North Korea

Description of North Korea

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is a country in East Asia, located on the Korean peninsula (including the islands). It shares borders with China, South Korea and Russia. The capital is Pyongyang. The country is home to 22.6 million people, 99% of which are Koreans. It occupies an area of 121.2 thousand square kilometers; the country is divided into 9 provinces and 4 municipalities. The climate is transitional from maritime to continental one. State system is represented as the People's Republic. The supreme body of state power is the National Defense Committee. Legislative body is represented by the Supreme People's Assembly. The official language is Korean. The monetary unit is won. The official policy of the state is atheism; all religions are prohibited. But in fact there are Buddhists, Confucians and Christians in the country.

The DPRK’s foundation. In 1945, the Korean peninsula, liberated from Japanese occupation, was divided into zones of influence of the U.S. and the USSR. The northern part of the peninsula was under the Soviet control. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was established on September 9, 1948. Despite the fact that there was a strong position of local Communists, the Soviet Union decided to elect as a head of state a man, who spent the war years in the Soviet Union (the Soviet Union followed the same tactics in Eastern Europe). In February 1946, the Korean communist Kim Il-sung became the head of the North Korean Provisional People's Committee, which in 1948 was replaced by the DPRK. Then Kim Il-sung became the prime minister of the new state, and in 1972 - its president. The real power was concentrated in the hands of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), led by the General Secretary Kim Il-sung. In the beginning, the political power was monopolized by the WPK from the very first years of the new state. In 1946, was announced the nationalization, as a result of which 70% of production came under government control. By 1949, this percentage rose to 90%. Since then, practically all industries, domestic and foreign trade is controlled by the state. In the early years, the government led a more cautious approach to agriculture. In 1946, the land was redistributed in favor of the smaller and poorer sectors, and in 1954 began the collectivization, which ended in 1958.

Between 1996 and 1999, North Korea suffered a strong hunger, as a result of which, according to various estimates, died 600-900 thousand people. The economy of the country continues to be isolated, but it spends an amount equal to a quarter of GDP on the military needs. Almost all able-bodied male population aged 18-30 is in the army, while the industry is in decline. As a result, according to a report of Amnesty International, in North Korea in 2003, about 13 million people (60% of the population) suffered from malnutrition. In 2001, North Korea received more than $ 300 million of food worth from the United States, South Korea, Japan and the European Union. Moreover, there are supplies from the United Nations and NGOs. In July 2002, the start of the reforms was announced. The country’s currency was devalued, and the prices of agricultural products were released in hope to stimulate the agricultural market of the country. The collective sector in the village was decided to be replaced by the sector, built on the family principle. The government also turned the city of Sinuiju into the "special administrative zone."

Local authorities were given more freedom, including the economy. These measures are an attempt to transfer the positive experience of free trade zones in China on North Korean soil. Currently, North Korea is a totalitarian state with almost complete absence of civil liberties, with tight censorship and broken international contacts. In the economic sphere, in the beginning of XXI century, there were attempts of moving to a market economy, which led to an increase in foreign investment. In particular, in 2004 only China invested $ 200 million to the economy of the country. On February 10, 2005, North Korea declared the possession of nuclear weapons of its own design.

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