KOREA, NORTH GEOGRAPHY Total area: 120,540 km2; land area: 120,410 km2 Comparative area: slightly smaller than Mississippi Land boundaries: 1,671 km total; China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, USSR 17 km Coastline: 2,495 km Maritime claims: Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm; Military boundary line: 50 nm in the Sea of Japan and the exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea (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 Land use: arable land 18%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 74%; other 7%; includes irrigated 9% 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 Population: 21,814,656 (July 1991), growth rate 1.9% (1991) Birth rate: 24 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 30 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 72 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 2.5 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Korean(s); adjective--Korean Ethnic divisions: racially homogeneous Religion: Buddhism and Confucianism; religious activities now almost nonexistent Language: Korean Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%) Labor force: 9,615,000; agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%; 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 Long-form name: Democratic People's Republic of Korea; abbreviated DPRK Type: Communist state; dictatorship Capital: P'yongyang 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 Independence: 9 September 1948 Constitution: adopted 1948, revised 27 December 1972 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 National holiday: Independence Day, 9 September (1948) Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, premier, eleven vice premiers, State Administration Council (cabinet) Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme People's Assembly (Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui) Judicial branch: Central Court Leaders: 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: major party--Korean Workers' Party (KWP), KIM Il-song, general secretary, and his son, KIM Chong-il, secretary, Central Committee; Korean Social Democratic Party, YI Kye-paek, chairman; Chondoist Chongu Party, CHONG Sin-hyok, chairman Suffrage: universal at age 17 Elections: President--last held 24 May 1990 (next to be held 1994); results--President KIM Il-song was reelected without opposition; Supreme People's Assembly--last held on 24 May 1990 (next to be held 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(687 total) the KWP approves a single list of candidates who are elected without opposition; minor parties hold a few seats Communists: KWP claims membership of about 3 million Member of: FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, IFAD, IMF (observer), IMO, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: none 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 Overview: 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 1984-90 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. Despite the use of high-yielding seed varieties, expansion of irrigation, and the heavy use of fertilizers, North Korea has not yet become self-sufficient in food production. Four consecutive years of poor harvests, coupled with distribution problems, have led to chronic food shortages. North Korea remains far behind South Korea in economic development and living standards. GNP: $29.7 billion, per capita $1,390; real growth rate 2% (1990 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA% Unemployment rate: officially none Budget: revenues $15.6 billion; expenditures $15.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989) Exports: $1.95 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--minerals, metallurgical products, agricultural products, manufactures; partners--USSR, China, Japan, Hong Kong, FRG, Singapore Imports: $2.85 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--petroleum, machinery and equipment, coking coal, grain; partners--USSR, Japan, China, Hong Kong, FRG, Singapore External debt: $7 billion (1991) Industrial production: growth rate NA% Electricity: 6,440,000 kW capacity; 40,250 million kWh produced, 1,890 kWh per capita (1990) 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 Economic aid: Communist countries, $1.4 billion a year in the 1980s Currency: North Korean won (plural--won); 1 North Korean won (Wn) = 100 chon Exchange rates: North Korean won (Wn) per US$1--2.2 (March 1991), 2.1 (January 1990), 2.3 (December 1989), 2.13 (December 1988), 0.94 (March 1987), NA (1986), NA (1985) Fiscal year: calendar year COMMUNICATIONS Railroads: 4,535 km total; 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 (1989) Highways: about 30,000 km (1989); 98.5% gravel, crushed stone, or earth surface; 1.5% concrete or bituminous Inland waterways: 2,253 km; mostly navigable by small craft only Pipelines: crude oil, 37 km Ports: Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam, Namp'o, Wonsan, Songnim, Najin, Sonbong Merchant marine: 68 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 465,801 GRT/709,442 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 1 short-sea passenger, 1 passenger-cargo, 58 cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 4 bulk, 1 combination bulk Airports: 55 total, 55 usable (est.); about 30 with permanent-surface runways; fewer than 5 with runways over 3,659 m; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 30 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: stations--18 AM, no FM, 11 TV; 200,000 TV sets; 3,500,000 radio receivers; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Korean People's Army (includes of the Army, Navy, Air Force), Civil Security Forces Manpower availability: males 15-49, 6,381,859; 3,899,606 fit for military service; 214,690 reach military age (18) annually Defense expenditures: $NA, 20-25% of GNP (1991 est.); note--the officially announced but suspect figure is $1.7 billion, 6% of GNP (1991 est.)