North Korea

a republic in NE Asia, on the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea: established in 1948 as a people's republic; mostly rugged and mountainous, with fertile lowlands in the west. Language: Korean. Currency: won. Capital: Pyongyang. Pop.: 22 776 000 (2004 est.). Area: 122 313 sq. km (47 225 sq. miles)

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

Korea, North

Official name: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Capital city: Pyongyang

Internet country code: .kp

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

Geographical description: Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea

Total area: 47,000 sq. mi. (120,410 sq. km.)

Climate: Temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer

Nationality: noun: Korean(s); adjective: Korean

Population: 23,301,725 (July 2007 CIA est.)

Ethnic groups: Korean; small ethnic Chinese and Japanese populations

Languages spoken: Korean

Religions: Buddhism, Confucianism, Shamanism, Chongdogyo, Christian; autonomous religious activities have

been virtually nonexistent since 1945

Legal Holidays:

Birthday of Kim Il-sung	Apr 15
Constitution Day	Dec 27
Founding of the People's Army	Apr 25
Founding of the Workers' Party	Oct 10
Kim Jong-il's Anniversary	Feb 16
Labor Day	May 1
Liberation Day	Aug 15
National Day	Sep 9
New Year's Day	Jan 1
Victory Day	Jul 27

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

The United States looks at North Korea and thinks in terms of non- proliferation; South Korea looks at North Korea and thinks in terms of preventing a war.

North Korea's nuclear game under scrutiny

* North Korea is to freeze ("shut down and seal") its nuclear installations at Yongbyon, including the operating five megawatt nuclear reactor and plutonium reprocessing plant.

North Korea's nuclear weapons development and diplomacy

He specifically cited North Korea, one of the axis members.

Bad dealings with North Korea

In 1950, North Korea, backed by the Communist regimes of the Soviet Union and China, invaded the South.

North Korea goes nuclear: an authoritarian, unpredictable regime now has the bomb. What are the implications for the U.S. and the world?

But there are areas where we must and are finding ways to cooperate North Korea, counterterrorism, global growth to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in the East Asia and around the world.

The Bush administration's second-term foreign policy toward East Asia

In 1995, floods cost North Korea US$15 billion in damages, and soil erosion nationwide the next year was estimated at 15 tons per hectare.

North Korean catastrophe

One of our key questions was why had North Korea remained standing when so many other totalitarian and Communist regimes had been swept into the pages of history?

Engaging with North Korea

At the same time, the South Korean press identified him as the man behind some of North Korea's most heinous acts, such as the bombing of the South Korean cabinet in Burma in 1983 and the blowing up of a South Korean passenger jet in 1987.

The peculiar pragmatism of Pyongyang

Then she will present those exaggerations as being true of all of North Korea. I can understand when the panelists criticize the leaders in North Korea, but I can't understand why they criticize everyday North Koreans.

NK refugees speak out on TV shows about them

Since the Korean War and throughout the post-Cold War period, North Korea has consistently promoted two policies: "route to economic independence" and "route to political and military autonomy and self-defense".

Future Outlook for the Korean Peninsula Situation

Private tourism is banned in North Korea, with sightseers restricted to state-run tours organized by the Korean Heritage International Travel Company.

North Korea opens tourist office in Taipei

Forty-six percent of Americans now describe North Korea as an enemy of the U.S., down from 58% in 2013.

Americans' Opinions of U.S.-North Korea Relations Less Negative