Who was the second leader? There are a number of nominal political parties and social organizations that serve to support the KWP. NAinvestment in inventories: (2014 est.) North Korea's economy is isolated and tightly controlled. The Great Successor. It has been described as a socialist state and a totalitarian dictatorship. )note: estimates vary widely, agriculture: 37%industry: 63% (2008 est. Like Cuba, North Korea has an almost entirely state-controlled economy, with similar. )exports: 0 kWh (2020 est. Because so little information is available concerning what actually occurs inside of the country, the extent to which there is any rule of law is uncertain. ), total subscriptions: 6 million (2021 est. )solar: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est. Experts say Kim Jong-un has deftly navigated his rise to power. She loves to sit with her Lola Linda on the rocking chair and watch the fire flies at night. The first constitution of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea was promulgated in 1948 and was replaced with a new constitution in 1972. A June 2018 Quartz article looks at North Koreas surprising economic indicators. I am sure that he will like it and he will be surprised. Class 12 Class 11 Class 10 Class 9 Class 8 Class 7 Class 6 Itseconomic activity [PDF] centers on mining and manufacturing, as well as agriculture, forestry, and fishing. Although there was speculation over his ability to maintain regime stability, he swiftly consolidated his power. The party exercises policy control through this process. It has been described as a socialist state and a totalitarian dictatorship. For media inquiries on this topic, please reach out to. Mother prepares nutritious foods for my snacks. )services: 29.9% (2017 est. All this, despite stringent international economic sanctions that have crippled formal trade and normal economic ties with dynamic regional actors such as China, Russia, and South Korea. North Korea is among the worlds poorest nations. He was succeeded by his son, Kim Jong-il, who served for seventeen years until a fatal heart attack in late 2011. )155.5 (2012 est. But the alliance forged in blood should now evolve to be powered by chips, batteries, and clean technology. ), widespread lack of access: due to low food consumption levels, poor dietary diversity, and economic downturn - a large portion of the population suffers from low levels of food consumption and very poor dietary diversity; the economic constraints, particularly resulting from the global impact of the COVID19 pandemic, have increased the populations vulnerability to food insecurity; the food gap is estimated at about 860,000 mt, equivalent to approximately 2-3 months of food use, if this gap is not adequately covered through commercial imports and/or food aid, households could experience a harsh lean period (2022), municipal: 900 million cubic meters (2020 est. Special cases may warrant the presence of three judges. The government is also confirmed by the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA). The Supreme Peoples Assembly is the legislative arm of North Koreas government. Elite families hold much of the countrys wealth and exert heavy influence over the economy. )from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est. Korea became the object of intense imperialistic rivalry between the Chinese (its traditional benefactor), Japanese, and Russian empires in the latter half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Following the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05), Korea was occupied by Imperial Japan. You left your pencil case in the school yesterday. )crude oil and lease condensate imports: 10,600 bbl/day (2018 est. North Korea, country in East Asia. ), total subscriptions: 1.2 million (2021 est. )imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est. ), watch components, fake hair, iron alloys, instructional models, tungsten (2019), $2.32 billion (2018 est. Under KIM Jong Il's reign, North Korea continued developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. In Japan, the fertility rate is 1.45; in South Korea, it's an even more dismal 0.98. These include proliferation of military-related items; long-range missile development; WMD programs including tests of nuclear devices in 2006, 2009, 2013, 2016, and 2017; and large conventional armed forces. ), urban population: 63.2% of total population (2023)rate of urbanization: 0.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est. One main category is the Centrally Planned Economy or Least Open Economy that is implemented in North Korea. Therefore, in theory, the WPK opposes accommodation and economic reform of any type. The 1998 amendments, made in the years following the death of Kim Il-Sungthe countrys leader from 1948 until his death in 1994were so extensive that a preamble was added to underline the continuity with the previous regime. Elections provide a means whereby assent is registered for the policies and programs of the party. Who was the first leader? [14], Members of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea are as follows:[citation needed], The Presidium of the SPA is as follows:[15], The chairman and vice-chairpersons of the Supreme People's Assembly are:[15], Some ministers of the Cabinet of North Korea are as follows:[15]. North Korea in 2020 remained one of the most repressive countries in the world. by Will Freeman )refined petroleum consumption: 20,300 bbl/day (2019 est. [9] Criminal penalties can be stiff; one of the basic functions of the system is to uphold the power of the regime. Government also controls all production and distribution. As I reminisce the past, I was surprised when I saw my friend named Rod. There is seldom more than one candidate on the ballot for each constituency, and the electoral system is completely controlled by the party. Although the WPK is (in theory) organizationally similar to communist parties, in practice it is far less institutionalized and informal politics plays a larger role than usual. New economic development plans in the 2010s failed to meet government-mandated goals for key industrial sectors, food production, or overall economic performance. You shared your meal with your family and you were proud that you were the one who caught the fish. In late 2017, KIM Jong Un declared the North's nuclear weapons development complete. ), improved: urban: 97.8% of populationrural: 89.1% of populationtotal: 94.5% of populationunimproved: urban: 2.2% of populationrural: 10.9% of populationtotal: 5.5% of population (2020 est. He reappeared in public in May, though the episode brought renewed attention to the countrys succession plans. )from petroleum and other liquids: 3.213 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est. The Chief of State also leads the Presidium of the Supreme Peoples Assembly. Every court in North Korea has the same composition as the Central Court. The South Korean government's estimate placed North Korea's GNP in 1991 at US$22.9 billion, or US$1,038 per capita. Experts say that in the event of Kims death or serious illness, the next leader would likely be a direct family member. The latest supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, appears to have deftly handled his early years at the top through reshuffling party and military structures and accelerating a buildup of nuclear and missile capabilities. )arable land: 19.5% (2018 est. Europe Program, What Northern Ireland Teaches Us About Ending the Ukraine War, Article What is his nickname (3)? The highest body of the WPK is formally the Congress, which last convened as the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in May 2016. I'm not sure but I'm not sure of that ), total: 17.4% (2020 est. KIM Il Sung's son, 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. )subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 5 (2021 est. EXO 1. pleasant 2. And simple predicate using conjunctions and, or, nor, Number 1 is done for you, Match the difficult words with the meaning from the box at the right. In 2018, KIM announced a pivot towards diplomacy, including a re-prioritization of economic development, a pause in missile testing beginning in late 2017, and a refrain from anti-US rhetoric starting in June 2018. The constitution stipulates that the SPA Presidium is the highest organ of power during the intervals between sessions of the SPA, although the Presidium remains accountable to the SPA. )imports: 22,000 metric tons (2020 est. )note: data are in 2015 US dollarsNorth Korea does not publish reliable National Income Accounts data; the data shown are derived from purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP estimates that were made by Angus MADDISON in a study conducted for the OECD; his figure for 1999 was extrapolated to 2015 using estimated real growth rates for North Korea's GDP and an inflation factor based on the US GDP deflator; the results were rounded to the nearest $10 billion. ), electrification - total population: 26% (2019)electrification - urban areas: 36% (2019)electrification - rural areas: 11% (2019), installed generating capacity: 8.413 million kW (2020 est. Then, you went home happily without any doubt in mind.. Renewing America, Backgrounder Following the collapse of Silla in the 9th century, Korea was unified under the Koryo (Goryeo; 918-1392) and the Chosen (Joseon; 1392-1910) dynasties. April 25, 2023 )permanent crops: 1.9% (2018 est. That position was held by Kim Jong Il, Kim Il-Sungs son, until his death in 2011 and by Kim Jong Ils successor, his son Kim Jong-Un. In contrast, South Korea posted US$237.9 billion of GNP and a per capita income of US$5,569 in 1991. )male: 34.8% (2020 est. How to Prepare for the Future After Seven Decades of the U.S.-South Korea Alliance, In Brief He has reinstated the party as the central hub to consolidate his power and bring elites to . [10], In June 2010, Kim Jong-il appointed his uncle (by marriage), Chang Sung-taek, as vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission, in a move seen as propping up his own position. Kim Jong-il. About eight-in-ten South Koreans (81%) said voting gives them some say about how the government runs things. Kim Jong-un attends a military parade in Pyongyang. North Korea has a command (centralized) economy. The Supreme Peoples Assembly is regarded as nothing more than a rubber stamp since decisions are drafted by the Workers Party of Korea and the Presidium. You are also agreeing to our. You rode on carabaos and climbed trees. Economists find it difficult to analyze the North . Alternate members of the Political Bureau, Control Commission of the Central Committee, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Local Administrative and Economic Committee, 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, "North Korea names Kim Jong-un army commander", "S.Korea Outranks U.S. in Democracy Index", "GlobaLex - Overview of the North Korean Legal System and Legal Research", "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices", "North Korea executes Kim Jong Un's uncle", "DPRK Constitution Text Released Following 2016 Amdendments", "N.Korea updates constitution expanding Kim Jong Un's position", "Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments: Korea, North - NDE", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Government_of_North_Korea&oldid=1152458530, Articles needing additional references from October 2013, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2021, Articles with Korean-language sources (ko), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. His disappearance for three weeks in April 2020 sparked rumors that he was seriously ill or had died after a botched cardiovascular procedure. Kim Jong-un. Kim Jong-nam, Kims half brother, was assassinated in February 2017 in Malaysia in an attack suspected to have been carried out by North Korea. )1.1% (2013 est. ), 11.4% (of GDP) (2007 est. Restrictions on these markets have eased over time, and in some circumstances market activity is even sanctioned without reprisal. ), general assessment: following years of isolationism and economic under-achievement, North Korea languishes near the bottom of the worlds telecom maturity index alongside Afghanistan and Turkmenistan (who also happen to be struggling under repressive political regimes); the obstacles to building a functioning telecom network are so numerous that a fixed-line segment barely exists; mobile communication is estimated to have eased up slightly to reach 19% in 2021, yet the high cost of ownership coupled with strict censorship makes mobile communications the exclusive domain of senior government officials and diplomats; for those citizens living close to China, it has been possible to obtain Chinese handsets and SIM cards, and to connect to towers (illegally) located just across the border; while this offers access to the outside world and at much lower prices than the state-controlled offerings, the risks are high including steep fines and the possibility of jail time; North Korea has been slightly more effective in building an IT sector and a nascent digital economy on the back of a concerted effort to grow a sizeable, well-trained IT workforce; but even here, its capabilities have been directed more towards nefarious activities such as cyber crime and hacking into Western countries computer systems; North Koreas determination to put itself offside with the rest of the world in pursuit of its ideology can only lead to tighter controls on communications inside and outside of the country (2022)domestic: fixed-lines are approximately 5 per 100 and mobile-cellular 23 per 100 persons (2021)international: country code - 850; satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat - Indian Ocean, 1 Russian - Indian Ocean region); other international connections through Moscow and Beijing, no independent media; radios and TVs are pre-tuned to government stations; 4 government-owned TV stations; the Korean Workers' Party owns and operates the Korean Central Broadcasting Station, and the state-run Voice of Korea operates an external broadcast service; the government prohibits listening to and jams foreign broadcasts (2019), number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020)inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 4annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 103,560 (2018)annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 250,000 (2018) mt-km, total: 39over 3,047 m: 32,438 to 3,047 m: 221,524 to 2,437 m: 8914 to 1,523 m: 2under 914 m: 4 (2021), total: 432,438 to 3,047 m: 31,524 to 2,437 m: 17914 to 1,523 m: 15under 914 m: 8 (2021), total: 7,435 km (2014)standard gauge: 7,435 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge (5,400 km electrified)note: figures are approximate; some narrow-gauge railway also exists, total: 25,554 km (2006)paved: 724 km (2006)unpaved: 24,830 km (2006), 2,250 km (2011) (most navigable only by small craft), total: 270by type: bulk carrier 9, container ship 5, general cargo 193, oil tanker 33, other 30 (2022), major seaport(s): Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam, Namp'o, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Wonsan, 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 (2023)note 1: North Korea employs a systematic and intentional overlap of powers and responsibilities among its multiple internal security organizations to prevent any potential subordinate consolidation of power and assure that each unit provided a check and balance on the other note 2: the Security Guard Command protects the Kim family, other senior leadership figures, and government facilitiesnote 3: 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, between 2010 and 2019, military expenditures accounted for an estimated 20-25% of North Korea's GDP annually; 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, information varies widely; estimated 1.15 million active troops (950,000 Army; 120,000 Air Force; 60,000 Navy; 10,000 Strategic Missile Forces); estimated 200,000 internal security forces (2022), the KPA is equipped with older weapon systems originally acquired from the former Soviet Union, Russia, and China, and some domestically produced equipment; North Korea produces a diverse array of military hardware, including small arms, munitions, light armored vehicles, tanks, naval vessels and submarines, and some advanced weapons systems, such as cruise and ballistic missiles; most are copies or upgrades of older foreign supplied equipment (2022)note: since 2006, the UN Security Council has passed nearly a dozen resolutions sanctioning North Korea for developing nuclear weapons and related activities, starting with Resolution 1718, which condemned the North's first nuclear test and placed sanctions on the supply of heavy weaponry (including tanks, armored combat vehicles, large calibre artillery, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, and missiles and missile launchers), missile technology and material, and select luxury goods; additional resolutions have expanded to include all arms, including small arms and light weapons; the US and other countries have also imposed unilateral sanctions, 17 years of age for compulsory military service for men and women; service obligation up to 10 years for men and 5-8 years for women (2023)note: the bulk of the KPA is made up of conscripts; as many as 20% of North Korean males between the ages of 16 and 54 are in the military at a given time and possibly up to 30 percent of males between the ages of 18 and 27, not counting the reserves or paramilitary units; women comprise about 20% of the military by some estimates, in addition to the invasion of South Korea and the subsequent Korean War (1950-53), North Korea from the 1960s to the 1980s launched a considerable number of limited military and subversive actions against South Korea using special forces and terrorist tactics; including aggressive skirmishes along the DMZ, overt attempts to assassinate South Korean leaders, kidnappings, the bombing of an airliner, and a failed effort in 1968 to foment an insurrection and conduct a guerrilla war in the South with more than 100 seaborne commandos; from the 1990s until 2010, the North lost two submarines and a semi-submersible boat attempting to insert infiltrators into the South (1996, 1998) and provoked several engagements in the Northwest Islands area along the disputed Northern Limit Line (NLL), including naval skirmishes between patrol boats in 1999 and 2002, the torpedoing and sinking of a South Korean Navy corvette in 2010, and the bombardment of a South Korean Marine Corps installation on Yeonpyeong Island, also in 2010; since 2010, further minor incidents continue to occur periodically along the DMZ, where both the KPA and the South Korean military maintain large numbers of troopsin 2018, North Korea and South Korea signed a tension reduction agreement known as the Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA), which established land, sea, and air buffer zones along the DMZ and the NLL; implementation of the CMA required the removal of some land mines and guard posts; the efforts led to a reduction of tension in the DMZ, but North Korea has failed to uphold much of its side of the agreementthe KPA was founded in 1948; 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 Kims directives into operational military orders; the Ministry of National Defense (MND) is responsible for administrative control of the military and external relations with foreign militariesNorth Koreas growing ballistic missile program includes close- (CRBM), short- (SRBM), medium- (MRBM), intermediate- (IRBM), and intercontinental- (ICBM) range ballistic missiles; the North received its first ballistic missiles, short-range FROGs (free rocket over ground), from the Soviet Union in the 1960s, but its modern ballistic missile program is generally thought to date back to the mid-1970s when it received a Soviet Scud-class missile, likely from Egypt; the North reverse-engineered the missile and developed an indigenously built version in 1984; it flight-tested its first Scud-based medium-range Nodong missile in 1990, and probably began development of the multi-stage Taepodong missiles around this time as well; the North revealed its first road-mobile ICBM in 2012 and conducted the first test of an ICBM-class system in 2017; it conducted additional ICBM tests in 2022 (2023), North Korea-China: 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, North Korea-Japan: North Korea supports South Korea in rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima), North Korea-South Korea: 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, tier rating: Tier 3 the government of North Korea does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the government did not demonstrate any efforts to address human trafficking; during this reporting period there was a government policy or pattern of human trafficking in prison camps, in labor training centers, in massed mobilizations of adults and children, and through forced labor by North Korean overseas workers; proceeds from state-sponsored forced labor funded government functions and illicit activities (2022)trafficking profile: human traffickersincluding government officialsexploit North Koreans at home and abroad; women and children are exploited in sex trafficking within North Korea; forced labor is part of an established system of political repression and a pillar of the economic system; children in prison camps are subject to forced labor for up to 12 hours per day; officials forcibly mobilize adults and school children to work in factories, agriculture, logging, mining, infrastructure work, information technology, and construction sectors; North Koreans sent to work abroad, including through bilateral agreements with foreign businesses or governments, face forced labor conditions; NGOs report overseas workers are managed as a matter of state policy; the government often appropriates and deposits worker salaries into government-controlled accounts; in 2017, the UN Security Council prohibited members from issuing or renewing work authorizations for North Koreans and, with limited exceptions, required repatriation; nonetheless, an estimated 20,000-100,000 North Koreans are working in China, primarily in restaurants and factories; North Korean women and girls lured by promises of jobs in China are forced into prostitution, marriage, or exploitative labor arrangements; many North Koreans continue to work or enter Russia, and some workers are reportedly working in African, Middle Eastern, an Southeast Asian countries (2022), at present there is insufficient information to determine the current level of involvement of government officials in the production or trafficking of illicit drugs, but for years, from the 1970s into the 2000s, citizens of North Korea , many of them diplomatic employees of the government, were apprehended abroad while trafficking in narcotics; police investigations in Taiwan, Japan and Australia during that period have linked North Korea to large illicit shipments of heroin and methamphetamine, total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030, Children under the age of 5 years underweight, School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education), International law organization participation, Household income or consumption by percentage share, Civil aircraft registration country code prefix, Military and security service personnel strengths, Military equipment inventories and acquisitions, Refugees and internally displaced persons, Center for the Study of Intelligence (CSI).