kwangmyŏngsŏng satellite class are launched from two spaceports, the Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground and the Sohae Satellite Launching Station. After four failed attempts, North Korea became the tenth spacefaring nation with the launch of Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2 in December 2012, which successfully reached orbit but was believed to be crippled and non-operational.<ref name=ap20121218>{{cite news|last=Talmadge|first=Eric|title=Crippled NKorean probe could orbit for years|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/crippled-nkorean-probe-could-orbit-years?goback=.gde_3433693_member_197139555 |access-date=18 December 2012|newspaper=AP|date=18 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029210856/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/crippled-nkorean-probe-could-orbit-years?goback=.gde_3433693_member_197139555 |archive-date=29 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-01/23/japan-satellite-north-korea |title=Japan to launch spy satellite to keep an eye on North Korea |magazine=Wired |date=23 January 2013 |access-date=17 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140709164631/http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-01/23/japan-satellite-north-korea |archive-date=9 July 2014 }}</ref> It joined the Outer Space Treaty in 2009<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/KC19Dg01.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090323041853/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/KC19Dg01.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 March 2009|title=High five: Messages from North Korea|publisher=The Asia Times|date=19 March 2009|access-date=17 June 2014}}</ref> and has stated its intentions to undertake crewed and Moon missions.<ref name="Spacerace"/> The government insisted the space program is for peaceful purposes, but the United States, Japan, South Korea and other countries maintained that it serves to advance North Korea's ballistic missile program.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/01/north-korea-nasa-space-agency-logo|title=North Korea appears to ape Nasa with space agency logo|newspaper=The Guardian|first=Peter|last=Walker|date=1 April 2014 |access-date=17 June 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704230113/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/01/north-korea-nasa-space-agency-logo |archive-date=4 July 2014}}</ref> On 7 February 2016, a statement broadcast on Korean Central Television said that a new Earth observation satellite, Kwangmyongsong-4, had successfully been put into orbit.<ref name="UNSecurityCouncilVows">{{cite news|title=UN Security Council vows new sanctions after N Korea's rocket launch|work=BBC News|date=7 February 2016|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35518058 |access-date=7 February 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207185320/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35518058 |archive-date=7 February 2016}}</ref>

Usage of communication technology is controlled by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications. An adequate nationwide fiber-optic telephone system with 1.18 million fixed lines<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2150rank.html?countryName=Korea,North&countryCode=kn&regionCode=eas&rank=70#kn|title=Country Comparison: Telephones – main lines in use|publisher=CIA|work=The World Factbook|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227235715/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2150rank.html?countryName=Korea%2CNorth&countryCode=kn&regionCode=eas&rank=70|archive-date=27 December 2016|access-date=15 October 2012}}</ref> and expanding mobile coverage is in place.<ref name="CIATelephone">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2124.html#kn |title=Telephone System Field Listing |publisher=CIA The World Factbook |access-date=17 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625143457/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2124.html |archive-date=25 June 2014 }}</ref> Most phones are installed for senior government officials and installation requires written explanation why the user needs a telephone and how it will be paid for.{{sfn|French|2007|p=22}} Cellular coverage is available with a 3G network operated by Koryolink, a joint venture with Orascom Telecom Holding.<ref name=bbc-20130426>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22308353|title=North Korea embraces 3G service|publisher=BBC|date=26 April 2013 |access-date=17 June 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528235049/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22308353 |archive-date=28 May 2014}}</ref> The number of subscribers has increased from 3,000 in 2002<ref>{{cite web|url=http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/chinese-cell-phone-breaches-north-korean-hermit-kingdom|title=Chinese Cell Phone Breaches North Korean Hermit Kingdom |access-date=2 August 2007|last=MacKinnon|first=Rebecca|date=17 January 2005|work=Yale Global Online |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009211306/http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/chinese-cell-phone-breaches-north-korean-hermit-kingdom |archive-date=9 October 2009}}</ref> to almost two million in 2013.<ref name=bbc-20130426/> International calls through either fixed or cellular service are restricted, and mobile Internet is not available.<ref name=bbc-20130426/>

Internet access itself is limited to a handful of elite users and scientists. Instead, North Korea has a walled garden intranet system called Kwangmyong,<ref name="bbc-20121210">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-20445632|title=North Korea: On the net in world's most secretive nation|publisher=BBC|date=10 December 2012 |access-date=17 June 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708064750/http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-20445632 |archive-date=8 July 2014}}</ref> which is maintained and monitored by the Korea Computer Center.<ref>{{Cite news|title=North Korea's IT revolution|last=Lintner|first=Bertil|date=24 April 2007|access-date=11 May 2007|publisher=Asia Times|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/ID24Dg01.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070427072538/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/ID24Dg01.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 April 2007}}</ref> Its content is limited to state media, chat services, message boards,<ref name="bbc-20121210"/> an e-mail service and an estimated 1,000–5,500 websites.<ref name="Bright">{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/technology/online/north-korea-has-bright-idea-for-internet/story-fnjwmwrh-1226817110549|title=North Korea has 'Bright' idea for internet|work=News.com.au|date=4 February 2014 |access-date=17 June 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718042530/http://www.news.com.au/technology/online/north-korea-has-bright-idea-for-internet/story-fnjwmwrh-1226817110549 |archive-date=18 July 2014}}</ref> Computers employ the Red Star OS, an operating system derived from Linux, with a user shell visually similar to that of OS X.<ref name="Bright"/> On 19 September 2016, a TLDR project noticed the North Korean Internet DNS data and top-level domain was left open which allowed global DNS zone transfers. A dump of the data discovered was shared on GitHub.<ref name="Hersher2016">{{cite news|last1=Hersher|first1=Rebecca|title=North Korea Accidentally Reveals It Only Has 28 Websites|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/21/494902997/north-korea-accidentally-reveals-it-only-has-28-websites |access-date=22 September 2016|agency=NPR|date=21 September 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160922004655/http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/21/494902997/north-korea-accidentally-reveals-it-only-has-28-websites |archive-date=22 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Bryant|first1=Matthew|title=North Korea DNS Leak|url=https://github.com/mandatoryprogrammer/NorthKoreaDNSLeak |access-date=22 September 2016|date=19 September 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921171448/https://github.com/mandatoryprogrammer/NorthKoreaDNSLeak |archive-date=21 September 2016}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of North Korea}}
{{See also|Koreans|List of cities in North Korea}}
[[File:Life expectancy in North Korea and South Korea.svg|thumb|Development of life expectancy in North Korea and South Korea]]
North Korea's population was 10.9 million in 1961.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://population.un.org/wpp/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110506065230/http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/index.htm|title=World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations|archive-date=6 May 2011|website=population.un.org}}</ref> With the exception of a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese, North Korea's {{UN_Population|Dem. People's Republic of Korea}}{{UN_Population|ref}} people are ethnically homogeneous.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2075.html#kn |title=Field Listing: Ethnic Groups |publisher=CIA World Factbook |access-date=21 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625160623/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2075.html |archive-date=25 June 2014 }}</ref> Demographic experts in the 20th century estimated that the population would grow to 25.5 million by 2000 and 28 million by 2010, but this increase never occurred due to the North Korean famine.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=69}} The famine began in 1995, lasted for three years, and resulted in the deaths of between 240,000 and 420,000 North Koreans.<ref name="Spoorenberg">{{cite journal|last1=Spoorenberg|first1=Thomas|last2=Schwekendiek|first2=Daniel|title=Demographic Changes in North Korea: 1993–2008|journal=Population and Development Review|volume=38|issue=1|pages=133–158|doi=10.1111/j.1728-4457.2012.00475.x|year=2012|hdl=10.1111/j.1728-4457.2012.00475.x|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

International donors led by the United States initiated shipments of food through the World Food Program in 1997 to combat the famine.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R40095.pdf|title=Foreign Assistance to North Korea: Congressional Research Service Report for Congress|publisher=Federation of American Scientists|date=26 April 2012 |access-date=22 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628192457/http://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R40095.pdf |archive-date=28 June 2014}}</ref> Despite a drastic reduction of aid under the George W. Bush administration,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalpolicy.org//socecon/hunger/relief/2005/0520nkorea.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070216001402/http://www.globalpolicy.org//socecon/hunger/relief/2005/0520nkorea.htm |archive-date=16 February 2007|title=US Has Put Food Aid for North Korea on Hold |access-date=1 August 2007|last=Solomon|first=Jay|date=20 May 2005|work=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref> the situation gradually improved: the number of malnourished children declined from 60% in 1998{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=xxii}} to 37% in 2006<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.amnesty.org/report2006/prk-summary-eng |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070529223004/http://web.amnesty.org/report2006/prk-summary-eng |archive-date=29 May 2007|title=Asia-Pacific : North Korea |access-date=1 August 2007|year=2007|work=Amnesty International}}</ref> and 28% in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kp.one.un.org/national-nutrition-survey-final-report/|title=National Nutrition Survey final report|publisher=The United Nations Office in DPR Korea|date=19 March 2013 |access-date=22 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729162119/http://kp.one.un.org/national-nutrition-survey-final-report/ |archive-date=29 July 2014}}</ref> Domestic food production almost recovered to the recommended annual level of 5.37 million tons of cereal equivalent in 2013,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://38north.org/2013/12/rireson121813/|title=The State of North Korean Farming: New Information from the UN Crop Assessment Report|publisher=38 North|date=18 December 2013 |access-date=22 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140710015244/http://38north.org/2013/12/rireson121813/ |archive-date=10 July 2014}}</ref> but the World Food Program reported a continuing lack of dietary diversity and access to fats and proteins.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wfp.org/countries/korea-democratic-peoples-republic-dprk/overview|title=Korea, Democratic People's Republic (DPRK) &#124; WFP &#124; United Nations World Food Programme – Fighting Hunger Worldwide|publisher=WFP |access-date=22 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140514125155/http://www.wfp.org/countries/korea-democratic-peoples-republic-dprk/overview |archive-date=14 May 2014}}</ref> By the mid-2010s national levels of severe wasting, an indication of famine-like conditions, were lower than in other low-income countries and about on par with developing nations in the Pacific and East Asia. Children's health and nutrition is significantly better on a number of indicators than in many other Asian countries.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Smith|first=Hazel|title=Nutrition and Health in North Korea: What's New, What's Changed and Why It Matters|url=https://www.academia.edu/25554321|volume=12|number=1|year=2016|journal=North Korean Review|language=en|issn=1551-2789|pages=7–36|access-date=14 January 2021|archive-date=12 December 2016|archive-url=https://archive.today/20161212171700/http://www.academia.edu/25554321/Nutrition_and_Health_in_North_Korea_Whats_New_Whats_Changed_and_Why_It_Matters|url-status=live}}</ref>

The famine had a significant impact on the population growth rate, which declined to 0.9% annually in 2002.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=69}} It was 0.5% in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2002.html#kn |title=Field Listing: Population Growth Rate |publisher=CIA World Factbook |access-date=22 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625150251/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2002.html |archive-date=25 June 2014 }}</ref> Late marriages after military service, limited housing space and long hours of work or political studies further exhaust the population and reduce growth.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=69}} The national birth rate is 14.5 births per year per 1,000 population.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2054rank.html?countryname=Korea,%20North&countrycode=kn&regionCode=eas&rank=138#kn |title=Country Comparison: Birth Rate |publisher=CIA World Factbook |access-date=22 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140804215458/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2054rank.html?countryname=Korea%2C%20North&countrycode=kn&regionCode=eas&rank=138 |archive-date=4 August 2014 }}</ref> Two-thirds of households consist of extended families mostly living in two-room units. Marriage is virtually universal and divorce is extremely rare.<ref name="PRB">{{cite web|url=http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2010/northkorea-population.aspx|title=North Korea Census Reveals Poor Demographic and Health Conditions|publisher=Population Reference Bureau|date=December 2010|access-date=22 July 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006100634/http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2010/northkorea-population.aspx|archive-date=6 October 2014}}</ref>

{{Largest cities of North Korea|class=info}}

=== Language ===
{{Main|Korean language|Korean dialects}}
{{Further|North–South differences in the Korean language}}

North Korea shares the Korean language with South Korea, although some dialectal differences exist within both Koreas.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=xxii}} North Koreans refer to their Pyongan dialect as ''munhwaŏ'' ("cultured language") as opposed to the dialects of South Korea, especially the Seoul dialect or ''p'yojun'ŏ'' ("standard language"), which are viewed as decadent because of its use of loanwords from Chinese and European languages (particularly English).<ref name="Language">{{cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+kp0054)|title=The Korean Language|publisher=Library of Congress Country Studies|date=June 1993|access-date=25 July 2014|archive-date=17 November 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041117072051/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd%2Fcstdy%3A%40field%28DOCID+kp0054%29|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Minahan2014">{{cite book|last=Minahan|first=James B.|title=Ethnic Groups of North, East, and Central Asia: An Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oZAAQBAJ&pg=PA147|year=2014|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara|isbn=978-1-61069-018-8|page=147}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Words of Chinese, Manchu or Western origin have been eliminated from ''munhwa'' along with the usage of Chinese hancha characters.<ref name="Language"/> Written language uses only the Chosŏn'gŭl (Hangul) phonetic alphabet, developed under Sejong the Great (1418–1450).{{sfn|Alton|Chidley|2013|p=89}}{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=18}}

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in North Korea}}
[[File:Chilgol Church (15545529301).jpg|thumb|Chilgol Church in Pyongyang, where Kang Pan Sok—the mother of the late supreme leader Kim Il Sung—served as a Presbyterian deaconess]]

North Korea is officially an atheist state.<ref name="Cavendish2007">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YG2AFyFppJQC&pg=PA933|year=2007|title=World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|quote=North Korea is officially an atheist state in which almost the entire population is nonreligious.|access-date = 20 May 2019|isbn=9780761476313}}</ref><ref name="PalmerOBrien1993">{{cite book|first1=Joanne|last1=O'Brien|first2=Martin|last2=Palmer|date=December 1993|url=https://archive.org/details/stateofreligiona00obri|url-access=registration|title=The State of Religion Atlas|publisher=Simon & Schuster|quote=Atheism continues to be the official position of the governments of China, North Korea and Cuba.|access-date = 20 May 2019|isbn=9780671793760}}</ref> Its constitution guarantees freedom of religion under Article 68, but this principle is limited by the requirement that religion may not be used as a pretext to harm the state, introduce foreign forces, or harm the existing social order.<ref name="naenara" />{{sfn|Boer|2019|p=216}} Religious practice is therefore restricted,{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=115}}<ref>{{cite web|date=July 2004|title=Human Rights in North Korea|url=http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/07/08/nkorea9040.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061201160439/http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/07/08/nkorea9040.htm |archive-date=1 December 2006 |access-date=2 August 2007|work=Human Rights Watch}}</ref> despite nominal constitutional protections.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Peoples_Republic_of_Korea_1998.pdf|title=Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea|access-date=6 January 2022|archive-date=17 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317094359/https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Peoples_Republic_of_Korea_1998.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Proselytizing is also prohibited due to concerns about foreign influence. The number of Christian churchgoers nonetheless more than doubled between the 1980s and the early 2000s due to the recruitment of Christians who previously worshipped privately or in small house churches.{{sfn|Boer|2019|p=233}} The Open Doors mission, a Protestant group based in the United States and founded during the Cold War era, claims the most severe persecution of Christians in the world occurs in North Korea.<ref name="opendoors">{{cite web|url=http://sb.od.org/index.php?supp_page=wwl_top_ten&supp_lang=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070622111852/http://sb.od.org/index.php?supp_page=wwl_top_ten&supp_lang=en|archive-date=22 June 2007|title=Open Doors International : WWL: Focus on the Top Ten|work=Open Doors International|publisher=Open Doors (International)|access-date=4 July 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

There are no known official statistics of religions in North Korea. According to a 2020 study published by the Centre for the Study of World Christianity, 73% of the population are irreligious (58% agnostic, 15% atheist), 13% practice Chondoism, 12% practice Korean shamanism, 1.5% are Buddhist, and less than 0.5% practice another religion such as Christianity, Islam, or Chinese folk religion.<ref>{{cite web |title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/north-korea/ |work=Office of International Religious Freedom |publisher=U.S. Department of State |access-date=10 July 2023 |archive-date=6 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606073904/https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/north-korea/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Amnesty International has expressed concerns about religious persecution in North Korea.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa24/002/2009/en/|title=North Korea: Freedom of Movement, Opinion and Expression|access-date=4 March 2014|year=2009|work=Amnesty International|archive-date=31 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731213148/https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/ASA24/002/2009/en/|url-status=live}}</ref> Pro-North groups such as the Paektu Solidarity Alliance deny these claims, saying that multiple religious facilities exist across the nation.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Freedom of Ideas and Religious Belief in DPRK|newspaper=Paektu Solidarity Alliance|date=19 February 2020|url=https://defendkorea.com/2020/02/19/freedom-of-ideas-and-religious-belief-in-dprk/|access-date=6 January 2022|archive-date=6 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106171053/https://defendkorea.com/2020/02/19/freedom-of-ideas-and-religious-belief-in-dprk/|url-status=live}}</ref> Some religious places of worship are located in foreign embassies in the capital city of Pyongyang.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Inside North Korea's only Mosque During Eid al-Fitr|date=18 May 2021|url=https://www.nknews.org/2021/05/inside-north-koreas-only-mosque-during-eid-al-fitr/|access-date=6 January 2022|archive-date=18 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518074349/https://www.nknews.org/2021/05/inside-north-koreas-only-mosque-during-eid-al-fitr/|url-status=live}}</ref> Five Christian churches built with state funds stand in Pyongyang: three Protestant, one Roman Catholic, and one Russian Orthodox.{{sfn|Boer|2019|p=233}} Critics claim these are showcases for foreigners.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nautilus.org/fora/security/0434A_ReligionI.html|title=Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom |access-date=2 August 2007|author=United States Commission on International Religious Freedom|date=21 September 2004|work=Nautilus Institute | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070311032937/http://www.nautilus.org/fora/security/0434A_ReligionI.html| archive-date = 11 March 2007 |author-link=United States Commission on International Religious Freedom}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4431321.stm|title=N Korea stages Mass for Pope |access-date=2 August 2007|date=10 April 2005|work=BBC News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307074443/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4431321.stm |archive-date=7 March 2008}}</ref>

Buddhism and Confucianism still influence spirituality.{{sfn|Country Study|2009|p=14}} Chondoism ("Heavenly Way") is an indigenous syncretic belief combining elements of Korean shamanism, Buddhism, Taoism and Catholicism that is officially represented by the WPK-controlled Chondoist Chongu Party.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=120}} Chondoism is recognized and favored by the government, being seen as an indigenous form of "revolutionary religion".{{sfn|Boer|2019|p=216}}

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in North Korea}}
[[File:Laika ac Grand People's Study House (7968604172).jpg|thumb|English lecture at the Grand People's Study House in Pyongyang]]
The 2008 census listed the entire population as literate.<ref name="PRB"/> An 11-year free, compulsory cycle of primary and secondary education is provided in more than 27,000 nursery schools, 14,000 kindergartens, 4,800 four-year primary and 4,700 six-year secondary schools.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=xxii}} 77% of males and 79% of females aged 30–34 have finished secondary school.<ref name="PRB"/> An additional 300 universities and colleges offer higher education.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=xxii}}

Most graduates from the compulsory program do not attend university but begin their obligatory military service or proceed to work in farms or factories instead. The main deficiencies of higher education are the heavy presence of ideological subjects, which comprise 50% of courses in social studies and 20% in sciences,{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=122}} and the imbalances in curriculum. The study of natural sciences is greatly emphasized while social sciences are neglected.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=123}} Heuristics is actively applied to develop the independence and creativity of students throughout the system.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+kp0056)|title=Educational themes and methods|publisher=Lcweb2.loc.gov |access-date=23 June 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121212124233/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+kp0056) |archive-date=12 December 2012}}</ref> The study of Russian and English was made compulsory in upper middle schools in 1978.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=124}}

=== Health ===
{{Main|Health in North Korea}}
[[File:North Korea-Pyongyang Maternity Hospital-04.jpg|thumb|A dental clinic at Pyongyang Maternity Hospital]]
North Korea has a life expectancy of 72.3 years in 2019, according to HDR 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr2020.pdf|title=UN HDR 2020 PDF|access-date=5 January 2021|archive-date=15 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215063955/http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr2020.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> While North Korea is classified as a low-income country, the structure of North Korea's causes of death (2013) is unlike that of other low-income countries.<ref name="Overview of the Burden of Diseases">{{cite journal|last1=Lee|first1=Yo Han|last2=Yoon|first2=Seok-Jun|last3=Kim|first3=Young Ae|last4=Yeom|first4=Ji Won|last5=Oh|first5=In-Hwan|date=1 May 2013|title=Overview of the Burden of Diseases in North Korea|journal=Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health|volume=46|issue=3|pages=111–117|doi=10.3961/jpmph.2013.46.3.111|pmc=3677063|pmid=23766868}}</ref> Instead, it is closer to worldwide averages, with non-communicable diseases—such as cardiovascular disease and cancers—accounting for 84 percent of the total deaths in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cause of death, by non-communicable diseases (% of total) – Korea, Dem. People's Rep. {{!}} Data|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.DTH.NCOM.ZS?locations=KP&most_recent_value_desc=true&view=chart|access-date=11 July 2020|website=data.worldbank.org|archive-date=14 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714081219/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.DTH.NCOM.ZS?locations=KP&most_recent_value_desc=true&view=chart|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to the World Bank report of 2016 (based on WHO's estimate), only 9.5% of the total deaths recorded in North Korea are attributed to communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and nutrition conditions, a figure which is slightly lower than that of South Korea (10.1%) and one fifth of other low-income countries (50.1%) but higher than that of high income countries (6.7%).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and nutrition conditions (% of total) – Korea, Dem. People's Rep., Korea, Rep., Low income, High income {{!}} Data|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.DTH.COMM.ZS?locations=KP-KR-XM-XD&most_recent_value_desc=true&view=chart|access-date=11 July 2020|website=data.worldbank.org|archive-date=11 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711231018/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.DTH.COMM.ZS?locations=KP-KR-XM-XD&most_recent_value_desc=true&view=chart|url-status=live}}</ref> Only one out of ten leading causes of overall deaths in North Korea is attributed to communicable diseases (lower respiratory infection), a disease which is reported to have declined by six percent since 2007.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|date=9 September 2015|title=North Korea|url=http://www.healthdata.org/north-korea|access-date=11 July 2020|website=Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation|language=en|archive-date=13 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713105007/http://www.healthdata.org/north-korea|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2013, cardiovascular disease as a single disease group was reported as the largest cause of death in North Korea.<ref name="Overview of the Burden of Diseases"/> The three major causes of death in North Korea are stroke, COPD and ischaemic heart disease.<ref name=":2" /> Non-communicable diseases risk factors in North Korea include high rates of urbanization, an aging society, and high rates of smoking and alcohol consumption amongst men.<ref name="Overview of the Burden of Diseases"/>

Maternal mortality is lower than other low-income countries, but significantly higher than South Korea and other high income countries, at 89 per 100,000 live births.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births) – Korea, Dem. People's Rep., Low income, Middle income {{!}} Data|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.MMRT?locations=KP-XM-XP&view=chart|access-date=11 July 2020|website=data.worldbank.org|archive-date=15 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715061642/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.MMRT?locations=KP-XM-XP&view=chart|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2008 child mortality was estimated to be 45 per 1,000, which is much better than other economically comparable countries. Chad for example had a child mortality rate of 120 per 1,000, despite the fact that Chad was most likely wealthier than North Korea at the time.<ref name=":3" />

Healthcare Access and Quality Index, as calculated by IHME, was reported to stand at 62.3, much lower than that of South Korea.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Healthcare Access and Quality Index|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/healthcare-access-and-quality-index|access-date=11 July 2020|website=Our World in Data|archive-date=29 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729191329/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/healthcare-access-and-quality-index|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to a 2003 report by the United States Department of State, almost 100% of the population has access to water and sanitation.<ref name="Life Inside North Korea">{{cite web|title=Life Inside North Korea|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/p/eap/rls/rm/2003/21269.htm|access-date=18 November 2008|work=U.S. Department of State|archive-date=5 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205172017/http://2001-2009.state.gov/p/eap/rls/rm/2003/21269.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Further, 80% of the population had access to improved sanitation facilities in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|title=Democratic People's Republic of Korea: WHO statistical profile|publisher=World Health Organization|url=https://www.who.int/gho/countries/prk.pdf|access-date=5 October 2020|archive-date=2 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802175448/https://www.who.int/gho/countries/prk.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

North Korea has the highest number of doctors per capita amongst low-income countries, with 3.7 physicians per 1,000 people, a figure which is also significantly higher than that of South Korea, according to WHO's data.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Physicians (per 1,000 people) – Low income, Korea, Dem. People's Rep., Korea, Rep. {{!}} Data|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.MED.PHYS.ZS?locations=XM-KP-KR&most_recent_value_desc=true|access-date=12 July 2020|website=data.worldbank.org|archive-date=12 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712161427/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.MED.PHYS.ZS?locations=XM-KP-KR&most_recent_value_desc=true|url-status=live}}</ref>

Conflicting reports between Amnesty and WHO have emerged, where the Amnesty report claimed that North Korea had an inadequate health care system, while the Director of the World Health Organization claimed that North Korea's healthcare system was considered the envy of the developing world and had "no lack of doctors and nurses".<ref>{{Cite news|date=16 July 2010|title=Aid agencies row over North Korea health care system|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-10665964|access-date=11 January 2021|archive-date=27 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227021716/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-10665964|url-status=live}}</ref>

A free universal insurance system is in place.{{Sfn|Country Profile|2007|pp=7–8}} Quality of medical care varies significantly by region{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=127}} and is often low, with severe shortages of equipment, drugs and anesthetics.<ref name="cha" /> According to WHO, expenditure on health per capita is one of the lowest in the world.<ref name="cha" /> Preventive medicine is emphasized through physical exercise and sports, nationwide monthly checkups and routine spraying of public places against disease. Every individual has a lifetime health card which contains a full medical record.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=126}}

=== Songbun ===
{{Main|Songbun}}
According to North Korean documents and refugee testimonies,<ref name=HRNKSongbun>{{cite book|title=Marked for Life: Songbun, North Korea's Social Classification System|publisher=Committee for Human Rights in North Korea|url=http://www.hrnk.org/uploads/pdfs/HRNK_Songbun_Web.pdf|last=Collins|first=Robert |access-date=8 June 2012|date=6 June 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921212402/http://www.hrnk.org/uploads/pdfs/HRNK_Songbun_Web.pdf |archive-date=21 September 2013}}</ref> all North Koreans are sorted into groups according to their Songbun, an ascribed status system based on a citizen's assessed loyalty to the government. Based on their own behavior and the political, social, and economic background of their family for three generations as well as behavior by relatives within that range, Songbun is allegedly used to determine whether an individual is trusted with responsibility or given certain opportunities.<ref name=NKSongbun>{{cite news|title=Marked for Life: Songbun, North Korea's Social Classification System|url=http://www.nknews.org/2012/06/marked-for-life-songbun-north-koreas-social-classification-system/ |access-date=8 June 2012|newspaper=NK News|date=7 June 2012|last=McGrath|first=Matthew |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318004158/http://www.nknews.org/2012/06/marked-for-life-songbun-north-koreas-social-classification-system/ |archive-date=18 March 2013}}</ref>

Songbun allegedly affects access to educational and employment opportunities and particularly whether a person is eligible to join North Korea's ruling party.<ref name=NKSongbun/> There are 3 main classifications and about 50 sub-classifications. According to Kim Il Sung, speaking in 1958, the loyal "core class" constituted 25% of the North Korean population, the "wavering class" 55%, and the "hostile class" 20%.<ref name=HRNKSongbun/> The highest status is accorded to individuals descended from those who participated with Kim Il Sung in the resistance against Japanese occupation before and during World War II and to those who were factory workers, laborers, or peasants in 1950.<ref name=BRHLH>{{cite web|title=A Look at North Korean Society|url=http://www.winzigconsultingservices.com/files/samples/kq/Helen_Hunter.html|publisher=winzigconsultingservices.com|access-date=8 June 2011|last=Winzig|first=Jerry|type=book review of 'Kim Il-song's North Korea' by Helen-Louise Hunter|quote=In North Korea, one's songbun, or socio-economic and class background, is extremely important and is primarily determined at birth. People with the best songbun are descendants of the anti-Japanese guerrillas who fought with Kim Il Sung, followed by people whose parents or grandparents were factory workers, laborers, or poor, small farmers in 1950. "Ranked below them in descending order are forty-seven distinct groups in what must be the most class-differentiated society in the world today." Anyone with a father, uncle, or grandfather who owned land or was a doctor, Christian minister, merchant, or lawyer has low songbun.|archive-date=12 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512203300/http://www.winzigconsultingservices.com/files/samples/kq/Helen_Hunter.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

While some analysts believe private commerce recently changed the Songbun system to some extent,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/29/north-korea-songbun-caste-system_n_2380799.html|title=North Korea's Songbun Caste System Faces Power Of Wealth|last=Sullivan|first=Tim|date=29 December 2012|work=The Huffington Post|access-date=28 February 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128184102/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/29/north-korea-songbun-caste-system_n_2380799.html|archive-date=28 January 2013}}</ref> most North Korean refugees say it remains a commanding presence in everyday life.<ref name=HRNKSongbun/> The North Korean government claims all citizens are equal and denies any discrimination on the basis of family background.<ref>[http://www.kinu.or.kr/eng/pub/pub_04_01.jsp?bid=DATA04&page=1&num=32&mode=view KINU White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea 2011, pp. 216, 225] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708165948/http://www.kinu.or.kr/eng/pub/pub_04_01.jsp?bid=DATA04&page=1&num=32&mode=view |date=8 July 2013 }}. Kinu.or.kr (30 August 2011). Retrieved on 6 April 2013.</ref>

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of North Korea}}
{{See also|Culture of Korea}}
[[File:Pyohunsa Temple - Mount Kumgang North Korea (10449400303).jpg|thumb|Pyohunsa Buddhist Temple, a National Treasure of North Korea]]

Despite a historically strong Chinese influence, Korean culture has shaped its own unique identity.<ref name="Fairbank et al.">{{Cite book|first1=John K.|last1=Fairbank|first2=Edwin O.|last2=Reischauer|first3=Albert M.|last3=Craig|title=East Asia: Tradition & Transformation|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company|location=Boston|year=1978|isbn=978-0-395-25812-5}}</ref> It came under attack during the Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945, when Japan enforced a cultural assimilation policy. Koreans were forced to learn and speak Japanese, adopt the Japanese family name system and Shinto religion, and were forbidden to write or speak the Korean language in schools, businesses, or public places.<ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/kptoc.html|chapter=The Rise of Korean Nationalism and Communism|author=Bruce G. Cumings|title=A Country Study: North Korea|publisher=Library of Congress|id=Call number DS932 .N662 1994 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070410092404/http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/kptoc.html |archive-date=10 April 2007}}</ref>

After the peninsula was divided in 1945, two distinct cultures formed out of the common Korean heritage. North Koreans have little exposure to foreign influence.<ref name="LCCS Culture" /> The revolutionary struggle and the brilliance of the leadership are some of the main themes in art. "Reactionary" elements from traditional culture have been discarded and cultural forms with a "folk" spirit have been reintroduced.<ref name="LCCS Culture">{{cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+kp0051)|title=Contemporary Cultural Expression|publisher=Library of Congress Country Studies|date=1993 |access-date=3 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121213083249/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+kp0051) |archive-date=13 December 2012}}</ref>

Korean heritage is protected and maintained by the state.{{sfn|North Korea Handbook|2003|pp=496–497}} Over 190 historical sites and objects of national significance are cataloged as National Treasures of North Korea, while some 1,800 less valuable artifacts are included in a list of Cultural Assets. The Historic Monuments and Sites in Kaesong and the Complex of Koguryo Tombs are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/KP/|title=Democratic People's Republic of Korea|publisher=UNESCO |access-date=6 June 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701105958/https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/kp |archive-date=1 July 2014}}</ref> The Goguryeo tombs are registered on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. These remains were registered as the first World Heritage property of North Korea in the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) in July 2004. There are 63 burial mounds on the site, with clear murals preserved. The burial customs of the Goguryeo culture have influenced Asian civilizations beyond Korea, including Japan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1091|title=Complex of Koguryo Tombs|publisher=unesco.org|access-date=1 September 2017|archive-date=11 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511084258/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1091|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Art===
{{See also|Korean art|Korean architecture}}

Visual arts are generally produced in the aesthetic of socialist realism.<ref name="Socialist realism"/> North Korean painting combines the influence of Soviet and Japanese visual expression to instill a sentimental loyalty to the system.<ref name="Art world">{{cite web|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/NF16Dg02.html|title=A window into North Korea's art world|last=Rank|first=Michael|date=16 June 2012|website=Asia Times|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130326075320/https://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/NF16Dg02.html|archive-date=26 March 2013|access-date=14 July 2014}}</ref> All artists in North Korea are required to join the Artists' Union, and the best among them can receive an official license to portray the leaders. Portraits and sculptures depicting Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un are classed as "Number One works".<ref name="Socialist realism">{{cite news|url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2011/02/137_81303.html|title=Socialist realism|last=Lankov|first=Andrei| author-link = Andrei Lankov|newspaper=The Korea Times|date=13 February 2011 |access-date=6 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726132136/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2011/02/137_81303.html |archive-date=26 July 2014}}</ref>

Most aspects of art have been dominated by Mansudae Art Studio since its establishment in 1959. It employs around 1,000 artists in what is likely the biggest art factory in the world where paintings, murals, posters and monuments are designed and produced.<ref name="BussinessWeek">{{cite web|url=http://www.businessweek.com/printer/articles/123404-mansudae-art-studio-north-koreas-colossal-monument-factory|title=Mansudae Art Studio, North Korea's Colossal Monument Factory|publisher=Bloomberg Business Week|date=6 June 2013 |access-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224013706/http://www.businessweek.com/printer/articles/123404-mansudae-art-studio-north-koreas-colossal-monument-factory |archive-date=24 February 2015}}</ref> The studio has commercialized its activity and sells its works to collectors in a variety of countries including China, where it is in high demand.<ref name="Art world"/> Mansudae Overseas Projects is a subdivision of Mansudae Art Studio that carries out construction of large-scale monuments for international customers.<ref name="BussinessWeek"/> Some of the projects include the African Renaissance Monument in Senegal,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8435805.stm|title=Senegal President Wade apologises for Christ comments|work=BBC News|date=31 December 2009|location=London|access-date=14 July 2014|archive-date=29 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829145201/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8435805.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> and the Heroes' Acre in Namibia.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.namibian.com.na/indexx.php?archive_id=16089&page_type=archive_story_detail&page=5874|title=Heroes' monument losing battle|newspaper=The Namibian|date=5 June 2005 |access-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140724234853/http://www.namibian.com.na/indexx.php?archive_id=16089&page_type=archive_story_detail&page=5874 |archive-date=24 July 2014}}</ref>

===Literature===
{{Main|North Korean literature}}
[[File:North Korea (5015250703).jpg|thumb|A North Korean bookstore with works of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il]]

All publishing houses are owned by the government or the WPK because they are considered an important tool for agitprop.{{sfn|North Korea Handbook|2003|pp=423–424}} The Workers' Party of Korea Publishing House is the most authoritative among them and publishes all works of Kim Il Sung, ideological education materials and party policy documents.{{sfn|North Korea Handbook|2003|p=424}} The availability of foreign literature is limited, examples being North Korean editions of Indian, German, Chinese and Russian fairy tales, ''Tales from Shakespeare'', some works of Bertolt Brecht and Erich Kästner,<ref name="Art world"/> and the ''Harry Potter'' series.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200624000694|title=North Korea lauds Harry Potter|first=Han-na|last=Park|publisher=The Korea Herald|date=24 June 2020|access-date=25 June 2020|archive-date=25 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625022537/http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200624000694|url-status=live}}</ref>

Kim Il Sung's personal works are considered "classical masterpieces" while the ones created under his instruction are labeled "models of ''Juche'' literature". These include ''The Fate of a Self-Defense Corps Man'', ''The Song of Korea'' and ''Immortal History'', a series of historical novels depicting the suffering of Koreans under Japanese occupation.<ref name="LCCS Culture"/><ref name="LCCS Lit"/> More than four million literary works were published between the 1980s and the early 2000s, but almost all of them belong to a narrow variety of political genres like "army-first revolutionary literature".{{sfn|North Korea Handbook|2003|p=475}}

Science fiction is considered a secondary genre because it somewhat departs from the traditional standards of detailed descriptions and metaphors of the leader. The exotic settings of the stories give authors more freedom to depict cyberwarfare, violence, sexual abuse, and crime, which are absent in other genres. Sci-fi works glorify technology and promote the ''Juche'' concept of anthropocentric existence through depictions of robotics, space exploration, and immortality.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sinonk.com/2013/09/25/from-pyongyang-to-mars-sci-fi-genre-and-literary-value-in-north-korea/|title=Benoit Symposium: From Pyongyang to Mars: Sci-fi, Genre, and Literary Value in North Korea|publisher=SinoNK|date=25 September 2013 |access-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140613021918/http://sinonk.com/2013/09/25/from-pyongyang-to-mars-sci-fi-genre-and-literary-value-in-north-korea/ |archive-date=13 June 2014}}</ref>

===Music===
{{main|Music of North Korea}}
{{Listen
| filename     = Song of Comradeship excerpt.ogg
| title        = "Song of Comradeship"
| alt          = 
| description  = performed by the KPA State Chorus
| filename2    = Moranbong Band excerpt.ogg
| title2       = "Let us Dash towards the Future"
| alt2         = 
| description2 = performed by Moranbong Band
}}

The government emphasized optimistic folk-based tunes and revolutionary music throughout most of the 20th century.<ref name="LCCS Culture"/> Ideological messages are conveyed through massive orchestral pieces like the "Five Great Revolutionary Operas" based on traditional Korean ''ch'angguk''.<ref name="LCCS Lit">{{cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+kp0052)|title=Literature, Music, and Film|publisher=Library of Congress Country Studies|date=1993|access-date=14 July 2014|archive-date=4 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904004823/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+kp0052)|url-status=live}}</ref> Revolutionary operas differ from their Western counterparts by adding traditional instruments to the orchestra and avoiding recitative segments.<ref name="Sea of Blood">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/29/arts/29iht-sea.html?pagewanted=all|title=North Korean Opera Draws Acclaim in China|newspaper=The New York Times|first=Sheila|last=Melvin|date=28 July 2010 |access-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726145257/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/29/arts/29iht-sea.html?pagewanted=all |archive-date=26 July 2014}}</ref> ''Sea of Blood'' is the most widely performed of the Five Great Operas: since its premiere in 1971, it has been played over 1,500 times,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2001/200108/news08/24.htm|title=Revolutionary opera 'Sea of Blood' 30 years old|agency=KCNA|date=August 2001 |access-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141012063118/http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2001/200108/news08/24.htm |archive-date=12 October 2014}}</ref> and its 2010 tour in China was a major success.<ref name="Sea of Blood"/> Western classical music by Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and other composers is performed both by the State Symphony Orchestra and student orchestras.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20773542|title=North Korea: Bringing modern music to Pyongyang|work=BBC News|date=3 January 2013 |access-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140709045714/http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20773542 |archive-date=9 July 2014}}</ref>

Pop music appeared in the 1980s with the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble and Wangjaesan Light Music Band.<ref name="Moranbong">{{cite news|url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/timstanley/100219118/meet-north-koreas-new-girl-band-five-girls-who-just-wanna-have-state-sanctioned-fun/|title=Meet North Korea's new girl band: five girls who just wanna have state-sanctioned fun|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=29 May 2013|access-date=14 July 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701064439/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/timstanley/100219118/meet-north-koreas-new-girl-band-five-girls-who-just-wanna-have-state-sanctioned-fun/|archive-date=1 July 2014}}</ref> Improved relations with South Korea following the 2000 inter-Korean summit caused a decline in direct ideological messages in pop songs, but themes like comradeship, nostalgia and the construction of a powerful country remained.{{sfn|North Korea Handbook|2003|p=478}} In 2014, the all-girl Moranbong Band was described as the most popular group in the country.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/24/north-korea-kim-jong-un-favourite-moranbong-band-stage-a-comeback|title=Moranbong: Kim Jong-un's favourite band stage a comeback|newspaper=The Guardian|date=24 April 2014 |access-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826180941/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/24/north-korea-kim-jong-un-favourite-moranbong-band-stage-a-comeback |archive-date=26 August 2014}}</ref> North Koreans also listen to K-pop which spreads through illegal markets.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2011/feb/01/pyongyang-north-korea-michael-jackson|title=Pyongyang goes pop: How North Korea discovered Michael Jackson|newspaper=The Guardian|first=Alex|last=Hoban|date=1 February 2011 |access-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725210826/http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2011/feb/01/pyongyang-north-korea-michael-jackson |archive-date=25 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Youna Kim|title=South Korean Popular Culture and North Korea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9kOEDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT155|year=2019|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=978-1-351-10410-4|pages=155–156}}</ref>

===Media===
{{Main|Media of North Korea}}
[[File:Pyongyang TV Tower 01.JPG|thumb|Pyongyang TV Tower designed after Ostankino Tower in Moscow]]
Government policies towards film are no different from those applied to other arts—motion pictures serve to fulfill the targets of "social education". Some of the most influential films are based on historic events (''An Jung-geun shoots Itō Hirobumi'') or folk tales (''Hong Gildong'').<ref name="LCCS Lit"/> Most movies have predictable propaganda story lines which make cinema an unpopular entertainment; viewers only see films that feature their favorite actors.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=114}} Western productions are only available at private showings to high-ranking Party members,{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=94}} although the 1997 film ''Titanic'' is frequently shown to university students as an example of Western culture.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/feb/21/pyongyang-goes-pop-north-korea-indie|title=Pyongyang goes pop: Inside North Korea's first indie disco|last=Hoban|first=Alex|date=22 February 2011|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=14 July 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720051523/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/feb/21/pyongyang-goes-pop-north-korea-indie|archive-date=20 July 2014}}</ref> Access to foreign media products is available through smuggled DVDs and television or radio broadcasts in border areas.<ref name="intermedia">{{cite web|title=A Quiet Opening: North Koreans in a Changing Media Environment|url=http://audiencescapes.org/sites/default/files/A_Quiet_Opening_FINAL_InterMedia.pdf|publisher=InterMedia|access-date=19 January 2013|first1=Nat|last1=Kretchun|first2=Jane|last2=Kim|date=10 May 2012|quote=The primary focus of the study was on the ability of North Koreans to access outside information from foreign sources through a variety of media, communication technologies and personal sources. The relationship between information exposure on North Koreans' perceptions of the outside world and their own country was also analyzed.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114225639/http://audiencescapes.org/sites/default/files/A_Quiet_Opening_FINAL_InterMedia.pdf|archive-date=14 January 2013}}</ref> Western films like ''The Interview'', ''Charlie's Angels'', and the aforementioned ''Titanic'' are just a few films that have been smuggled across the borders of North Korea, allowing for access to the North Korean citizens.<ref>''Harvard International Review''. Winter 2016, Vol. 37 Issue 2, pp. 46–50.</ref><ref>Crocker, L. (22 December 2014). North Korea's Secret Movie Bootleggers: How Western Films Make It Into the Hermit Kingdom.</ref>

North Korean media are under some of the strictest government control in the world. The censorship in North Korea encompasses all the information produced by the media. Monitored heavily by government officials, the media is strictly used to reinforce ideals approved by the government.<ref name=":1">Journalists, C. T. (25 April 2017). "North Korean censorship".</ref> There is no freedom of press in North Korea as all the media is controlled and filtered through governmental censors.<ref name=":1" /> Freedom of the press in 2017 was 180th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' annual Press Freedom Index.<ref>{{Cite web|title=North Korea|publisher=Reporters Without Borders|date=2017 |access-date=28 April 2017|url=https://rsf.org/en/north-korea |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426113250/https://rsf.org/en/north-korea |archive-date=26 April 2017}}</ref> According to Freedom House, all media outlets serve as government mouthpieces, all journalists are party members and listening to foreign broadcasts carries the threat of the death penalty.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2013/north-korea#.U8Q34ZSSySo|title=Freedom of the Press: North Korea|publisher=Freedom House |access-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707210657/http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2013/north-korea |archive-date=7 July 2014}}</ref> The main news provider is the Korean Central News Agency. All 12 major newspapers and 20 periodicals, including ''Rodong Sinmun'', are published in the capital.<ref>{{cite book|last=Pervis|first=Larinda B.|title=North Korea Issues: Nuclear Posturing, Saber Rattling, and International Mischief|publisher=Nova Science Publishers|year=2007|page=22|isbn=978-1-60021-655-8}}</ref>

There are three state-owned TV stations. Two of them broadcast only on weekends and the Korean Central Television is on air every day in the evenings.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6037715.stm|title=Meagre media for North Koreans|work=BBC News|date=10 October 2006 |access-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820085153/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6037715.stm |archive-date=20 August 2014}}</ref> Uriminzokkiri and its associated YouTube and Twitter accounts distribute imagery, news and video issued by government media.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/16/north-korea-twitter-propa_n_682920.html|title=North Korea Uses Twitter, YouTube For Propaganda Offensive|work=The Huffington post|date=17 August 2010 |access-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007062045/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/16/north-korea-twitter-propa_n_682920.html |archive-date=7 October 2014}}</ref> The Associated Press opened the first Western all-format, full-time bureau in Pyongyang in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|last=Calderone|first=Michael|title=Associated Press North Korea Bureau Opens As First All-Format News Office In Pyongyang|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/16/associated-press-north-korea-bureau-pyongyang_n_1208159.html |access-date=26 March 2012|newspaper=The Huffington Post|date=14 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120416013204/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/16/associated-press-north-korea-bureau-pyongyang_n_1208159.html |archive-date=16 April 2012}}</ref>

Media coverage of North Korea has often been inadequate as a result of the country's isolation. Stories like Kim Jong Un executing his ex-girlfriend or feeding his uncle to a pack of hungry dogs have been circulated by foreign media as truth despite the lack of a credible source.<ref name="transfixed">{{cite news|first=Chad|last=O'Carroll|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10554198/North-Koreas-invisible-phone-killer-dogs-and-other-such-stories-why-the-world-is-transfixed.html|title=North Korea's invisible phone, killer dogs and other such stories – why the world is transfixed|work=The Telegraph|date=6 January 2014 |access-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008074624/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10554198/North-Koreas-invisible-phone-killer-dogs-and-other-such-stories-why-the-world-is-transfixed.html |archive-date=8 October 2014}}</ref> Many of the claims originate from the South Korean right-wing newspaper ''The Chosun Ilbo''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/did-kim-jong-un-execute-his-ex-girlfriend-2013-8|title=Why You Shouldn't Necessarily Trust Those Reports Of Kim Jong-un Executing His Ex-Girlfriend|last1=Taylor|first1=Adam|date=29 August 2013|website=businessinsider.com|publisher=Business Insider |access-date=19 January 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140119050406/http://www.businessinsider.com/did-kim-jong-un-execute-his-ex-girlfriend-2013-8 |archive-date=19 January 2014}}</ref> Max Fisher of ''The Washington Post'' has written that "almost any story [on North Korea] is treated as broadly credible, no matter how outlandish or thinly sourced".<ref>{{cite news|last=Fisher|first=Max|date=3 January 2014|title=No, Kim Jong Un probably didn't feed his uncle to 120 hungry dogs|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/01/03/no-kim-jong-un-probably-didnt-feed-his-uncle-to-120-hungry-dogs/|newspaper=Washington Post|location=Washington, DC |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726032316/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/01/03/no-kim-jong-un-probably-didnt-feed-his-uncle-to-120-hungry-dogs/ |archive-date=26 July 2014}}</ref> Occasional deliberate disinformation on the part of North Korean establishments further complicates the issue.<ref name="transfixed"/>

===Cuisine===
{{Main|Korean cuisine|North Korean cuisine}}
[[File:North Korean Bibimbap 비빔밥 (12330376074).jpg|thumb|North Korean ''yukhoe'' ''bibimbap'']]
Korean cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient agricultural and nomadic traditions in southern Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula, it has gone through a complex interaction of the natural environment and different cultural trends.<ref name="Korean Cuisine">{{cite web|url=http://100.naver.com/100.nhn?docid=186015|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121210203203/http://100.naver.com/100.nhn?docid=186015|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 December 2012|script-title=ko:Korean Cuisine (한국요리 韓國料理)|publisher=Naver / Doosan Encyclopedia|language=ko|access-date=15 July 2014}}</ref> Rice dishes and kimchi are staple Korean food. In a traditional meal, they accompany both side dishes (''panch'an'') and main courses like ''juk'', ''pulgogi'' or noodles. ''Soju'' liquor is the best-known traditional Korean spirit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.korea.net/AboutKorea/Korean-Life/Food|title=Food|publisher=Korean Culture and Information Service |access-date=15 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703005649/http://www.korea.net/AboutKorea/Korean-Life/Food |archive-date=3 July 2014}}</ref>

North Korea's most famous restaurant, Okryu-gwan, located in Pyongyang, is known for its ''raengmyeon'' cold noodles.<ref name="Okryu">{{cite book|last=Lankov|first=Andrei|author-link=Andrei Lankov|title=North of the DMZ: Essays on daily life in North Korea|publisher=McFarland|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7864-2839-7|pages=90–91}}</ref> Other dishes served there include gray mullet soup with boiled rice, beef rib soup, green bean pancake, ''sinsollo'' and dishes made from terrapin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2010/201005/news26/20100526-11ee.html|title=Okryu Restaurant Becomes More Popular for Terrapin Dishes|publisher=Korean Central News Agency|date=26 May 2010 |access-date=15 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609184806/http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2010/201005/news26/20100526-11ee.html |archive-date= 9 June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/1998/9808/news08/31.htm|title=Okryu restaurant|publisher=Korean Central News Agency|date=31 August 1998 |access-date=15 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110108053355/http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/1998/9808/news08/31.htm |archive-date= 8 January 2011}}</ref> Okryu-gwan sends research teams into the countryside to collect data on Korean cuisine and introduce new recipes.<ref name="Okryu"/> Some Asian cities host branches of the Pyongyang restaurant chain where waitresses perform music and dance.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27439119|title=The mystery of North Korea's virtuoso waitresses|work=BBC News|date=8 June 2014 |access-date=15 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725174209/http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27439119 |archive-date=25 July 2014}}</ref>

===Sports===
{{main|Sport in North Korea}}
[[File:FIFA World Cup 2010 Brazil North Korea 7.jpg|thumb|North Korea (in red) against Brazil at the 2010 FIFA World Cup]]

Most schools have daily practice in association football, basketball, table tennis, gymnastics, boxing and others. The DPR Korea League is popular inside the country and its games are often televised.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=114}} The national football team, ''Chollima'', competed in the FIFA World Cup in 2010, when it lost all three matches against Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-10935521|title=Fifa investigates North Korea World Cup abuse claims|work=BBC News|date=11 August 2010 |access-date=15 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140829064334/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-10935521 |archive-date=29 August 2014}}</ref> Its 1966 appearance was much more successful, seeing a surprise 1–0 victory over Italy and a quarter final loss to Portugal by 3–5.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/tees/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8739000/8739539.stm|title=When Middlesbrough hosted the 1966 World Cup Koreans|work=BBC News|date=15 June 2010 |access-date=15 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518020901/http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/tees/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8739000/8739539.stm |archive-date=18 May 2014}}</ref> A national team represents the nation in international basketball competitions as well. In December 2013, former American basketball professional Dennis Rodman visited North Korea to help train the national team after he developed a friendship with Kim Jong Un.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rodman returns to North Korea amid political unrest|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/rodman-returns-to-north-korea-amid-political-unrest/ |access-date=20 December 2013|work=Fox News|date=19 December 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219150415/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/12/19/rodman-returns-to-north-korea-amid-political-unrest/ |archive-date=19 December 2013}}</ref>

North Korea's first appearance in the Olympics came in 1964. The 1972 Olympics saw its summer games debut and five medals, including one gold. With the exception of the boycotted Los Angeles and Seoul Olympics, North Korean athletes have won medals in all summer games since then.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.olympic.org/democratic-people-s-republic-of-korea|title=Democratic People's Republic of Korea|publisher=International Olympic Committee |access-date=15 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702235346/http://www.olympic.org/democratic-people-s-republic-of-korea |archive-date=2 July 2014}}</ref> Weightlifter Kim Un-guk broke the world record of the Men's 62 kg category at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18906742|title=North Korea's Kim Un Guk wins 62kg weightlifting Olympic gold|work=BBC News|date=30 July 2012 |access-date=15 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016015037/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18906742 |archive-date=16 October 2015}}</ref> Successful Olympians receive luxury apartments from the state in recognition for their achievements.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-northkorea-idUSBRE99401E20131005|title=North Korea rewards athletes with luxury apartments|work=Reuters|date=4 October 2013 |access-date=20 December 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220091444/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/05/us-olympics-northkorea-idUSBRE99401E20131005 |archive-date=20 December 2013}}</ref>
[[File:Arirang Mass Games 11.JPG|left|thumb|A scene from the 2012 Arirang Festival]]
The Arirang Mass Games has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the biggest choreographic event in the world.<ref name="reuters2007">{{cite web|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKSEO29172020070827|title=North Korea halts showcase mass games due to flood|publisher=Reuters|date=27 August 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210113435/http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKSEO29172020070827 |archive-date=10 February 2009}}</ref> Some 100,000 athletes perform rhythmic gymnastics and dances while another 40,000 participants create a vast animated screen in the background. The event is an artistic representation of the country's history and pays homage to Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.<ref name="reuters2007"/><ref name="arirang">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/may/17/northkorea|title=Despair, hunger and defiance at the heart of the greatest show on earth|newspaper=The Guardian|first=Jonathan|last=Watts|date=17 May 2002 |access-date=15 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140909142757/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/may/17/northkorea |archive-date=9 September 2014}}</ref> Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, the second largest stadium in the world with its capacity of 114,000, hosts the Festival.<ref name="arirang"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10335601/Kim-Jong-un-orders-spruce-up-of-worlds-biggest-stadium-as-millions-starve.html|title=Kim Jong-un orders spruce up of world's biggest stadium as 'millions starve'|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|first=Julian|last=Ryall|date=26 September 2013 |access-date=15 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140612004916/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10335601/Kim-Jong-un-orders-spruce-up-of-worlds-biggest-stadium-as-millions-starve.html |archive-date=12 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Rungrado May Day Stadium – StadiumDB.com |url=https://stadiumdb.com/stadiums/pkr/rungrado_may_day_stadium |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=stadiumdb.com}}</ref> The Pyongyang Marathon is another notable sports event. It is an IAAF Bronze Label Race where amateur runners from around the world can participate.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10742812/North-Korea-allows-tourists-to-run-in-Pyongyang-marathon-for-the-first-time.html|title=North Korea allows tourists to run in Pyongyang marathon for the first time|work=The Daily Telegraph|first=Danielle|last=Demetriou|date=3 April 2014 |access-date=15 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140801114007/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10742812/North-Korea-allows-tourists-to-run-in-Pyongyang-marathon-for-the-first-time.html |archive-date=1 August 2014}}</ref>
{{clear}}

==See also==
{{stack|{{Portal|North Korea|Asia}}}}
* Bibliography of North Korea
* China–North Korea border
* Outline of North Korea
{{Clear}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

=== General and cited sources ===
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/cs/profiles/North_Korea-new.pdf|title=Country Profile: North Korea|date=July 2007|publisher=Library of Congress&nbsp;– Federal Research Division|access-date=4 July 2009|ref={{SfnRef|Country Profile|2007}}|archive-date=7 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207001253/https://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/cs/profiles/North_Korea-new.pdf|url-status=live}}
* {{Cite book|last=Abt|first=Felix|title=A Capitalist in North Korea: My Seven Years in the Hermit Kingdom|publisher=Tuttle Publishing|year=2014|isbn=9780804844390}}
* {{cite book|last1=Alton|first1=David|last2=Chidley|first2=Rob|title=Building Bridges: Is There Hope for North Korea?|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eTWqpOOXI_QC&pg=PA89|year=2013|publisher=Lion Books|location=Oxford|isbn=978-0-7459-5598-8}}
* {{cite journal|last=Armstrong|first=Charles K.|url=https://apjjf.org/-Charles-K--Armstrong/3460/article.pdf|title=The Destruction and Reconstruction of North Korea, 1950–1960|journal=The Asia-Pacific Journal|volume=8|issue=51|date=20 December 2010|access-date=13 September 2019|archive-date=16 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220116204532/https://apjjf.org/-Charles-K--Armstrong/3460/article.pdf|url-status=dead}}
* Armstrong, Charles K. "North Korea in 2016." ''Asian Survey'' 57.1 (2017): 119–27. [http://as.ucpress.edu/content/57/1/119 abstract] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721052258/https://as.ucpress.edu/content/57/1/119 |date=21 July 2019 }}
* {{Cite book|last=Boer|first=Roland|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1078879745|title=Red theology : on the Christian Communist tradition|date=2019|publisher=Haymarket Books|isbn=978-90-04-38132-2|location=Boston|oclc=1078879745}}
* {{cite book|last=French|first=Paul|date=2007|title=North Korea: The Paranoid Peninsula: A Modern History|edition=Second|publisher=Zed Books|location=London|isbn=978-1-84277-905-7}}
* Hayes, Peter, and Roger Cavazos. "North Korea in 2015." ''Asian Survey'' 56.1 (2016): 68–77. [http://as.ucpress.edu/content/56/1/68.abstract abstract] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721052302/https://as.ucpress.edu/content/56/1/68.abstract |date=21 July 2019 }}
* Hayes, Peter, and Roger Cavazos. "North Korea in 2014." ''Asian Survey'' 55.1 (2015): 119–31. [http://as.ucpress.edu/content/55/1/119.abstract abstract] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721052259/https://as.ucpress.edu/content/55/1/119.abstract |date=21 July 2019 }}; also [http://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-special-reports/north-korea-in-2014-a-fresh-leap-forward-into-thin-air/ full text online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404222144/https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-special-reports/north-korea-in-2014-a-fresh-leap-forward-into-thin-air/ |date=4 April 2023 }}
* {{cite book|last=Jackson|first=Van|title=Rival Reputations: Coercion and Credibility in US–North Korea Relations|year=2016|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=978-1-107-13331-0}}, covers 1960s to 2010.
* Jackson, Van. "Deterring a Nuclear-Armed Adversary in a Contested Regional Order: The 'Trilemma' of US–North Korea Relations." ''Asia Policy'' 23.1 (2017): 97–103. [https://muse.jhu.edu/article/647791/summary online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223102001/https://muse.jhu.edu/article/647791/summary |date=23 December 2017 }}
* {{cite book|last=Jager|first=Sheila Miyoshi| author-link = Sheila Miyoshi Jager|title=Brothers at War – The Unending Conflict in Korea|year=2013|publisher=Profile Books|location=London|isbn=978-1-84668-067-0}}
* Lee, Hong Yung. "North Korea in 2013: Economy, Executions, and Nuclear Brinksmanship." ''Asian Survey'' 54.1 (2014): 89–100. [http://home.sogang.ac.kr/sites/jaechun/courses/Lists/b7/Attachments/21/as.2014.54.1.89.pdf Online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808021517/http://home.sogang.ac.kr/sites/jaechun/courses/Lists/b7/Attachments/21/as.2014.54.1.89.pdf |date=8 August 2019 }}.
* {{cite web|title=Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea|work=United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights|url=http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoIDPRK/Pages/ReportoftheCommissionofInquiryDPRK.aspx|first1=Michael|last1=Kirby|first2=Marzuki|last2=Darusman|first3=Sonja|last3=Biserko|date=17 February 2014|access-date=18 February 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140217224637/http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoIDPRK/Pages/ReportoftheCommissionofInquiryDPRK.aspx|archive-date=17 February 2014}}
* {{Cite book|last=Martin|first=Bradley K.|title=Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty|publisher=Thomas Dunne Books|year=2004|location=New York|isbn=978-0-312-32322-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Myers|first=Brian Reynolds|author-link=Brian Reynolds Myers|year=2011|title=The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why It Matters|publisher=Melville House|isbn=978-1933633916|title-link=The Cleanest Race}}
* {{cite web|url=http://cdn.loc.gov/master/frd/frdcstdy/no/northkoreacountr00word/northkoreacountr00word.pdf|title=North Korea – A Country Study|year=2009|publisher=Library of Congress Country Studies|ref={{SfnRef|Country Study|2009}}|access-date=1 November 2015|archive-date=12 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112225313/http://cdn.loc.gov/master/frd/frdcstdy/no/northkoreacountr00word/northkoreacountr00word.pdf|url-status=live}}{{source-attribution}}
* {{cite book|last=Ryang|first=Sonia|editor-last=Ryang|editor-first=Sonia|title=Koreans in Japan: Critical Voices from the Margin|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OXBHAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA32|year=2013|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=978-1-136-35305-5|chapter=The North Korean Homeland of Koreans in Japan|pages=32–54}}
* {{cite book|editor=Yonhap News Agency|title=North Korea Handbook|publisher=Yonhap T'ongsin|year=2003|isbn=978-0-7656-1004-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JIlh9nNeadMC|ref={{SfnRef|North Korea Handbook|2003}}|access-date=14 October 2015|archive-date=20 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220192609/https://books.google.com/books?id=JIlh9nNeadMC|url-status=live}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=North Korea|wikt=no}}

=== Government websites ===
* [http://kcna.kp/kcna.user.home.retrieveHomeInfoList.kcmsf?lang=eng KCNA] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304201221/http://kcna.kp/kcna.user.home.retrieveHomeInfoList.kcmsf?lang=eng |date=4 March 2016 }}) – website of the Korean Central News Agency
* [http://naenara.com.kp/main/index/en/first Naenara] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818062128/http://www.naenara.com.kp/main/index/en/first |date=18 August 2021 }}) – the official North Korean governmental portal Naenara
* [http://www.mfa.gov.kp/en/ DPRK Foreign Ministry] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424004523/http://www.mfa.gov.kp/en/ |date=24 April 2019 }}) – official North Korean foreign ministry website
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20171130171957/http://www.pyongyangtimes.com.kp/ The Pyongyang Times] – official foreign language newspaper of the DPRK (archived)

=== General websites ===
* {{Britannica|322222}}
* [http://www.korea-dpr.com/ Official website of the DPR of Korea] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081026030109/http://www.korea-dpr.com/users/switzerland/ |date=26 October 2008 }} – Administered by the Korean Friendship Association
* [http://38north.org/ 38North] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115221028/http://38north.org/ |date=15 November 2011 }}
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15256929 North Korea profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308085335/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15256929 |date=8 March 2021 }} at BBC News
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090612212909/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/nkorea.htm North Korea] – link collection (University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries GovPubs)
* [https://www.nknews.org/ NKnews] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020001913/https://www.nknews.org/ |date=20 October 2017 }} – a news agency covering North Korean topics.
* [http://www.friend.com.kp/index.php?module=home&current_language=en Friend.com.kp] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20151106055230/http://www.friend.com.kp/index.php?module=home&current_language=en |date=6 November 2015 }} – website of the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries
* [http://www.koredufund.org.kp/ Korea Education Fund] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517044214/http://www.koredufund.org.kp/ |date=17 May 2013 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150702044729/http://www.rodong.rep.kp/en/ ''Rodong Sinmun''] – the newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea ''Rodong Sinmun''
* [http://www.uriminzokkiri.com/ Uriminzokkiri] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307233123/http://www.uriminzokkiri.com/ |date=7 March 2016 }}
* [http://www.dprkportal.kp/ DPRK Portal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005031435/http://www.dprkportal.kp/ |date=5 October 2022 }}
* [http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoIDPRK/Pages/ReportoftheCommissionofInquiryDPRK.aspx United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140217224637/http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoIDPRK/Pages/ReportoftheCommissionofInquiryDPRK.aspx |date=17 February 2014 }} – Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

{{Korea topics}}
{{East Asian topics}}
{{Socialist states}}
{{States with limited recognition}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|40|N|127|E|display=title}}

 
Category:1948 establishments in North Korea
Category:Atheist states
Category:Communist states
Category:East Asian countries
Category:Former Japanese colonies
 
<!--Korean Peninsula-->
Category:Countries and territories where Korean is an official language
Category:Member states of the United Nations
Category:Northeast Asian countries
Category:One-party states
Category:Republics
Category:States and territories established in 1948
Category:States with limited recognition
Category:Totalitarian states
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