:Korea, North Government
Long-form name:
Democratic People's Republic of Korea; abbreviated DPRK
Type:
Communist state; Stalinist dictatorship
Capital:
P'yongyang
Administrative divisions:
9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 3 special cities* (jikhalsi,
singular and plural); Chagang-do, Hamgyong-namdo, Hamgyong-bukto,
Hwanghae-namdo, Hwanghae-bukto, Kaesong-si*, Kangwon-do, Namp'o-si*,
P'yongan-bukto, P'yongan-namdo,P'yongyang-si*, Yanggang-do
Independence:
9 September 1948
Constitution:
adopted 1948, revised 27 December 1972
Legal system:
based on German civil law system with Japanese influences and Communist
legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Independence Day, 9 September (1948)
Executive branch:
president, two vice presidents, premier, eleven vice premiers, State
Administration Council (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme People's Assembly (Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui)
Judicial branch:
Central Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President KIM Il-song (national leader since 1945, formally President since
28 December 1972); designated Successor KIM Chong-il (son of President, born
16 February 1942)
Head of Government:
Premier YON Hyong-muk (since December 1988)
Political parties and leaders:
major party - Korean Workers' Party (KWP), KIM Il-song, general secretary,
and his son, KIM Chong-il, secretary, Central Committee; Korean Social
Democratic Party, YI Kye-paek, chairman; Chondoist Chongu Party, CHONG
Sin-hyok, chairman
Suffrage:
universal at age 17
Elections:
President:
last held 24 May 1990 (next to be held NA 1994); results - President KIM
Il-song was reelected without opposition
Supreme People's Assembly:
last held on 24 May 1990 (next to be held NA 1994); results - percent of
vote by party NA; seats - (687 total) the KWP approves a single list of
candidates who are elected without opposition; minor parties hold a few
seats
Communists:
KWP claims membership of about 3 million
Member of:
ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, IFAD, IMF (observer), IMO, IOC, ISO, ITU,
LORCS, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
none
:Korea, North Government
Flag:
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
:Korea, North Economy
Overview:
More than 90% of this command economy is socialized; agricultural land is
collectivized; and state-owned industry produces 95% of manufactured goods.
State control of economic affairs is unusually tight even for a Communist
country because of the small size and homogeneity of the society and the
strict rule of KIM Il-song and his son, KIM Chong-il. Economic growth during
the period 1984-89 averaged 2-3%, but output declined by 2-4% annually
during 1990-91, largely because of disruptions in economic relations with
the USSR. Abundant natural resources and hydropower form the basis of
industrial development. Output of the extractive industries includes coal,
iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals.
Manufacturing is centered on heavy industry, with light industry lagging far
behind. Despite the use of improved seed varieties, expansion of irrigation,
and the heavy use of fertilizers, North Korea has not yet become
self-sufficient in food production. Four consecutive years of poor harvests,
coupled with distribution problems, have led to chronic food shortages.
North Korea remains far behind South Korea in economic development and
living standards.
GNP:
purchasing power equivalent - $23.3 billion, per capita $1,100; real growth
rate -2% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%
Unemployment rate:
officially none
Budget:
revenues $17.3 billion; expenditures $17.7 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1990)
Exports:
$2.02 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
minerals, metallurgical products, agricultural products, manufactures
partners:
USSR, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, Singapore
Imports:
$2.62 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
commodities:
petroleum, machinery and equipment, coking coal, grain
partners:
USSR, Japan, China, Hong Kong, FRG, Singapore
External debt:
$7 billion (1991)
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%
Electricity:
7,140,000 kW capacity; 36,000 million kWh produced, 1,650 kWh per capita
(1991)
Industries:
machine building, military products, electric power, chemicals, mining,
metallurgy, textiles, food processing
Agriculture:
accounts for about 25% of GNP and 36% of work force; principal crops - rice,
corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; livestock and livestock products - cattle,
hogs, pork, eggs; not self-sufficient in grain; fish catch estimated at 1.7
million metric tons in 1987
Economic aid:
Communist countries, $1.4 billion a year in the 1980s
Currency:
North Korean won (plural - won); 1 North Korean won (Wn) = 100 chon
:Korea, North Economy
Exchange rates:
North Korean won (Wn) per US$1 - 2.13 (May 1992), 2.14 (September 1991), 2.1
(January 1990), 2.3 (December 1989), 2.13 (December 1988), 0.94 (March 1987)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Korea, North Communications
Railroads:
4,915 km total; 4,250 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 665 km 0.762-meter
narrow gauge; 159 km double track; 3,084 km electrified; government owned
(1989)
Highways:
about 30,000 km (1989); 98.5% gravel, crushed stone, or earth surface; 1.5%
paved
Inland waterways:
2,253 km; mostly navigable by small craft only
Pipelines:
crude oil 37 km
Ports:
Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam, Namp'o, Wonsan, Songnim, Najin, Sonbong (formerly
Unggi), Kim Chaek
Merchant marine:
78 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 543,033 GRT/804,507 DWT; includes 1
passenger, 1 short-sea passenger, 1 passenger-cargo, 67 cargo, 2 petroleum
tanker, 4 bulk, 1 combination bulk, 1 container
Airports:
55 total, 55 usable (est.); about 30 with permanent-surface runways; fewer
than 5 with runways over 3,659 m; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 30 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
broadcast stations - 18 AM, no FM, 11 TV; 200,000 TV sets; 3,500,000 radio
receivers; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station