Factbook dossier
Background
The first recorded kingdom (Choson) on the Korean Peninsula dates from approximately 2300 B.C. Over the subsequent centuries, three main kingdoms -- Kogoryo, Paekche, and Silla -- were established on the Peninsula. By the 5 th century A.D., Kogoryo emerged as the most powerful, with control over much of the Peninsula and part of Manchuria (modern-day northeast China). However, Silla allied with the Chinese to create the first unified Korean state in 688. Following the collapse of Silla in the 9 th century, Korea was unified under the Koryo (Goryeo; 918-1392) and the Chosen (Joseon; 1392-1910) dynasties. Korea became the object of intense imperialistic rivalry among the Chinese (its traditional benefactor), Japanese, and Russian empires in the latter half of the 19th and early 20 th centuries. After the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05), Korea was occupied by Imperial Japan. In 1910, Japan formally annexed the entire peninsula. After World War II, the northern half came under Soviet-sponsored communist control. In 1948, North Korea (formally known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea or DPRK) was founded under President KIM Il Sung, who consolidated power and cemented autocratic one-party rule under the Korean Worker's Party (KWP). North Korea failed to conquer UN-backed South Korea (formally the Republic of Korea or ROK) during the Korean War (1950-53), after which a demilitarized zone separated the two Koreas. KIM's authoritarian rule included tight control over North Korean citizens and the demonization of the US as the central threa…
Location
Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea
Area
total : 120,538 sq km land: 120,408 sq km water: 130 sq km
Natural resources
coal, iron ore, limestone, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, precious metals, hydropower
Natural hazards
late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall volcanism: P'aektu-san (2,744 m) (also known as Baitoushan, Baegdu, or Changbaishan), on the Chinese border, is considered historically active
Population
total: 26,402,841 (2025 est.) male: 12,884,269 female: 13,518,572
Ethnic groups
racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese
Languages
Korean major-language sample(s): 월드 팩트북, 필수적인 기본 정보 제공처 (Korean) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
traditionally Buddhist and Confucian, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way) note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom
Environmental issues
water pollution; inadequate potable water; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation
Government type
dictatorship, single-party communist state
Capital
name: Pyongyang geographic coordinates: 39 01 N, 125 45 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) time zone note: on 5 May 2018, North Korea reverted to UTC+9, the same time zone as South Korea etymology: the name translates as "flat land" in Korean
Executive branch
chief of state: State Affairs Commission President KIM Jong Un (since 17 December 2011) head of government: Supreme People's Assembly President CHOE Ryong Hae (since 11 April 2019) cabinet: Cabinet or Naegak members appointed by the Supreme People's Assembly, except the Minister of People's Armed Forces election/appointment process: chief of state and premier indirectly elected by the Supreme People's Assembly most recent election date: 11 April 2019 election results: 2019: KIM Jong Un reelected unopposed expected date of next election: March 2024 note 1: KIM Jong Un's titles include general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (KWP), chairman of the KWP Central Military Commission, president of the State Affairs Commission, and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army note 2: in the North Korean system, KIM Jong Un's role as chief of state is secondary to his role as general secretary of the Korean Workers' Party; chief of state is used to engage with non-communist countries such as the US; North Korea revised its constitution in 2019 to define "the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission" as "the supreme leader who represents the state"; functions as the commander-in-chief and chief executive; the specific titles associated with this office have changed multiple times under KIM's tenure, but KIM Jong Un has been supreme leader since his father's death in 2011 note 3: the head of government functions as the technical head of state and performs related duties, such as receiving ambassadors' credentials
Legislative branch
legislature name: Supreme People's Assembly (Choe Go In Min Hoe Ui) legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 687 (all directly elected) electoral system: plurality/majority scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 5 years most recent election date: 3/10/2019 percentage of women in chamber: 17.6% expected date of next election: December 2025 note: the SPA functions as a rubberstamp legislature; the Korean Workers' Party selects all candidates
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$15.416 billion (2023 est.) $14.959 billion (2022 est.) $14.982 billion (2021 est.) note: data in 2015 dollars
Real GDP per capita
$600 (2023 est.) $600 (2022 est.) $600 (2021 est.) note: data in 2015 dollars
Exports - partners
China 74%, Poland 3%, Senegal 3%, Angola 3%, Austria 3% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Imports - partners
China 97%, Togo 1%, Peru 1%, Gabon 1%, India 0% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Military and security forces
Korean People's Army (KPA): KPA Ground Forces, KPA Navy, KPA Air Force and Air Defense Forces, KPA Strategic Forces (missile forces), KPA Special Forces (special operations forces); Security Guard Command (aka Bodyguard Command); Military Security Command Ministry of Social Security (formerly Ministry of Public Security): Border Guard General Bureau, civil security forces; Ministry of State Security: internal security, investigations (2025) note 1 : Kim Jong Un is the KPA supreme commander, while operational control of the armed forces resides in the General Staff Department (GSD), which reports directly to Kim; the GSD maintains overall control of all military forces and is charged with turning Kim s directives into operational military orders; the Ministry of National Defense (MND) is responsible for administrative control of the military and external relations with foreign militaries note 2: the Security Guard Command protects the Kim family, other senior leadership figures, and government facilities note 4: the North also has a large paramilitary/militia force organized into the Worker Peasant Red Guard and Red Youth Guard; these organizations are present at all levels of government (province, county, ward) and are under the control of the Korean Workers' Party in peacetime, but revert to KPA control in crisis or war; they are often mobilized for domestic projects, such as road building and agricultural support
Military expenditures
defense spending is a regime priority; between 2010 and 2020, military expenditures accounted for an estimated 20-30% of North Korea's GDP annually; spending estimates ranged from $7 billion to $11 billion annually; in 2024, North Korea announced that it would spend nearly 16% of state expenditures on defense; North Korea in the 2010s and 2020s has increasingly relied on illicit activities including cybercrime to generate revenue for its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs to evade US and UN sanctions