North Korea

North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in <a href="/facts/East_Asia/D8yGVCQX">East Asia</a>. It constitutes the northern half of the <a href="/facts/Korea/cj2kDBzc">Korean Peninsula</a> and borders <a href="/facts/China/lTjIXY5p">China</a> and <a href="/facts/Russia/jfkCwyxn">Russia</a> to the north at the <a href="/facts/Yalu_River/aPuIXhrb">Yalu</a> (Amnok) and <a href="/facts/Tumen_River/AQndhQC7">Tumen</a> rivers, and <a href="/facts/South_Korea/pCobAaVw">South Korea</a> to the south at the <a href="/facts/Korean_Demilitarized_Zone/DQL4p02L">Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)</a>. The country's western border is formed by the <a href="/facts/Yellow_Sea/0T615mgC">Yellow Sea</a>, while its eastern border is defined by the <a href="/facts/Sea_of_Japan/eDf8AHIq">Sea of Japan</a>. North Korea, like <a href="/facts/South_Korea/pCobAaVw">South Korea</a>, claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula and <a href="/facts/List_of_islands_of_North_Korea/EEajbPoV">adjacent islands</a>. <a href="/facts/Pyongyang/muqkpzTE">Pyongyang</a> is the capital and largest city.
The <a href="/facts/Korean_Peninsula/cj2kDBzc">Korean Peninsula</a> was first inhabited as early as the <a href="/facts/Lower_Paleolithic/oeIoC6WB">Lower Paleolithic</a> period. Its <a href="/facts/Gojoseon/2GyGCISH">first kingdom</a> was noted in Chinese records in the early 7th century BCE. Following the unification of the <a href="/facts/Three_Kingdoms_of_Korea/s2gt3ydj">Three Kingdoms of Korea</a> into <a href="/facts/Unified_Silla/kLDNpYnc">Silla</a> and <a href="/facts/Balhae/VFeJcDFd">Balhae</a> in the late 7th century, Korea was ruled by the <a href="/facts/Goryeo_dynasty/0nUJccJR">Goryeo dynasty</a> (918–1392) and the <a href="/facts/Joseon_dynasty/Vv7SVEfL">Joseon dynasty</a> (1392–1897). The succeeding <a href="/facts/Korean_Empire/I4FJBbX5">Korean Empire</a> (1897–1910) was <a href="/facts/Japan%25E2%2580%2593Korea_Treaty_of_1910/fXRES3LY">annexed in 1910</a> into the <a href="/facts/Empire_of_Japan/gMpNKg2W">Empire of Japan</a>. In 1945, after the <a href="/facts/Surrender_of_Japan/SM4dd1M9">Japanese surrender</a> at the <a href="/facts/End_of_World_War_II_in_Asia/vj5zvooG">end of World War II</a>, Korea was <a href="/facts/Division_of_Korea/kbvVAkIf">divided into two zones</a> along the <a href="/facts/38th_parallel_north/s0j3mcq6">38th parallel</a>, with the <a href="/facts/Soviet_Civil_Administration/vkWwN0Ex">north occupied by the Soviet Union</a> and the <a href="/facts/United_States_Army_Military_Government_in_Korea/6PtlMfyP">south occupied by the United States</a>. In 1948, separate governments were formed in Korea: the socialist and <a href="/facts/Eastern_Bloc/12f32hA7">Soviet-aligned</a> Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the north, and the capitalist, <a href="/facts/Western_Bloc/RS9Ev5RJ">Western-aligned</a> Republic of Korea in the south. The North Korean invasion of South Korea in 1950 started the <a href="/facts/Korean_War/Qo93pNhE">Korean War</a>. In 1953, the <a href="/facts/Korean_Armistice_Agreement/pLfNEc3z">Korean Armistice Agreement</a> brought about a <a href="/facts/Ceasefire/ARkueD6m">ceasefire</a> and established a <a href="/facts/Demilitarized_zone/bsoYS69v">demilitarized zone</a> (DMZ), but no formal <a href="/facts/Peace_treaty/D66EbaKF">peace treaty</a> has ever been signed. Post-war North Korea benefited greatly from economic aid and expertise provided by other <a href="/facts/Eastern_Bloc/12f32hA7">Eastern Bloc</a> countries. However, <a href="/facts/Kim_Il_Sung/zu8yFT7T">Kim Il Sung</a>, North Korea's first leader, promoted his personal philosophy of <a href="/facts/Juche/NHYQ2Cdu">Juche</a> as the <a href="/facts/Ideocracy/q1UED5JR">state ideology</a>. Pyongyang's international isolation sharply accelerated from the 1980s onwards as the <a href="/facts/Cold_War/spJdJQ3q">Cold War</a> came to an end. The <a href="/facts/Dissolution_of_the_Soviet_Union/Fyn5jw3n">fall of the Soviet Union</a> in 1991 then brought about a sharp decline to the North Korean economy. From 1994 to 1998, <a href="/facts/1990s_North_Korean_famine/kFBdKMj6">North Korea suffered a famine</a> with the population continuing to suffer from malnutrition. In 2024, the DPRK formally abandoned efforts to peacefully <a href="/facts/Korean_reunification/eCMHCMkV">reunify Korea</a>.
North Korea is a <a href="/facts/Totalitarianism/Txc6sJvM">totalitarian</a> <a href="/facts/Dictatorship/vEL0Nk45">dictatorship</a> with a <a href="/facts/North_Korean_cult_of_personality/UrLRc6J1">comprehensive cult of personality</a> around the <a href="/facts/Kim_family_(North_Korea)/Qk5h8Ta2">Kim family</a>. <a href="/facts/Amnesty_International/ouGBgSdS">Amnesty International</a> considers the country to have the worst <a href="/facts/Human_rights_in_North_Korea/emDa8IK1">human rights record</a> in the world. Officially, North Korea is a <a href="/facts/Communist_state/oYaCr1Av">communist state</a> that self-designates as an "independent <a href="/facts/Socialist_state_(communism)/FjwxAJNH">socialist state</a>" which <a href="/facts/Elections_in_North_Korea/loaFehAB">holds democratic elections</a>; however, outside observers have described the elections as unfair, uncompetitive, and pre-determined, in a manner similar to <a href="/facts/Elections_in_the_Soviet_Union/vIfznPnx">elections in the Soviet Union</a>. The <a href="/facts/Workers%2527_Party_of_Korea/3a6sJxnc">Workers' Party of Korea</a> (WPK) is the <a href="/facts/One-party_state/bTmHoaGu">sole ruling party</a> of North Korea. According to Article 3 of the constitution, <a href="/facts/Ideology_of_the_Workers%2527_Party_of_Korea/xen53qSW">Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism</a> is the official ideology of North Korea. The <a href="/facts/Means_of_production/J7dkhvzF">means of production</a> are owned by the state through <a href="/facts/State-owned_enterprise/yml2hFlI">state-run enterprises</a> and <a href="/facts/Collective_farming/lSyD3fCR">collectivized farms</a>. Most services—such as <a href="/facts/Health_in_North_Korea/k9sjSjXj">healthcare</a>, <a href="/facts/State_school/l0PkjUuJ">education</a>, <a href="/facts/Public_housing/BqCFqIAt">housing</a>, and <a href="/facts/Agricultural_subsidy/V9aXphAk">food production</a>—are subsidized or state-funded.
North Korea follows <a href="/facts/Songun/sgCSXHNT">Songun</a>, a "<a href="/facts/Militarism/3HncSuk9">military first</a>" policy which prioritizes the <a href="/facts/Korean_People%2527s_Army/DFGFDtm7">Korean People's Army</a> in state affairs and the allocation of resources. It <a href="/facts/North_Korea_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction/1yT71YSy">possesses nuclear weapons</a>. 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 <a href="/facts/Non-Aligned_Movement/PIdnjRvD">Non-Aligned Movement</a>, the <a href="/facts/Group_of_77/TFlVEBkN">G77</a>, and the <a href="/facts/ASEAN/77wDkXmL">ASEAN Regional Forum</a>.

North Korea open-in-new

North Korea