North Korea
Democratic People's Republic of Korea | |
---|---|
Motto: 강성대국 (Powerful and prosperous nation) | |
Anthem: Aegukka | |
![]() | |
Capital and largest city | Pyongyang |
Official languages | Korean |
Demonym(s) | North Korean, Korean |
Government | Juche Stalinist Dictatorship |
Kim il-sung (deceased) a | |
Kim Jong-ilb | |
Kim Yong-namc | |
• Premier | Kim Yong-il |
Establishment | |
March 1 1919 | |
August 15 1945 | |
• Formal declaration | September 9 1948 |
Area | |
• Total | 120,540 km2 (46,540 sq mi) (98th) |
• Water (%) | 4.87 |
Population | |
• 2007 estimate | 23,301,725[2] (48th) |
• Density | 190/km2 (492.1/sq mi) (55th) |
GDP (PPP) | 2006[3] estimate |
• Total | $22.85 billion (85th) |
• Per capita | $1,007 (149th) |
Currency | North Korean won (₩) (KPW) |
Time zone | UTC+9 (Korea Standard Time) |
Calling code | 850 |
ISO 3166 code | KP |
Internet TLD | .kp |
a Died 1994, named "Eternal President" in 1998 b Kim Jong-il is the nation's most prominent leading figure and government figure head, although he is not the head of state or the head of government; his official title is Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea, a position which he has held since 1994. c Kim Yong-nam is the "head of state for foreign affairs". |
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (the DPRK[4]), is a state in East Asia in the northern half of the Korean Peninsula, with its capital in the city of Pyongyang.
To the south and separated by the Korean Demilitarized Zone is South Korea, with which it formed one nation until division following World War II. At its northern Amnok River border are China and, separated by the Tumen River in the extreme north-east, Russia.
North Korea is widely regarded as a Stalinist dictatorship.[5][6][7][8][9] The country's government styles itself as following the Juche ideology of self reliance, developed by Kim Il-sung, the country's first president. The current leader is Kim Jong-il, the late president Kim Il-sung's son. Relations are strong with other officially socialist states, Vietnam, Laos, and especially, China, as well as with Cambodia and Burma. Following a major famine in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union (previously a major economic partner), leader Kim Jong-il instigated the "Military-First" policy in 1995, increasing economic concentration and support for the military.
North Korea's culture is officially promoted and heavily controlled by the government and the Mass Games are government-organized events glorifying its two leaders, involving over 100,000 performers.
History
Emergence of North Korea
In the aftermath of the Japanese occupation of Korea, which ended with Japan's defeat in World War II in 1945, the Soviet Union accepted the surrender of Japanese forces and controlled the area north of the 38th parallel with the United States controlling the area south of this parallel. Virtually all Koreans welcomed liberation from Japanese imperial rule, yet objected to re-imposition of foreign rule upon their country. The Soviets and Americans disagreed on the implementation of Joint Trusteeship over Korea, with each establishing its socio-economic system upon its jurisdiction, leading, in 1948, to the establishment of ideologically opposed governments.[10] The United States and the Soviet Union then withdrew their forces from Korea. Growing tensions and border skirmishes between north and south led to the civil war called the Korean War.
On June 25 1950, the (North) Korean People's Army crossed the 38th Parallel with the war aim of peninsular reunification under their political system. The war continued until July 27 1953, when the United Nations Command, the Korean People's Army, and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army signed the Korean War Armistice Agreement.[11] Since that time the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) has separated the North and South.
Economic evolution
In the aftermath of the Korean War and throughout the 1960s the country's state-controlled economy grew at a significant rate[citation needed]. In the 1970s the expansion of North Korea's economy, with the accompanying rise in living standards, came to an end and a few decades later went into reverse. The country struggled throughout the 1990s, largely due to the loss of strategic trade arrangements with the USSR[12] and strained relations with China following China's normalization with South Korea in 1992.[13] In addition, North Korea experienced record-breaking floods (1995 and 1996) followed by several years of equally severe drought beginning in 1997.[14] This, compounded with only 18 percent arable land[15] and an inability to import the goods necessary to sustain industry,[16] led to an immense famine and left North Korea in economic shambles. Large numbers of North Koreans illegally entered the People's Republic of China in search of food. Faced with a country in decay, Kim Jong-il adopted a "Military-First" policy to reinforce the regime.[17]
Government and politics
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Juche_Tower.jpg/220px-Juche_Tower.jpg)
North Korea is a self-described Chuch'e (self-reliance) state.[18] Government is organized as a dictatorship with a pronounced cult of personality organized around Kim Il-sung (the founder of North Korea and the country's first and only president) and his son and heir, Kim Jong-il. Following Kim Il-sung's death in 1994 he was not replaced but instead received the designation of "Eternal President" and was entombed in the vast Kumsusan Memorial Palace in central Pyongyang.
Although the active position of president has been abolished in deference to the memory of Kim Il-sung,[19] the de facto head of state is Kim Jong-il, who is Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea. The legislature of North Korea is the Supreme People's Assembly, currently led by President Kim Yong-nam. The other senior government figure is Premier Kim Yong-il.
North Korea is a single-party state with a Stalinist, authoritarian, and totalitarian regime. The governing party is the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland, a coalition of the Workers' Party of North Korea and two other smaller parties, the North Korean Social Democratic Party and the Chondoist Chongu Party. These parties nominate all candidates for office and hold all seats in the Supreme People's Assembly.
Human rights
Multiple international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, accuse North Korea of having one of the worst human rights records of any nation.[20] North Koreans have been referred to as "some of the world's most brutalized people", regarding their severe restrictions on political and economic freedoms.[21] North Korean defectors have testified to the existence of prison and detention camps with an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 inmates, and have reported torture, starvation, rape, murder, medical experimentation, forced labour, and forced abortions.[22]
Foreign relations
Since the ceasefire of the Korean War in 1953, the relations between the North Korean government and South Korea, the United States, and Japan have remained tense. Fighting was halted in the ceasefire but both Koreas are still technically at war. On October 4 2007 the leaders of North and South Korea pledged to hold summit talks to officially declare the war over and reaffirmed the principle of mutual non-aggression.[23]
Both North and South Korea signed the June 15th North-South Joint Declaration in 2000, in which both sides made promises to seek out a peaceful reunification.[24]
In 2002 U.S. President George W. Bush labelled North Korea part of an "axis of evil" and an "outpost of tyranny". The highest-level contact the government has had with the United States was with U. S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who made a visit to Pyongyang in 2000,[25] but the two countries do not have formal diplomatic relations.[2] In 2006, approximately 37,000 American soldiers remained in South Korea, with plans to reduce the number to 25,000 by 2008.[26] Despite the foreign troops, Kim Jong-il has privately stated his acceptance of U.S. troops on the peninsula, even after a possible reunification.[27] It is claimed by US sources that if North Korea and the United States normalize relations, both Koreas would wish to maintain the presence of US troops out of fear of China and Japan but North Korea strongly denies that and demands the removal of American troops (see North Korea-United States relations).[27]
North Korea has long maintained close relations with the People's Republic of China and Russia. The fall of communism in eastern Europe in 1989 and the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 resulted in a devastating drop in aid to North Korea from Russia, although China continues to provide substantial assistance. North Korea continues to have strong ties with its socialist southeast Asian allies in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.[28] North Korea has started installing a fence on its northern border in response to China's wishing to curb refugees fleeing from North Korea, which had erected a concrete and barbed wire fence in the past year. Previously the shared border with China and North Korea had only been lightly patrolled.[29]
As a result of the North Korean nuclear weapons program, the Six-party talks were established to find a peaceful solution for the growing unrest between the two Korean governments, the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China, Japan, and the United States.
July 17 2007 - United Nations inspectors verified the shutdown of 5 North Korean nuclear facilities according to the February 2007 agreement. [30]
On October 4 2007 South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il signed an 8-point peace agreement on issues of permanent peace, high-level talks, economic cooperation, renewal of train, highway and air travel, and a joint Olympic cheering squad.[31]
Military
Kim Jong-il is the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army and Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea. The Korean People's Army (KPA) is the name for the collective armed personnel of the North Korean military. The army has four branches: Ground Force, Naval Force, Air Force and the Civil Securities Force.
According to the U.S. Department of State, North Korea has the fourth-largest military in the world, at an estimated 1.21 million armed personnel, with about 20% of men aged 17-54 in the regular armed forces.[32] North Korea has the highest percentage of military personnel per capita of any nation in the world, with approximately 40 enlisted soldiers per 1,000 citizens.[33] Annual military spending is estimated as high as US$5 Billion (20% of GDP), compared with South Korea's $24 Billion (2.7% of GDP) .Cite error: A <ref>
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(see the help page). Military strategy is designed for insertion of agents and sabotage behind enemy lines in wartime,[32] with much of the KPA's forces deployed along the heavily fortified Korean Demilitarized Zone.
Nuclear weapons program
On October 9 2006 North Korea conducted its first nuclear test.[34] The blast was smaller than expected and U.S. officials suggested that it may have been an unsuccessful test or a partially successful fizzle.[35] North Korea has previously stated that it has produced nuclear weapons and according to U.S. intelligence and military officials it has produced, or has the capability to produce, up to six or seven such devices.[36]
On March 17 2007, North Korea told delegates at international nuclear talks it would begin shut down preparations for its main nuclear facility. This was later confirmed on 14 July 2007 as International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors observed the initial shut-down phases of the currently operating 5MW Yongbyon nuclear reactor, despite there being no official time line declared. In return, the reclusive nation has received 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil shipped from South Korea. Once the old small nuclear reactor is permanently shut down, North Korea will receive the equivalent of 950,000 tons of fuel oil when the six-nation talks reconvene. Following breakthrough talks held in September 2007, aimed at hastening the end of North Korea's nuclear program, North Korea was to "disable some part of its nuclear facilities" by the end of 2007, according to the US Assistant Secretary of State.
The details of such an agreement are due to be worked out in a session held in the People's Republic of China which will involve South Korea, China, Russia and Japan. Terms for the agreement have thus far not been disclosed, nor has it been disclosed what offer was made on the United States's part in exchange. The possibility of removing North Korea from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism has been discussed, which imposes a ban on all arms related trade with countries on the list, along with withholding US aid. Should these bans be lifted, the US may help North Koreans following devastating floods in August 2007.
Geography
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Korea_north_map.png/220px-Korea_north_map.png)
North Korea is on the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula, covering an area of 120,540 square kilometres (46,541 sq mi). North Korea shares land borders with China and Russia to the north, and borders South Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone. To its west are the Yellow Sea and Korea Bay, and to its east lies Japan across the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea). The highest point in North Korea is Baekdu Mountain at 2,744 metres (9,003 ft). The longest river is the Amnok River which flows for 790 kilometres (491 mi).[37]
North Korea's climate is relatively temperate, with precipitation heavier in summer during a short rainy season called changma, and winters that can be bitterly cold.[38] For a week from 7 August 2007 the most devastating floods in 40 years caused the North Korean Government to ask for international help. NGOs, such as the Red Cross, asked people to raise funds because they feared a humanitarian catastrophe.[39]
The capital and largest city is Pyongyang; other major cities include Kaesong in the south, Sinuiju in the northwest, Wonsan and Hamhung in the east and Chongjin in the northeast.
Economy
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/Korean_peninsula_at_night.jpg/220px-Korean_peninsula_at_night.jpg)
In the aftermath of the Korean War and throughout the 1960s and '70s, the country's state-controlled economy grew at a significant rate and, until the late 1970s, was considered to be stronger than that of the South. State-owned industry produces nearly all manufactured goods. The government focuses on heavy military industry, following Kim Jong-il's adoption of the Songun "Military-First" policy. Estimates of the North Korea economy cover a broad range, as the country does not release official figures and the secretive nature of the country makes outside estimation difficult. According to accepted estimates, North Korea spends $5 billion out of a gross domestic product (GDP) of $20.9 billion on the military, compared with South Korea's $24 billion out of a GDP of $1.196 trillion.[40][41]
1990s famine
In the 1990s North Korea faced significant economic disruptions, including a series of natural disasters, economic mismanagement, serious fertilizer shortages, and the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. These resulted in a shortfall of staple grain output of more than 1 million tons from what the country needs to meet internationally-accepted minimum dietary requirements.[42] The North Korean famine resulted in the deaths of between 300,000 and 800,000 North Koreans per year during the three year famine, peaking in 1997, with 2.0 million total being "the highest possible estimate."[43] The deaths were most likely caused by famine-related illnesses such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, and diarrhoea rather than starvation.[43]
In 2006, Amnesty International reported that a national nutrition survey conducted by the North Korean government, the World Food Programme, and UNICEF found that 7 percent of children were severely malnourished; 37 percent were chronically malnourished; 23.4 percent were underweight; and one in three mothers was malnourished and anaemic as the result of the lingering effect of the famine. The inflation caused by some of the 2002 economic reforms, including the "Military-first" policy, was cited for creating the increased price of basic foods.[44]
Beginning in 1997, the U.S. began shipping food aid to North Korea through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to combat the famine. Shipments peaked in 1999 at nearly 700,000 tons making the U.S. the largest foreign aid donor to the country at the time. Under the Bush Administration, aid was drastically reduced year after year from 350,000 tons in 2001 to 40,000 in 2004.[45] The Bush Administration took criticism for using "food as a weapon" during talks over the North's nuclear weapons program, but insisted the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) criteria were the same for all countries and the situation in North Korea had "improved significantly since its collapse in the mid-1990s." Agricultural production had increased from about 2.7 million metric tons in 1997 to 4.2 million metric tons in 2004.[46]
Foreign commerce
China and South Korea remain the largest donors of unconditional food aid to North Korea. The U.S. objects to this manner of donating food due to lack of oversight.[46] In 2005, China and South Korea combined to provide 1 million tons of food aid, each contributing half.[47] In addition to food aid, China reportedly provides an estimated 80 to 90 percent of North Korea's oil imports at "friendly prices" that are sharply lower than the world market price.[48]
On 19 September 2005, North Korea was promised fuel aid and various other non-food incentives from South Korea, the U.S., Japan, Russia, and China in exchange for abandoning its nuclear weapons program and rejoining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Providing food in exchange for abandoning weapons programs has historically been avoided by the U.S. so as not to be perceived as "using food as a weapon".[49] Humanitarian aid from North Korea's neighbors has been cut off at times to provoke North Korea to resume boycotted talks, such as South Korea's "postponed consideration" of 500,000 tons of rice for the North in 2006 but the idea of providing food as a clear incentive (as opposed to resuming "general humanitarian aid") has been avoided.[50] There have also been aid disruptions due to widespread theft of railroad cars used by mainland China to deliver food relief.[51]
In July 2002, North Korea started experimenting with capitalism in the Kaesong Industrial Region.[52] A small number of other areas have been designated as Special Administrative Regions, including Sinŭiju along the China-North Korea border. China and South Korea are the biggest trade partners of North Korea, with trade with China increasing 15% to US$1.6 billion in 2005, and trade with South Korea increasing 50% to over 1 billion for the first time in 2005.[49] It is reported that the number of mobile phones in Pyongyang rose from only 3,000 in 2002 to approximately 20,000 during 2004.[53] As of June 2004, however, mobile phones became forbidden again.[54] A small number of capitalistic elements are gradually spreading from the trial area, including a number of advertising billboards along certain highways. Recent visitors have reported that the number of open-air farmers' markets has increased in Kaesong and Pyongyang, as well as along the China-North Korea border, bypassing the food rationing system.
In an event in 2003 dubbed the "Pong Su incident", a North Korean cargo ship allegedly attempting to smuggle heroin into Australia was seized by Australian officials, strengthening Australian and United States' suspicions that Pyongyang engages in international drug smuggling. The North Korean government denied any involvement.[55]
Transport
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/90/MetroPyongyang.jpg/220px-MetroPyongyang.jpg)
Demographics
North Korea's population of roughly 23 million is one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous in the world, with very small numbers of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, South Korean and European expatriate minorities.
Religion
Both Koreas share a Buddhist and Confucian heritage and a recent history of Christian and Chondogyo ("Heavenly Way") movements. The North Korean constitution allows freedom of religion. However, according to Human Rights Watch, free religious activities no longer exist in the DPRK as the government sponsors religious groups only to create an illusion of religious freedom.[56] In practical terms all religion in North Korea is superseded by a cult of personality devoted to the deceased ruler Kim Il-Sung and his heir, Kim Jong-Il.
Pyongyang was the centre of Christian activity in Korea before the Korean War. Today, two state-sanctioned churches exist, which freedom of religion advocates allege are showcases for foreigners.[57][58] Official government statistics report that there are 10,000 Protestants and 4,000 Roman Catholics in North Korea,[59] or 0.00022 percent of the population.
According to a ranking published by Open Doors, an organization that supports persecuted Christians, North Korea is currently the country with the most severe persecution of Christians in the world.[60] Human rights groups such as Amnesty International also have expressed concerns about religious persecution in North Korea.[61]
Language
North Korea shares the Korean language with South Korea. There are dialect differences within both Koreas, but the border between North and South does not represent a major linguistic boundary. The adoption of modern terms from foreign languages has been limited in North Korea, while prevalent in the South. Hanja (Chinese characters) are no longer used in North Korea, although still occasionally used in South Korea. Both Koreas share the Hangul writing system, called Chosongul in North Korea. The official Romanization differs in the two countries, with North Korea using a slightly modified McCune-Reischauer system, and the South using the Revised Romanization of Korean.
Culture
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/North_korea_mass_games.jpg/220px-North_korea_mass_games.jpg)
There is a vast cult of personality around Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il and much of North Korea's literature, popular music, theater, and film glorify the two men.
A popular event in North Korea is the Mass Games. The most recent and largest Mass Games was called "Arirang". It was performed six nights a week for two months, and involved over 100,000 performers. Attendees to this event report that the anti-West sentiments have been toned down compared to previous performances. The Mass Games involve performances of dance, gymnastic, and choreographic routines which celebrate the history of North Korea and the Workers' Party Revolution. The Mass Games are held in Pyongyang at various venues (varying according to the scale of the Games in a particular year) including the May Day Stadium.
Culture is officially protected by the North Korean government. Large buildings committed to culture have been built, such as the People's Palace of Culture or the Grand People's Palace of Studies, both in Yoco. Outside the capital, there's a major theatre in Hamhung and in every city there are State-run theatres and stadiums.
Korean culture came under attack during the Japanese rule from 1910-1945. Japan enforced a cultural assimilation policy. Koreans were forced to learn and speak Japanese, adopt the Japanese family name system and Shinto religion, and forbidden to write or speak the Korean language in schools, businesses, or public places.[62] In addition, the Japanese altered or destroyed various Korean monuments including Gyeongbok Palace and documents which portrayed the Japanese in a negative light were revised. This methodical alteration process was done by the Editing Agency of Korean History.
In July 2004, the Complex of Goguryeo Tombs became the first site in the country to be included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
Administrative divisions
North Korea is divided into nine provinces, three special regions, and two directly-governed cities (chikhalsi, 직할시, 直轄市) :
Provinces
Division | Transliteration | Hangul | Hanja | ![]() |
---|---|---|---|---|
Province | ||||
Chagang | Chagang-do | 자강도 | 慈江道 | |
North Hamgyong | Hamgyŏng-pukto | 함경북도 | 咸鏡北道 | |
South Hamgyong | Hamgyŏng-namdo | 함경남도 | 咸鏡南道 | |
North Hwanghae | Hwanghae-pukto | 황해북도 | 黃海北道 | |
South Hwanghae | Hwanghae-namdo | 황해남도 | 黃海南道 | |
Kangwon | Kangwŏndo | 강원도 | 江原道 | |
North Pyongan | P'yŏngan-pukto | 평안북도 | 平安北道 | |
South Pyongan | P'yŏngan-namdo | 평안남도 | 平安南道 | |
Ryanggang * | Ryanggang-do | 량강도 | 兩江道 | |
Special regions | ||||
Kaesŏng Industrial Region | Kaesŏng Kong-ŏp Chigu | 개성공업지구 | 開城工業地區 | |
Kumgangsan Tourist Region | Kŭmgangsan Kwangwang Chigu | 금강산관광지구 | 金剛山觀光地區 | |
Sinuiju Special Administrative Region | Sinŭiju T'ŭkpyŏl Haengjŏnggu | 신의주특별행정구 | 新義州特別行政區 | |
Directly-governed cities | ||||
Pyongyang | P'yŏngyang Chikhalsi | 평양직할시 | 平壤直轄市 | |
Rason | Rasŏn (Rajin-Sŏnbong) Chikhalsi | 라선(라진-선봉) 직할시 | 羅先(羅津-先鋒) 直轄市 |
* - Sometimes rendered "Yanggang" (양강도).
Major cities
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See also
Notes and references
- ^ "Administrative Divisions and Population Figures (#26)" (PDF). DPRK: The Land of the Morning Calm. Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use. 2003-04. Retrieved 2006-10-10.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ a b "Korea, North". CIA World Factbook. 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-01. North Korea itself does not disclose figures.
- ^ "Country Profile: North Korea". Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK. 2007-07-20. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Another acronym occasionally used in the media is DPRNK, as for Democratic People's Republic of North Korea
- ^ Spencer, Richard (2007-08-28). "North Korea power struggle looms". The Telegraph (on-line version of UK national newspaper). Retrieved 2007-10-31.
A power struggle to succeed Kim Jong-il as leader of North Korea's Stalinist dictatorship may be looming after his eldest son was reported to have returned from semi-voluntary exile.
- ^ Brooke, James (2003-10-02). "North Korea Says It Is Using Plutonium to Make A-Bombs". The New York Times (on-line version of New York, United States newspaper). Retrieved 2007-10-31.
North Korea, run by a Stalinist dictatorship for almost six decades, is largely closed to foreign reporters and it is impossible to independently check today's claims.
- ^ Parry, Richard Lloyd (2007-09-05). "North Korea's nuclear 'deal' leaves Japan feeling nervous". The Times (on-line version of UK's national newspaper of record). Retrieved 2007-10-31.
The US Government contradicted earlier North Korean claims that it had agreed to remove the Stalinist dictatorship's designation as a terrorist state and to lift economic sanctions, as part of talks aimed at disarming Pyongyang of its nuclear weapons.
- ^ Walsh, Lynn (2003-02-08). "The Korean crisis". CWI online: Socialism Today, February 2003 edition, journal of the Socialist Party, CWI England and Wales. socialistworld.net, website of the committee for a worker’s international. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
Kim Jong-il's regime needs economic concessions to avoid collapse, and just as crucially needs an end to the strategic siege imposed by the US since the end of the Korean war (1950-53). Pyongyang's nuclear brinkmanship, though potentially dangerous, is driven by fear rather than by militaristic ambition. The rotten Stalinist dictatorship faces the prospect of an implosion. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, which deprived North Korea of vital economic support, the regime has consistently attempted to secure from the US a non-aggression pact, recognition of its sovereignty, and economic assistance. The US's equally consistent refusal to enter into direct negotiations with North Korea, effectively ruling out a peace treaty to formally close the 1950-53 Korean war, has encouraged the regime to resort to nuclear blackmail.
- ^ Oakley, Corey (2006). "US is threat to peace not North Korea". Edition 109 - October-November 2006. Socialist Alternative website in Australia. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
In this context, the constant attempts by the Western press to paint Kim Jong Il as simply a raving lunatic look, well, mad. There is no denying that the regime he presides over is a nasty Stalinist dictatorship that brutally oppresses its own population. But in the face of constant threats from the US, Pyongyang's actions have a definite rationality from the regime's point of view.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (help) - ^ Korean Embassy (2000). "Establishment of the Republic of Korea". AsianInfo.org. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
- ^ "Text of the Korean War Armistice Agreement". Find Law. 1953. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ United States Department of Agriculture (April 1992). "Prospects for trade with an integrated Korean market". Agricultural Outlook. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ Kwan, Chi Hung (2003-04-18). "China in Transition". Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Olson, Al (2005-12-28). "An Antidote to disinformation about North Korea". Global Research. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress (2007). "North Korea Agriculture". Country Studies. Retrieved 2007-03-11.
- ^ Federation of American Scientists (2000-06-15). "Other Industry - North Korean Targets". Weapons of Mass Destruction.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Hodge, Homer T. (2003-02-07). "North Korea's Military Strategy". US Army War College Quarterly. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "18. Is North Korea a 'Stalinist' state?". DPRK FAQ; Document approved by Zo Sun Il. Official Webpages of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. 2005-05-05. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
The term 'Stalinism' is highly loaded and is most frequently employed not as a descriptive term but as an insult. The DPRK political system is based on the Chuch'e Idea, a theory developed by the late President Kim Il Sung stressing national self-reliance and development according to the unique characteristics of individual nations. 'Stalinism,' on the other hand, was articulated as a universalistic political ideology. The DPRK is indeed a socialist state, meaning that all the means of production are socially owned. However, the central implication of the 'Stalinist' accusation--simply that the DPRK is a dictatorship--is inaccurate. Korea is a socialist democracy guaranteeing its citizens the full range of individual liberties and rights provided by many liberal regimes, and more.
- ^ 10th Supreme People's Assembly. (1998-09-15). "DPRK's Socialist Constitution (Full Text)". The People's Korea. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
{{cite web}}
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(help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Amnesty International (2007). "Our Issues, North Korea". Human Rights Concerns. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ Seok, Kay (2007-05-15). "Grotesque indifference". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
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(help) - ^ Hawk, David (2003). "The Hidden [[Gulag]]: Exposing North Korea's Prison Camps - Prisoners' Testimonies and Satellite Photographs". U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
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(help) - ^ "North-South Joint Declaration". Naenara. 2000-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
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(help) - ^ Bury, Chris (November 2000). "Interview - Madeleine Albright". Nightline Frontline, on PBS.org. Retrieved 2007-08-11.
- ^ Xinhua (2005-01-13). "S. Korea to cut 40,000 troops by 2008". People's Daily Online. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
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(help) - ^ a b Oberdorfer, Don (2005-07-28). "North Korea: Six-Party Talks Continue". The Washington Post Online. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
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(help) - ^ "Kim Yong Nam Visits 3 ASEAN Nations To Strengthen Traditional Ties". The People's Korea. 2001. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ Report: N. Korea building fence to keep people in
- ^ CNN. "U.N. verifies closure of North Korean nuclear facilities". Retrieved 2007-07-18.
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(help) - ^ a b Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (April 2007). "Background Note: North Korea". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ "Army personnel (per capita) by country". NationMaster. 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ "US confirms nuclear claim". New York Times. 2006-10-15. Retrieved 2006-10-16.
- ^ "US says Test points to N. Korea nuclear blast". Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ "Post-election push on N Korea". BBC News. 2005-11-06. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
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(help) - ^ Caraway, Bill (2007). "Korea Geography". The Korean History Project. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ Federal Research Division of the US Library of Congress (2007). "North Korea - Climate". Country Studies. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ "Emergency appeal for DPRK flood survivors", website of the Red Cross
- ^ "Research Library: Korea, South". ICONS Project. 2007-05-29. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
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(help) - ^ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ks.html#Econ
- ^ Federal Research Division of the US Library of Congress (2007). "North Korea - Agriculture". Country Studies. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ a b Lee, May (1998-08-19). "Famine may have killed 2 million in North Korea". CNN. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
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(help) - ^ "Asia-Pacific : North Korea". Amnesty International. 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ Solomon, Jay (2005-05-20). "US Has Put Food Aid for North Korea on Hold". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
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(help) - ^ a b "Report on U.S. Humanitarian assistance to North Koreans" (PDF). United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs. 2006-04-15. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
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(help) - ^ "North Korea: Ending Food Aid Would Deepen Hunger". Human Rights Watch. 2006-10-11. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
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(help) - ^ Nam, Sung-wook (2006-10-26). "China's N.K. policy unlikely to change". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
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(help) - ^ a b "Fourth round of Six-Party Talks". CanKor, on Korean Peace and Security. 2005-09-27. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
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(help) - ^ Faiola, Anthony (2006-07-14). "S. Korea Suspends Food Aid to North". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
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(help) - ^ "China halts rail freight to North Korea". Financial Times. 2007-10-18. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
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(help) - ^ French, Howard W. (2002-09-25). "North Korea to Let Capitalism Loose in Investment Zone". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
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(help) - ^ MacKinnon, Rebecca (2005-01-17). "Chinese Cell Phone Breaches North Korean Hermit Kingdom". Yale Global Online. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
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(help) - ^ "North Korea recalls mobile phones". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2004-06-04. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
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(help) - ^ "N Korean heroin ship sunk by jet". BBC News. 2006-03-23. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
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(help) - ^ "Human Rights in North Korea". Human Rights Watch. July 2004. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
- ^ United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (2004-09-21). "Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom". Nautilus Institute. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
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(help) - ^ "N Korea stages Mass for Pope". BBC News. 2005-04-10. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
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(help) - ^ "North Korean Religion". Windowss on Asia. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
- ^ http://sb.od.org/index.php?supp_page=wwl_top_ten&supp_lang=en
- ^ "Korea Report 2002". Amnesty International. 2001. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
- ^ Cumings, Bruce G. "The Rise of Korean Nationalism and Communism". A Country Study: North Korea. Library of Congress. Call number DS932 .N662 1994.
Further reading
- Jasper Becker, Rogue Regime: Kim Jong Il and the Looming Threat of North Korea, Oxford University Press (2005) , hardcover, 328 pages, ISBN 13: 9780195170443
- Gordon Cucullu, Separated At Birth: How North Korea Became The Evil Twin, Globe Pequot Press (2004) , hardcover, 307 pages, ISBN 1-59228-591-0
- Bruce Cumings, Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History, W.W. Norton & Company, 1998, paperback, 527 pages, ISBN 0-393-31681-5
- Bruce Cumings, Origins of the Korean War (Vol. 1) : Liberation and the Emergence of Separate Regimes 1945-1947, Princeton University Press, 1981, paperback, ISBN 0-691-10113-2
- Bruce Cumings, Origins of the Korean War (Vol. 2) : The Roaring of the Cataract 1947-1950, Cornell University Press, 2004, hardcover, ISBN 89-7696-613-9
- Bruce Cumings, North Korea: Another Country, New Press, 2004, paperback, ISBN 1-56584-940-X
- Bruce Cumings, Living Through The Forgotten War: Portrait Of Korea, Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies, 2004, paperback, ISBN 0-9729704-0-1
- Bruce Cumings, Inventing the Axis of Evil: The Truth About North Korea, Iran, and Syria, New Press, 2006, paperback, ISBN 1-59558-038-7
- Delisle, Guy, Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea, Drawn & Quarterly Books, 2005, hardcover, 176 pages, ISBN 1-896597-89-0
- Nick Eberstadt, aka Nicholas Eberstadt, The End of North Korea, American Enterprise Institute Press (1999) , hardcover, 191 pages, ISBN 0-8447-4087-X
- John Feffer, North Korea South Korea: U.S. Policy at a Time of Crisis, Seven Stories Press, 2003, paperback, 197 pages, ISBN 1-58322-603-6
- Ron Goodden, North Korea commentary (August, 2007)
- Michael Harrold, Comrades and Strangers: Behind the Closed Doors of North Korea, Wiley Publishing, 2004, paperback, 432 pages, ISBN 0-470-86976-3
- Helen-Louise Hunter, Kim Il-song's North Korea. Praeger, 1999. ISBN 0-275-96296-2.
- Kang, Chol-Hwan (2001). The Aquariums of Pyongyang. Basic Books, 2001. ISBN 0-465-01102-0.
- Mitchell B. Lerner, The Pueblo Incident: A Spy Ship and the Failure of American Foreign Policy, University Press of Kansas, 2002, hardcover, 408 pages, ISBN 0-7006-1171-1
- Bradley Martin, Under The Loving Care Of The Fatherly Leader: North Korea And The Kim Dynasty, St. Martins (October, 2004) , hardcover, 868 pages, ISBN 0-312-32221-6
- Oberdorfer, Don. The two Koreas : a contemporary history. Addison-Wesley, 1997, 472 pages, ISBN 0-201-40927-5
- Kong Dan Oh, and Ralph C. Hassig, North Korea Through the Looking Glass, The Brookings Institution, 2000, paperback, 216 pages, ISBN 0-8157-6435-9
- Quinones, Dr. C. Kenneth, and Joseph Tragert, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding North Korea, Alpha Books, 2004, paperback, 448 pages, ISBN 1-59257-169-7
- Sigal, Leon V., Disarming Strangers: Nuclear Diplomacy with North Korea, Princeton University Press, 199, 336 pages, ISBN 0-691-05797-4
- Chris Springer, Pyongyang: The Hidden History of the North Korean Capital. Saranda Books, 2003. ISBN 963-00-8104-0.
- Vladimir, Cyber North Korea, Byakuya Shobo, 2003, paperback, 223 pages, ISBN 4-89367-881-7
- Norbert Vollertsen, Inside North Korea: Diary of a Mad Place, Encounter Books, 2003, hardcover, 280 pages, ISBN 1-893554-87-2
- Wahn Kihl, Y. (1983) "North Korea in 1983: Transforming "The Hermit Kingdom"?" Asian Survey, Vol. 24, No. 1: pp100-111
- Robert Willoughby, North Korea: The Bradt Travel Guide. Globe Pequot, 2003. ISBN 1-84162-074-2.
- Hyun Hee Kim, "The Tears of My Soul", William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1993, hardcover, 183 pages, ISBN 0-688-12833-5
Pictorials
- Christian Kracht, Eva Munz, Lukas Nikol, "The Ministry Of Truth. Kim Jong Ils North Korea", Feral House, Oct 2007, 132 pages, 88 color photographs, ISBN 978-932595-27-7
External links
Government-sponsored sources
- Official Presence of the DPR Korea including the Korean Friendship Association
- Naenara - ("My country") DPRK's Official Web Portal run by Korea Computer Company
- The Korean Central News Agency The DPRK's news service - hosted in Japan
- The Constitution of the DPRK
- North Korea International Documentation Project - Documents on North Korea
News sources
- KCNA - Korean Central News Agency, the official news agency of the DPRK
- BBC News - "Country Profile: North Korea"
- Pyongyang Watch, an archive of Asia Times articles
- Another Korea - Background stories on North Korea
- Daily NK - North Korea focused daily online newspaper
Documentaries
- Welcome to North Korea 53 min video Documentary from TV14 directed by Raymond Feddema and Peter Tetteroo dating from Chuch'e 89 (2000)
- Kim's Nuclear Gamble - PBS Frontline Documentary (Video & Transcript)
- Seoul Train Documentary on North Koreans Trying to escape via China 2004
- The Hermit Kingdom Dan Rather 60 Minutes 02/06
- A State of Mind Documentary by the BBC following two young North Korean gymnasts training for the mass games (2004)
- National Geographic: Explorer Documentary by National Geographic about an eye doctor from Nepal who goes to North Korea to operate on cataract patients (also has undercover footage of North Korea in general)
- [1] "Children of the Secret State". Channel 4. Hard Cash 2000
Human rights links
- [2] ' A report on human rights and prisons in N. Korea.
- Liberty in North Korea: Advocate for human rights, political and religious freedom, and humanitarian aid for North Korea
Weblogs
- One Free Korea: Updated daily; focusing on human rights, political, economic, and military issues, often with Google-Earth tours of North Korea's most secret places
- DPRK Studies: Current analysis, commentary, and news on North Korea’s security, social, and political issues; North Korean Studies
- NK Zone: Includes a variety of perspectives, with a greater focus on cultural and economic issues
- RU NK: Focusing primarily on human rights issues, by a member of Liberty in North Korea
- North Korean Economy Watch: Clearing house of informaiton on economic and cultural issues
- News of North Korea: news about North Korean refugees and the situation inside of the country
Photo logs
- North Korea Uncovered, (North Korea Google Earth) a Google Earth map of North Korea's major cities including most cultural, economic and military infrastructure.
- Visitor account of North Korea
- North Korea - photos from TripAdvisor.ru
- Artemii Lebedev's photographs of North Korea with commentary
- BBC News - In pictures: Unseen North Korea
- Pictures from North Korea
- 36 everyday photographs of North Korea by Reinhard Krause of Reuters
Reunification
- Kim Il Sung: 10 Point programme for reunification of the country
- "Korean Friendship Association" - Unification - recognized by DPRK
- Ministry of Unification - South Korea
- International Liaison Committee for Reunification and Peace in Korea (CILRECO) - France
- "Korea is one" - Belgian-Korean Friendship Association
Miscellaneous
- "An American Tourist in North Korea, 2007".
- North Korea: A Reporter's Notebook — Luis Ramirez (Voice of America)
- "A Year in Pyongyang", by Andrew Holloway, 1988.
- Pyongyang Metro System Unofficial Web Site - Examining a suspected underground military installation
- "Beyond the 38th Parallel", by Matt Sparrow, 2001.
- Crisis Guide: The Korean Peninsula Council on Foreign Relations