Facts and Figures

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), also known as North Korea, is located in the northern half of the Korean Peninsular between the Sea of Japan on the east coast and Korea Bay and the Yellow Sea on the west coast. 

DPRK shares a border with China in the north and a border with the Republic of Korea (ROK), also known as South Korea. The border between the DPRK and the ROK is a demilitarised zone and stretches 1,262 kilometres across the peninsular.

The DPRK is a relatively small country covering around 121,500 square kilometres. The terrain is largely mountainous (at 80% of the total area) and most agricultural land lies in the south west fertile plains. The country has been plagued by natural disasters brought about by severe winters, droughts and floods.

Administratively, the country is divided into nine provinces, three municipalities, 212 counties and then into smaller rural (“Ri”) and urban (“Dong”) areas.

People

In 2004 the DPRK's population was 22.4 million people with a growth rate of 0.4% per annum.  The overall population density is 188 people per square kilometre and more people live in urban areas (approximately 60%) than in rural areas. 

Approximately 2.8 million people live in the capital city of Pyongyang. Those living in or visiting the capital city must request a permit and travel anywhere within the DPRK is strictly restricted. Travel outside of the country is only permitted for officials and selected artists and performers.

The population is largely homogenous in ethnicity except for a very small Chinese minority (at less than 1% of the population). The three state recognised religions are Buddhism, Christianity and Chondogyo. Free education is provided to all children in the DPRK and is compulsory to primary level. A testament to this is the reported adult population literacy rate of 100%.  

Politics and History

For centuries, the Korean peninsular was united as one independent country and the population moved freely from north to south. In the early 1900s, Japan occupied the peninsular and annexed the country for 35 years until Japan was defeated in the Pacific War and expelled from Korea in 1945.

The allied victors then agreed to occupy separate halves of the peninsular; the USSR forces in the north and the United States forces in the south. The 38th parallel, stretching across the middle of the peninsular, was chosen as the border.  
 
Both the USSR and the US influenced and sponsored the new Korean governments on either side of the divide, aiming to install a Korean government sympathetic to their own ideology. In 1948, the USSR and the US withdrew their forces and the division of Korea was formalised.

The DPRK was founded in the north with the communist Korean Workers Party (KWP) forming government. The Republic of Korea (ROK) was founded in the south. Tension between the new nations grew as each government claimed sovereignty over the entire peninsular. 

Seeking to reunite Korea the DPRK invaded the ROK in 1950. The United Nations stepped in to support the ROK and China entered the war behind the DPRK. Over one million people were killed on either side and most significant buildings were destroyed, particularly in the north. 

The Korean War continued until an armistice in 1953 when the 38th parallel was declared a demilitarised zone.  Despite mutual commitments to reunite the peninsular and the Korean people, animosity still inhibits relations between the north and south today. 

In the decades following the Korean War, the government of the DPRK concentrated on rebuilding the country and consolidating political power. In 1955, the leader of the DPRK, Kim Il Sung, developed a new ideology as a result of his personal interpretation of Marxist-Leninism.  Known as 'Juche', it is based on the idea that the people are the collective owners of the country and that they can reach their full potential under the guidance and direction of their leader.

Juche promotes the principles of independence from foreign influence, economic self-reliance and self-defence of the nation. These principles were enshrined in the constitution in 1972 and continue to guide the DPRK government today.

Kim Il Sung led the government until his death in 1994.  After an 'official' three year mourning period, his son, Kim Jong Il, assumed leadership and remains the Head of State and Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army.

The DPRK is an independent socialist state with government still formed from the Korean Workers Party. Authority rests with the President and Cabinet and the President is elected by the Supreme People’s Assembly which consists of more than 680 members who are elected by popular vote from a KWP list of candidates.

Economy

The DPRK enjoyed strong economic growth in the decades after the Korean War. During this time, the government invested heavily in social infrastructure including health, education, water and sanitation. 

However, progress had stalled by the 1990s when the economy experienced a downturn and the country was affected by severe drought and famine. Further suffering was caused by international sanctions imposed against the DPRK in response to the government’s program to develop nuclear weapons and other miliary actions. As a consequence, the economy has continued to slide backwards from the heights of the 1980s.

The main economic activities in the DPRK are agriculture, heavy industry, mining, chemicals, electricity and the light industry, including textiles and food processing.

Over at least the past decade, the country has suffered extreme drought and it is estimated that around two million people have died from starvation. International food aid and other assistance has been provided to the DPRK, however the agreements between the DPRK and donor countries have been strained by concern over the DPRK Government's drive to maintain independence from foreign influence, its program to develop nuclear weapons and the country's poor human rights record. 

In 2002, the DPRK introduced economic reforms which represented the first move away from central planning since independence. Some of these reforms included changes to farmers markets in urban areas, which resulted in people having better access to fresh foods. The reforms also withdrew subsidies from state-owned enterprises and eliminated wage fixing.

Sources: Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Government of the United Kingdom, Human Development Report 2006, SBS World Guide, UNDP, World Health Organization

Population:  22.4 million
Life expectancy:  63.3
Infant mortality rate: 42 (per 1,000 births)
Percentage of population which is undernourished:  35%
Number of doctors: 329 (per 100,000 people)

The DPRK's health system is entirely government owned, inline with the Juche ideology of the country. Health care is free for everyone and services are distributed equitably across the country.

The DPRK has an extensive health infrastructure, including 800 general and specialised hospitals and a further 1,000 hospitals and 6,500 polyclinics in the smaller rural and urban administrative units.

The primary health care system is based on 'household doctors', who each provide health care services to up to 140 households. More serious health concerns are referred to higher levels of health care services. Health promotion is a priority area and as a result health education is included in the school curriculum.and each province has its own health education facility.

Despite the government’s efforts to develop and operate an effective system, the health of the population and the system itself has deteriorated significantly over the past decade. 

Problems with the supply of energy and clean water have led to rising health problems nation-wide, particularly during the cold winter months. Several communicable diseases are re-emerging, including malaria and tuberculosis and the country is increasingly reliant on large international donations of medical equipment and drugs. (

Life expectancy has fallen to just over 63 years in 2004 and the infant mortality rate has increased to 42 per 1,000 births in 2004.

A 1997 survey by the World Food Program (WFP) found that up to one third of children in the DPRK were suffering from some degree of malnutrition. A subsequent survey in 2002 by the WFP and UNICEF found that while malnutrition rates amongst children had improved since the initial survey, this improvement could easily be lost without continued international humanitarian assistance.

The DPRK's health infrastructure is deteriorating from a lack of investment as the government focuses on other areas of the flagging economy.  Funds for public transport have also been cut, resulting in severe access issues for people needing hospital treatment and, along with the poor training of medical personnel and a failure to update medical practices, the quality of care being provided has declined.

Collaborative planning between the World Health Organization and the DPRK Ministry of Health has identified the following national health priorities for 2004-2008:

• Control of communicable diseases, particularly malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS
• Control of non-communicable diseases, particularly tobacco related illnesses, cardio-vascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, mental health, blood screening and food safety
• Developing and improving the health system, including the availability of medicines and laboratories, updating technical skills of health personnel, medical training and improving the quality of primary health care
• Improving the coordination and efficiency of the public health system

Sources: DFAT, Human Development Report 2006, SBS World Guide, UNDP, UNICEF, World Health Organization