The constitutions of North Korea have been patterned after
those of other communist states. The constitutional framework
delineates a highly centralized governmental system and the
relationship between the people and the state. On December 27,
1972, the Fifth Supreme People's Assembly ratified a new
constitution to replace the first constitution, promulgated in
1948. Innovations of the 1972 constitution included the
establishment of the positions of president and vice presidents
and a super-cabinet called the Central People's Committee (CPC).
The 1972 constitution was revised in April 1992, and ratified by
the Sixth Supreme People's Assembly. The South Korean press
published unofficial translations of the document in late 1992.
The revised constitution has 171 articles and seven chapters
(twenty-two more and four less, respectively, than the 1972
constitution). Among the more significant changes are the
elevation of chuch'e at the expense of Marxism-Leninism,
the removal of references to the expulsion of foreign troops, and
the addition of articles encouraging joint ventures, guaranteeing
the "legitimate rights and interests of foreigners," and
establishing a framework for expanded ties with capitalist
countries. More important, the new constitution provides a legal
framework for the 1991 appointment of Kim Jong Il as supreme
commander of the armed forces by removing the military from the
command of the president and by placing the military under the
control of the National Defense Commission, of which he is
chairman.
The eighteen articles of Chapter 1 deal with politics.
Article 1 defines North Korea as an independent socialist state
representing the interests of all the Korean people. Article 15
states that the DPRK defends the democratic, national rights of
overseas Koreans and their legitimate rights under international
law. Sovereignty emanates from four expressly mentioned social
groups: workers, peasants, soldiers, and working intellectuals.
State organs are organized on and operate on the principle of
democratic centralism. In a change from the previous
constitution, attaining "the complete victory of socialism in the
northern half" was to be accomplished through the execution of
the three revolutions of ideology, technology and culture, while
struggling to realize unification of the fatherland by following
the principles of independence, peaceful unification, and grand
national unity. Previously socialism was to have been
accomplished by driving out foreign forces on a countrywide scale
and by reunifying the country peacefully on a democratic basis.
Other articles in this chapter refer to the mass line, the
Ch'ongsan-ni Method
(or Ch'ongsan-ri--see Glossary)
and spirit,
and the Three Revolution Team Movement. The constitution states
that foreign policy and foreign activities are based on the
principles of independence, peace, and friendship. Diplomatic,
political, economic, and cultural relations are to be established
with all friendly countries based on the principles of complete
equality, independence, mutual respect, noninterference in each
other's internal affairs, and mutual benefit.
In Chapter 2, economic affairs are codified. The constitution
declares that the means of production are owned by state and
cooperative organizations. The text reiterates that natural
resources, major factories and enterprises, harbors, banks, and
transportation and telecommunications establishments are state
owned and that land, draft animals, farm implements, fishing
boats, buildings, and small- and medium-sized factories and
enterprises may be owned by cooperative organizations. Article 24
defines personal property as that for personal use by the working
people for the purpose of consumption and derived from the
"socialist distribution according to work done and from
additional benefits received from the state and society."
Benefits derived from supplementary pursuits, such as the small
garden plots of collectivized farmers, are considered personal
property; such benefits are protected by the state as private
property and are guaranteed by law as a right of inheritance. The
planned, national economy is directed and managed through the
Taean Work System
(see Glossary;
Planning
, ch. 3).
Culture, education, and public health are covered in Chapter
3. Article 45 stipulates that the state develop a mandatory
eleven-year education system, including one year of preschool
education
(see Education
, ch. 2). Other articles state that
education is provided at no cost and that scholarships are
granted to students enrolled in colleges and professional
schools. Education in nurseries and kindergartens is also at the
state and society's expense. Article 56 notes that medical
service is universal and free
(see Public Health
, ch. 2). Medical
care and the right to education are also covered in Chapter 5
articles. Article 57 places environmental protection measures
before production; this emphasis is in line with the attention
given to preserving the natural environment and creating a
"cultural and sanitary" living and working environment by
preventing environmental pollution.
Chapter 5 extensively details the fundamental rights and
duties of citizens. Citizens over the age of seventeen may
exercise the right to vote and be elected to office regardless of
gender, race, occupation, length of residency, property status,
education, party affiliation, political views, and religion.
Citizens in the armed forces may vote or to be elected; insane
persons and those deprived by court decisions of the right to
vote do not have the right to vote and be elected. According to
Article 67, citizens have freedom of speech, publication,
assembly, demonstration, and association. Citizens also have the
right to work, and Article 70 stipulates that they work according
to their ability and are remunerated according to the quantity
and quality of work performed. Article 71 provides for a system
of working hours, holidays, paid leave, sanitoriums, and rest
homes funded by the state, as well as for cultural facilities.
Article 76 accords women equal social status and rights. Women
are also granted maternity leave and shortened working hours when
they have large families. Marriage and the family are protected
by the state.
Chapter 6, entitled "State Institutions," has eighty articles
and eight sections--more sections than any other chapter. The
chapter covers the Supreme People's Assembly, the president of
the DPRK, the National Defense Commission, the Central People's
Committee, the State Administration Council, the local people's
assemblies and people's committees, the local administrative and
economic committees, and the court and the procurator's office.
Chapter 7, which covers the national emblem, the flag, and
capital, describes the first two items, designates P'yongyang as
the capital, and names the national anthem. In a change from the
previous constitution, the 1992 revision mandates that "the
sacred mountain of the revolution"--Paektu-san--be added to the
national emblem. It is to stand above the existing symbols: a
hydroelectric power plant, the beaming light of a five-pointed
red star, ovally framed ears of rice bound with a red band, and
the inscription "Democratic People's Republic of Korea."
|
Background | | An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was occupied by Japan beginning in 1905 following the Russo-Japanese War. Five years later, Japan formally annexed the entire peninsula. Following World War II, Korea was split with the northern half coming under Soviet-sponsored Communist control. After failing in the Korean War (1950-53) to conquer the US-backed Republic of Korea (ROK) in the southern portion by force, North Korea (DPRK), under its founder President KIM Il Sung, adopted a policy of ostensible diplomatic and economic "self-reliance" as a check against outside influence. The DPRK demonized the US as the ultimate threat to its social system through state-funded propaganda, and molded political, economic, and military policies around the core ideological objective of eventual unification of Korea under Pyongyang's control. KIM's son, the current ruler KIM Jong Il, was officially designated as his father's successor in 1980, assuming a growing political and managerial role until the elder KIM's death in 1994. After decades of economic mismanagement and resource misallocation, the DPRK since the mid-1990s has relied heavily on international aid to feed its population. North Korea's history of regional military provocations, proliferation of military-related items, long-range missile development, WMD programs including nuclear weapons test in 2006 and 2009, and massive conventional armed forces are of major concern to the international community.
|
|
Location | | Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea
|
|
Area(sq km) | | total: 120,538 sq km
land: 120,408 sq km
water: 130 sq km
|
|
Geographic coordinates | | 40 00 N, 127 00 E
|
|
Land boundaries(km) | | total: 1,673 km
border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km
|
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Coastline(km) | | 2,495 km
|
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Climate | | temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
|
|
Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m
|
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Natural resources | | coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
|
|
Land use(%) | | arable land: 22.4%
permanent crops: 1.66%
other: 75.94% (2005)
|
|
Irrigated land(sq km) | | 14,600 sq km (2003)
|
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Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 77.1 cu km (1999)
|
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 9.02 cu km/yr (20%/25%/55%)
per capita: 401 cu m/yr (2000)
|
|
Natural hazards | | late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall
|
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Environment - current issues | | water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterborne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation
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Environment - international agreements | | party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
|
|
Geography - note | | strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated
|
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Population | | 22,665,345 (July 2009 est.)
|
|
Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 21.3% (male 2,440,439/female 2,376,557)
15-64 years: 69.4% (male 7,776,889/female 7,945,399)
65 years and over: 9.4% (male 820,504/female 1,305,557) (2009 est.)
|
|
Median age(years) | | total: 33.5 years
male: 32.1 years
female: 34.9 years (2009 est.)
|
|
Population growth rate(%) | | 0.42% (2009 est.)
|
|
Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 14.82 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
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Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 10.52 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
|
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Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | -0.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
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Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 63% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
|
|
Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
|
|
Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 51.34 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 58.64 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 43.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
|
|
Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 63.81 years
male: 61.23 years
female: 66.53 years (2009 est.)
|
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Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 1.96 children born/woman (2009 est.)
|
|
Nationality | | noun: Korean(s)
adjective: Korean
|
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Ethnic groups(%) | | racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese
|
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Religions(%) | | traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, 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
|
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Languages(%) | | Korean
|
|
Country name | | conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
conventional short form: North Korea
local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk
local short form: Choson
abbreviation: DPRK
|
|
Government type | | Communist state one-man dictatorship
|
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Capital | | name: Pyongyang
geographic coordinates: 39 01 N, 125 45 E
time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
|
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Administrative divisions | | 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 2 municipalities (si, singular and plural)
provinces: Chagang-do (Chagang), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong), Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae), Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae), Kangwon-do (Kangwon), P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan), Yanggang-do (Yanggang)
municipalities: Nason-si, P'yongyang-si
|
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Constitution | | adopted 1948; revised several times
|
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Legal system | | based on Prussian civil law system with Japanese influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
|
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Suffrage | | 17 years of age; universal
|
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Executive branch | | chief of state: KIM Jong Il (since July 1994); note - on 9 April 2009, rubberstamp Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) reelected KIM Jong Il chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded nation's "highest administrative authority"; SPA reelected KIM Yong Nam in 2009 president of its Presidium also with responsibility of representing state and receiving diplomatic credentials
head of government: Premier KIM Yong Il (since 11 April 2007); Vice Premier KWAK Pom Gi (since 5 September 1998), Vice Premier O Su Yong (since 13 April 2009), Vice Premier PAK Su Gil (since 18 September 2009), Vice Premier PAK Myong Su (since 4 September 2009), Vice Premier RO Tu Chol (since 3 September 2003)
cabinet: Naegak (cabinet) members, except for Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by SPA
elections: last held in September 2003; date of next election NA
election results: KIM Jong Il and KIM Yong Nam were only nominees for positions and ran unopposed
|
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Legislative branch | | unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 8 March 2009 (next due to be held in March 2014)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; ruling party approves a list of candidates who are elected without opposition; a token number of seats are reserved for minor parties
|
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Judicial branch | | Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly)
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Political pressure groups and leaders | | none
|
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International organization participation | | ARF, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
|
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Flag description | | 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
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Economy - overview | | North Korea, one of the world's most centrally directed and least open economies, faces chronic economic problems. Industrial capital stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of years of underinvestment and shortages of spare parts. Large-scale military spending draws off resources needed for investment and civilian consumption. Industrial and power output have declined in parallel from pre-1990 levels. Severe flooding in the summer of 2007 aggravated chronic food shortages caused by on-going systemic problems including a lack of arable land, collective farming practices, and persistent shortages of tractors and fuel. Large-scale international food aid deliveries have allowed the people of North Korea to escape widespread starvation since famine threatened in 1995, but the population continues to suffer from prolonged malnutrition and poor living conditions. Since 2002, the government has allowed private "farmers' markets" to begin selling a wider range of goods. It also permitted some private farming - on an experimental basis - in an effort to boost agricultural output. In October 2005, the government tried to reverse some of these policies by forbidding private sales of grains and reinstituting a centralized food rationing system. By December 2005, the government terminated most international humanitarian assistance operations in North Korea (calling instead for developmental assistance only) and restricted the activities of remaining international and non-governmental aid organizations such as the World Food Program. External food aid now comes primarily from China and South Korea in the form of grants and long-term concessional loans. In May 2008, the US agreed to give 500,000 metric tons of food to North Korea via the World Food Program and US nongovernmental organizations; Pyongyang began receiving these shipments in mid-2008. During the October 2007 summit, South Korea also agreed to develop some of North Korea's infrastructure, natural resources, and light industry, but inter-Korean economic cooperation slowed in 2008 as Pyongyang restricted tourism and manufacturing joint ventures in the North, and food aid from South Korea was suspended. Firm political control remains the Communist government's overriding concern, which will likely inhibit the loosening of economic regulations.
|
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GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $40 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
|
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GDP (official exchange rate) | | $26.2 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 3.7% (2008 est.)
|
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GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $1,800 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
|
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GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 23.3%
industry: 43.1%
services: 33.6% (2002 est.)
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Labor force | | 20 million
note: estimates vary widely (2004 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 37%
industry and services: 63% (2004 est.)
|
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Unemployment rate(%) | | NA%
|
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Population below poverty line(%) | | NA%
|
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Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
|
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Budget | | revenues: $2.88 billion
expenditures: $2.98 billion (2005)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | NA%
|
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Economic aid - recipient | | $372 million
note: approximately 65,000 metric tons in food aid through the World Food Program appeals in 2007, plus additional aid from bilateral donors and non-governmental organizations (2007 est.)
|
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Agriculture - products | | rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs
|
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Industries | | military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, limestone, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism
|
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Industrial production growth rate(%) | | NA%
|
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Exports | | $1.684 billion (2007)
|
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Exports - commodities(%) | | minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments), textiles, agricultural and fishery products
|
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Exports - partners(%) | | South Korea 45%, China 35%, India 5% (2007)
|
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Imports | | $3.055 billion (2007)
$2.879 billion (2006)
|
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Imports - commodities(%) | | petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment, textiles, grain
|
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Imports - partners(%) | | China 46%, South Korea 34%, Thailand 6%, Russia 4% (2007)
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Debt - external | | $12.5 billion (2001 est.)
|
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Exchange rates | | North Korean won (KPW) per US dollar - 140 (2007), 141 (2006), 170 (December 2004), market rate: North Korean won per US dollar - 3,400 (October 2008)
|
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Currency (code) | | North Korean won (KPW)
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Telephones - main lines in use | | 1.18 million (2008)
|
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Telephone system | | general assessment: inadequate system; currently mobile cellular telephone services are available in Pyongyang only
domestic: fiber-optic links installed between cities; telephone directories unavailable; mobile cellular service, initiated in 2002, suspended in 2004; Orascom Telecom, an Egyptian company, launched mobile service on December 15, 2008 for the Pyongyang area only
international: country code - 850; satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat - Indian Ocean, 1 Russian - Indian Ocean region); other international connections through Moscow and Beijing (2008)
|
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Internet country code | | .kp
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Airports | | 79 (2009)
|
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Pipelines(km) | | oil 154 km (2008)
|
|
Roadways(km) | | total: 25,554 km
paved: 724 km
unpaved: 24,830 km (2006)
|
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Ports and terminals | | Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin, Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan
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Military branches | | North Korean People's Army: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force; civil security forces (2005)
|
|
Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 17 years of age (2004)
|
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Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 6,225,747
females age 16-49: 6,188,270 (2008 est.)
|
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Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 4,104,964
females age 16-49: 4,492,374 (2009 est.)
|
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 191,759
female: 184,641 (2009 est.)
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Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | NA
|
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Disputes - international | | risking arrest, imprisonment, and deportation, tens of thousands of North Koreans cross into China to escape famine, economic privation, and political oppression; North Korea and China dispute the sovereignty of certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers; Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic incidents in the Yellow Sea with South Korea which claims the Northern Limiting Line as a maritime boundary; North Korea supports South Korea in rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima)
|
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Refugees and internally displaced persons | | IDPs: undetermined (flooding in mid-2007 and famine during mid-1990s) (2007)
|
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Trafficking in persons | | current situation: North Korea is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; the most common form of trafficking involves North Korean women and girls who cross the border into China voluntarily; additionally, North Korean women and girls are lured out of North Korea to escape poor social and economic conditions by the promise of food, jobs, and freedom, only to be forced into prostitution, marriage, or exploitative labor arrangements once in China
tier rating: Tier 3 - North Korea does not fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the government does not acknowledge the existence of human rights abuses in the country or recognize trafficking, either within the country or transnationally; North Korea has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
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Electricity - production(kWh) | | 20.9 billion kWh (2007 est.)
|
|
Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 29%
hydro: 71%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
|
|
Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 17.49 billion kWh (2007 est.)
|
|
Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
|
|
Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
|
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Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 120.7 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
|
Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 16,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
|
Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
|
|
Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 13,890 bbl/day (2007 est.)
|
|
Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 0 bbl
|
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Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008)
|
|
Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
|
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | NA
|
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | NA
|
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HIV/AIDS - deaths | | NA
|
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Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99%
|
|
Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | NA
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