North Korea

Communist stateIndependence 9 September 1948

North Korea as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 72 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalP'yongyang

Area120,540 km2

Populationas each edition published it

21.29 million July 1990 · 26.4m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 1.86% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 31.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 69.51 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2.1 children per woman 1990 · 1.8 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

27 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 14.7 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $1,000 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition -10% in 1993

Geography

14 fields

Land useshare of 120,540 km2

arable land 18%permanent crops 1%forest and woodland 74%other 7%NEGL% meadows and pastures; includes 9% irrigated

Total area

120,540km2

land area: 120,410 km2Comparative area: slightly smaller than Mississippi

Coastline

2,495km

Territorial sea: 12 nm;

Land boundaries

1,671km total

China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, USSR 17 km

Military boundary line

50 nm (all foreign vessels and aircraft without permission are banned)

Disputes

short section of boundary with China is indefinite; Demarcation Line with South Korea

Climate

temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer

Terrain

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

Natural resources

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

Environment

mountainous interior is isolated, nearly inaccessible, and sparsely populated; late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding

Note

strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and USSR

People

14 fields

Population

21,292,649

(July 1990), growth rate 1.7% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

22Death

5Net migration

Literacy

95%

(est.)

Religion

Buddhism and Confucianism; religious activities now almost nonexistent

Labor force

9,615,000;
36% agricultural, 64% nonagricultural;
shortage of skilled and unskilled labor (mid-1987 est.)

Organized labor

1,600,000 members; single-trade union system coordinated by the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea under the Central Committee

Government

Communist state

17 fields

Supreme People's Assembly, 655 seats, elected 2 November 1986seats by party

KWP 655

Long-form name

Democratic People's Republic of Korea; abbreviated DPRK

Administrative divisions

9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 3 special cities* (jikhalsi, singular and plural);
Chagang-do, Hamgyong-namdo, Hamgyong-bukto, Hwanghae-namdo, Hwanghae-bukto, Kaesong-si*, Kangwon-do, Namp'o-si*, P'yongan-bukto, P'yongan-namdo, P'yongyang-si*, Yanggang-do

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

Executive branch

president, two vice presidents, premier, nine vice premiers, State Administration Council (cabinet)

Legislative branch

unicameral Supreme People's Assembly (Choe Ko In Min Hoe Ui)

Judicial branch

Central Court Chief of State--President KIM Il-song (since 28 December 1972);
Designated Successor KIM Chong-Il (son of President, born 16 February 1942);
Head of Government--Premier YON Hyong-muk (since NA December 1988)

Political parties and leaders

only party--Korean Workers' Party (KWP); Kim Il-song, General Secretary, and his son, Kim Chong-Il, Secretary, Central Committee

Suffrage

universal at age 17 President--last held 29 December 1986 (next to be held December 1990);
results--President Kim Il Song was reelected without opposition;
Supreme People's Assembly--last held on 2 November 1986 (next to be held November 1990, but the constitutional provision for elections every four years is not always followed);
results--KWP is the only party;
seats--(655 total) KWP 655;
the KWP approves a single list of candidates who are elected without opposition

Communists

KWP claims membership of about 2 million, or about one-tenth of population

Member of

ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, IMO, IPU, ITU, NAM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO, UNIDO, WMO; official observer status at UN

Flag

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

Economy

More than 90% of this command economy is socialized; agricultural land is collectivized; and state-owned industry produces 95% of manufactured goods.

16 fields

External debt

$2.5billion hard currency

(1989)

Budget

Revenues

$15.6 billionExpenditures

$15.6 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989)

More than 90% of this command economy is socialized; agricultural land is collectivized; and state-owned industry produces 95% of manufactured goods. State control of economic affairs is unusually tight even for a Communist country because of the small size and homogeneity of the society and the strict one-man rule of Kim.

Economic growth during the period 1984-89 has averaged approximately 3%. Abundant natural resources and hydropower form the basis of industrial development. Output of the extractive industries includes coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals. Manufacturing emphasis is centered on heavy industry, with light industry lagging far behind.

The use of high-yielding seed varieties, expansion of irrigation, and the heavy use of fertilizers have enabled North Korea to become largely self-sufficient in food production. North Korea, however, is far behind South Korea in economic development and living standards.

GNP

$28 billion, per capita $1,240; real growth rate 3% (1989)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

Unemployment rate

officially none

Exports

$2.4 billion (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--minerals, metallurgical products, agricultural products, manufactures;
partners--USSR, China, Japan, FRG, Hong Kong, Singapore

Imports

$3.1 billion (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--petroleum, machinery and equipment, coking coal, grain;
partners--USSR, Japan, China, FRG, Hong Kong, Singapore

Industrial production

growth rate NA%

Electricity

6,440,000 kW capacity; 40,250 million kWh produced, 1,740 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

machine building, military products, electric power, chemicals, mining, metallurgy, textiles, food processing

Agriculture

accounts for about 25% of GNP and 36% of work force;
principal crops--rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses;
livestock and livestock products--cattle, hogs, pork, eggs;
not self-sufficient in grain;
fish catch estimated at 1.7 million metric tons in 1987

Aid

Communist countries (1970-88), $1.3 billion

Currency

North Korean won (plural--won); 1 North Korean won (Wn) = 100 chon

Exchange rates

North Korean won (Wn) per US$1--2.3 (December 1989), 2.13 (December 1988), 0.94 (March 1987), NA (1986), NA (1985)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields

Merchant marine, 65 ships by typeone square, one ship

passenger 1short-sea passenger 1passenger-cargo 1cargo 56petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker 2bulk 3combination bulk 165 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 437,103 GRT/663,835 DWT

Railroads

4,535 km total operating in 1980;
3,870 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 665 km 0.762-meter narrow gauge, 159 km double track;
3,175 km electrified;
government owned