.KR Domain Name - South Korea Domain Name .KR

Democratic People's Republic of Korea Location:
39°2'N, 125°45'E
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea, is an East Asian country situated on the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital is Pyongyang. Its northern border is shared mostly with China, although 18.3 km (11.4 miles) is shared with Russia along the Tumen River, in the far northeast corner of the country. To the south, it is bordered by South Korea, with which it formed one nation until the division following World War II.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea Geography:
North Korea is on the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula. North Korea shares land borders with China and Russia to the north, and with South Korea to the south. To its west are the Yellow Sea and Korea Bay, and to its east is the Sea of Japan. Japan lies east of the peninsula across the Sea of Japan.
The highest point in Korea is the Paektu-san at 2,744 meters (9,003 ft), and major rivers include the Tumen and the Yalu.[29]
The local climate is relatively temperate, with precipitation heavier in summer during a short rainy season called changma, and winters that can be bitterly cold on occasion.[30] North Korea's capital and largest city is P'yongyang; other major cities include Kaesong in the south, Sinuiju in the northwest, Wonsan and Hamhung in the east and Ch'ongjin in the northeast.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea People:
Population
- 2006 estimate 23,113,019f (48th)
- census n/a
- Density 190 /km² (55th)
492 /sq mi

Democratic People's Republic of Korea Government:
North Korea is officially described as a Juche (self-reliance) State. Government is organized as dictatorship. Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea, was the country's first and only president. He was not replaced, instead receiving the designation of "Eternal President", and rests in the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in central Pyongyang. The active position has been abolished in deference to the memory of Kim Il-sung.[10]
The de facto head of state is Kim Jong-il, who is Chairman of the National Defence Commission as well as the Eternal President's son. The legislature of North Korea is the Supreme People's Assembly, currently led by President Kim Yong-nam. The other senior government leader is Premier Kim Yong-il.
North Korea is a single-party state and well known as a Stalinist, authoritarian, and totalitarian regime. The governing party is the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland, a coalition made up of three smaller parties, the Workers Party of Korea, the Korean Social Democratic Party and the Chondoist Chongu Party. These parties nominate all candidates for office and hold all seats in the Supreme People's Assembly.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea Economy:
In the aftermath of the Korean War and throughout the 1960s and '70s, the country's state-controlled economy grew at a significant rate and, until the late 1970s, was considered to be stronger than that of the South. State-owned industry produces nearly all manufactured goods. The government focuses on heavy military industry, following Kim Jong-il's adoption of a "Military-First" policy to keep the economy alive following devastating losses in the agricultural industry. Following the adoption of this policy the country has reported a growth rate averaging between 1-2% each year.[31] Estimates of the North Korea economy cover a broad range, as the country does not release official figures and the secretive nature of the country makes outside estimation difficult. According to accepted estimates, North Korea spends $5 billion USD out of a Gross Domestic Product of $20.9 billion on the military, compared with South Korea's $15.49 billion out of a GDP of $852.74 billion.[32]
In the 1990s North Korea faced significant economic disruptions, including a series of natural disasters, economic mismanagement, serious fertilizer shortages, and the collapse of the Soviet bloc. These resulted in a shortfall of staple grain output of more than 1 million tons from what the country needs to meet internationally-accepted minimum dietary requirements. [4] The resulting famine killed between 600,000 and 3.5 million people in North Korea during the 1990s. [5] By 1999 foreign aid reduced the number of famine deaths, but North Korea's continuing nuclear program led to a decline in international food and development aid. In the spring of 2005, the World Food Program reported that famine conditions were in imminent danger of returning to North Korea, and the government was reported to have mobilized millions of city-dwellers to help rice farmers.[6] [7] Approximately 92% of 577,000 tons of food aid donated by China in 2005 was to North Korea, making up 49% of the food aid North Korea receives. South Korea was the second biggest donor to North Korea in 2005, contributing 36% on top of China's 49%. In spite of these donations over 22% of the population of North Korea is classified as malnourished and recent evidence suggests serious food shortages continue.[8]
North Korea has previously received international food and fuel aid from China, South Korea, and the United States in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program. In June 2005, the U.S. announced that it would give 50,000 metric tons of food aid to North Korea.[33] The United States gave North Korea 50,000 tons in 2004 and 100,000 tons in 2003. [9] On 19 September 2005, North Korea was promised food and fuel aid (among other things) from South Korea, the U.S., Japan, Russia, and China in exchange for abandoning its nuclear weapons program and rejoining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
In July 2002, North Korea started experimenting with capitalism in the Kaesong Industrial Region. [10] A small number of other areas have been designated as Special Administrative Regions, including Sinuiju along the China-North Korea border. China and South Korea are the biggest trade partners of North Korea, with trade with China increasing 38% to $1.02 billion in 2003, and trade with South Korea increasing 12% to $724 million in 2003 [11]. It is reported that the number of mobile phones in P'yongyang rose from only 3,000 in 2002 to approximately 20,000 during 2004.[12] As of June 2004, however, mobile phones became forbidden again.[13] A small amount of capitalistic elements are gradually spreading from the trial area, including a number of advertising billboards along certain highways. Recent visitors have reported that the number of open-air farmers' markets has increased in Kaesong, P'yongyang, as well as along the China-North Korea border, bypassing the food rationing system.
According to the Ministry of Unification of South Korea, the GDP grew by 6.2% in 1999, but only 1.3% in 2000, 3.2% in 2001, 1.2% in 2002 and 1.8% in 2003.[14]
In an event in 2003 dubbed the "Pong Su incident", a North Korean cargo ship allegedly attempting to smuggle heroin into Australia was seized by Australian officials, strengthening Australian and United States' suspicions that Pyongyang engages in international drug smuggling. The North Korean government denied any involvement.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_People%27s_Republic_of_Korea