Source: MAPS IN MINUTES™ © RH Publications (1997)

A north-east Asian country. Consisting of the northern half of the Korean peninsula, mostly above the 38th parallel, North Korea was formed from the zone occupied by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. It borders to the south with South Korea and to the north with the People’s Republic of China.

Physical

North Korea is largely mountainous with narrow valleys, extensive forests, and rivers which freeze in winter.

Economy

North Korea is rich in metal deposits such as iron ore, magnesite, phosphate, sulphur, zinc, and copper; these are major exports, together with metallurgical products, manufactures, and textiles. Agricultural products include rice, maize, potatoes, and soya beans. North Korea has a centrally planned economy, and its needs are subordinate to the political requirements of the ruling communist party. In the mid-1990s the economy suffered a dramatic collapse owing to the ending of preferential trading terms with the Soviet Union and China and severe floods that had a devastating effect on agriculture; malnutrition is widespread and mass starvation a constant threat.

History

The Democratic People’s Republic was proclaimed an independent state on 1 May 1948. Intent on reuniting Korea, North Korea launched a surprise attack on South Korea in June 1950, suffering considerable damage and loss of life in the following three years of the indecisive Korean War. After the war, the ruling communist party of Kim Il Sung (first President of North Korea) undertook a programme of reconstruction, using the country’s mineral and power resources to finance economic development. From the early 1980s, however, the economy was stagnant and then in decline. This was a factor in the decision in 1985 to hold a series of economic talks with South Korea. The result was a marked upturn in trade between the two countries ($25 million in 1990 to $192 million in 1991). Kim Il Sung was re-elected in 1990; he supported a policy of seeking ‘normalization’ with South Korea, but not of reunification. An economic agreement was signed in 1992. Tensions flared again in the later 1990s, over allegations that North Korea was building nuclear weapons and a series of incursions into South Korean territory. A mutual cooperation treaty between the two Koreas was signed in 2000. Kim Jong Il (1942–2011) succeeded his father as President in 1995. Since 2006 North Korea has successfully tested nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. In 2011, Kim Jong Il died and was succeeded by his youngest son, Kim Jong Un (c.1983– ). During his first years in power Kim stepped up his rhetoric against South Korea and the USA, and rejected international demands that he end his nuclear programme. This led to further sanctions from the international community. In April 2018, however, he became the first North Korean leader to visit the South, where he held talks with President Moon Jae-in. A declaration was issued in which the two leaders pledged to normalize relations between their countries and work towards the removal of nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula. This was followed in June by a summit meeting between Kim and President Trump – the first ever meeting between leaders of North Korea and the USA. Despite its symbolic importance, however, the meeting was followed by a diplomatic impasse and tensions began to rise once more.