Korea, North

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet country code

.kp

Internet users

NA

Radio broadcast stations

AM 16, FM 14, shortwave 12 (1999)

Telephone system

general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Russian (Indian Ocean region); other international connections through Moscow and Beijing

Telephones - main lines in use

1.1 million (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular

NA

Television broadcast stations

38 (1999)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Currency

North Korean won (KPW)

Currency code

KPW

Debt - external

$12 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$NA; note - nearly $300 million in food aid alone from US, South Korea, Japan, and EU in 2001 plus much additional aid from the UN and non-governmental organizations

Economy - overview

North Korea, one of the world's most centrally planned and isolated economies, faces desperate economic conditions. Industrial capital stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of years of underinvestment and spare parts shortages. Industrial and power output have declined in parallel. The nation has suffered its tenth year of food shortages because of a lack of arable land; collective farming; weather-related problems, including major drought in 2000; and chronic shortages of fertilizer and fuel. Massive international food aid deliveries have allowed the regime to escape mass starvation since 1995-96, but the population remains the victim of prolonged malnutrition and deteriorating living conditions. Large-scale military spending eats up resources needed for investment and civilian consumption. Recently, the regime has placed emphasis on earning hard currency, developing information technology, addressing power shortages, and attracting foreign aid, but in no way at the expense of relinquishing central control over key national assets or undergoing widespread market-oriented reforms. In 2003, heightened political tensions with key donor countries and general donor fatigue have held down the flow of desperately needed food aid and have threatened fuel aid as well.

Electricity - consumption

27.91 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

30.01 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 29% hydro: 71% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0%

Exchange rates

official: North Korean won per US dollar - 150 (December 2002), 2.15 (December 2001), 2.15 (May 1994), 2.13 (May 1992), 2.14 (September 1991), 2.1 (January 1990); market: North Korean won per US dollar - 300-600 (December 2002), 200 (December 2001)

Exports

$842 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Exports - commodities

minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments); textiles and fishery products

Exports - partners

China 23.5%, Japan 19.9%, Costa Rica 12.4%, Brazil 6.5% (2002)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $22.26 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 30.4% industry: 32.3% services: 37.3% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

1% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$1.314 billion c.i.f. (2001 est.)

Imports - commodities

petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment; textiles, grain

Imports - partners

China 24.9%, Brazil 12.1%, India 9.2%, Thailand 9.2%, Germany 7.8%, Japan 7.1%, Singapore 4.5%, Qatar 4% (2002)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

Labor force

9.6 million

Labor force - by occupation

agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%

Oil - consumption

85,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total: 120,540 sq km water: 130 sq km land: 120,410 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Mississippi

Climate

temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer

Coastline

2,495 km

Elevation extremes

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

Environment - current issues

water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; water-borne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation

Environment - international agreements

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

Geographic coordinates

40 00 N, 127 00 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

14,600 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries

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

Land use

arable land: 14.12% permanent crops: 2.49% other: 83.39% (1998 est.)

Location

Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM note: military boundary line 50 NM in the Sea of Japan and the exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea where all foreign vessels and aircraft without permission are banned

Natural hazards

late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall

Natural resources

coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower

Terrain

mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east

Administrative divisions

9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4 special cities* (si, singular and plural); Chagang-do (Chagang Province), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong Province), Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong Province), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae Province), Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae Province), Kaesong-si* (Kaesong City), Kangwon-do (Kangwon Province), Najin Sonbong-si*, Namp'o-si* (Namp'o City), P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan Province), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan Province), P'yongyang-si* (Pyongyang City), Yanggang-do (Yanggang Province)

Capital

Pyongyang

Constitution

adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992 and September 1998

Country name

conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea conventional short form: North Korea local short form: none local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk note: the North Koreans generally use the term "Choson" to refer to their country abbreviation: DPRK

Diplomatic representation from the US

none (Swedish Embassy in P'yongyang represents the US as consular protecting power)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none; note - North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York

Executive branch

chief of state: KIM Chong-il (since NA July 1994); note - on 3 September 2003, KIM Chong-il was reelected Chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded the nation's "highest administrative authority"; KIM Yong-nam was reelected President of the Supreme People's Assembly Presidium and given the responsibility of representing the state and receiving diplomatic credentials elections: premier elected by the Supreme People's Assembly; election last held NA September 1998 (next to be held NA) election results: HONG Song-nam elected premier; percent of Supreme People's Assembly vote - NA% cabinet: Cabinet (Naegak), members, except for the Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by the Supreme People's Assembly head of government: Premier PAK Pong-chu (since 3 September 2003); Vice Premiers KWAK Pom-ki (since 5 September 1998), CHON Sung-hun (since 3 September 2003), NO Tu-chol (since 3 September 2003)

Flag description

three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side of the red band is a white disk with a red five-pointed star

Government type

authoritarian socialist; one-man dictatorship

Independence

15 August 1945 (from Japan)

International organization participation

ARF (dialogue partner), ESCAP, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Judicial branch

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

Legal system

based on German civil law system with Japanese influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 3 August 2003 (next to be held in August 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; the KWP approves a list of candidates who are elected without opposition; some seats are held by minor parties

National holiday

Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948)

Political parties and leaders

Chondoist Chongu Party [YU Mi-yong, chairwoman]; Social Democratic Party [KIM Yong-tae, chairman]; major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Chong-il, general secretary]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

17 years of age; universal

Background

Following World War II, Korea was split, with the northern half coming under Communist domination and the southern portion becoming Western-oriented. KIM Chong-il has ruled North Korea since his father and the country's founder, president KIM Il-song, died in 1994. After decades of mismanagement, the North relies heavily on international food aid to feed its population while continuing to expend resources to maintain an army of about 1 million. North Korea's long-range missile development and research into nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and massive conventional armed forces are of major concern to the international community. In December 2002, North Korea repudiated a 1994 agreement that shut down its nuclear reactors and expelled UN monitors, further raising fears it would produce nuclear weapons.

Military branches

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$5,217.4 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

33.9% (FY02)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 6,103,615 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 3,654,223 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 180,875 (2003 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 25% (male 2,845,727; female 2,763,800) 15-64 years: 67.8% (male 7,485,310; female 7,746,603) 65 years and over: 7.2% (male 541,155; female 1,083,886) (2003 est.)

Birth rate

17.61 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate

6.93 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Ethnic groups

racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

total: 25.66 deaths/1,000 live births female: 23.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 27.45 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Korean

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 70.79 years male: 68.1 years female: 73.61 years (2003 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write Korean total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99%

Median age

total: 31.1 years male: 30 years female: 32.3 years (2002)

Nationality

noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Population

22,466,481 (July 2003 est.)

Population growth rate

1.07% (2003 est.)

Religions

traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way) note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.25 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Disputes - international

with China, certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers are in uncontested dispute; a section of boundary around Paektu-san (mountain) is indefinite; China objects to illegal migration of North Koreans into northern China; Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953

Airports

72 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 34 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 38 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 7 (2002)

Highways

total: 31,200 km paved: 1,997 km unpaved: 29,203 km (1999 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 149 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 881,276 GRT/1,309,547 DWT note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 1, Greece 2, Pakistan 1, Singapore 1 (2002 est.) ships by type: bulk 8, cargo 120, combination bulk 2, container 1, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 8, refrigerated cargo 4, short-sea passenger 2

Pipelines

oil 136 km (2003)

Ports and harbors

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

Railways

total: 5,214 km standard gauge: 4,549 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) narrow gauge: 665 km 0.762-m gauge (2002)

Waterways

2,253 km note: mostly navigable by small craft only