North Korea

lowest point:

Sea of Japan 0 m

highest point:

Paektu-san 2,744 m

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

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

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.)

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.)

noun:

Korean(s)

adjective:

Korean

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

• 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

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)

• 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]

• 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

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

revenues:

$NA

expenditures:

$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

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

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)

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

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)

total:

31,200 km

paved:

1,997 km

unpaved:

29,203 km (1999 est.)

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

• 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