Imports—partners: China 33%, Japan 17%, Russia 5%, South Korea
4%, Germany 3% (1995)
Debt—external: $12 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid—recipient: $NA; note?an estimated $200 million to $300 million in humanitarian aid from US, South Korea, Japan, and EU in 1997
Currency: 1 North Korean won (Wn) = 100 chon
Exchange rates: official: North Korean won (Wn) per US$1—2.15
(May 1994), 2.13 (May 1992), 2.14 (September 1991), 2.1 (January
1990), 2.3 (December 1989); market: North Korean won (Wn) per
US$1—200
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 1.4 million (1998 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: system is being expanded with installation of fiber-optic
cable nationwide; access traditionally reserved for official and
business subscribers; public access is expected to increase
international: satellite earth stations—1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
and 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean Region); other international
connections through Moscow and Beijing
Radio broadcast stations: AM 27, FM 14, shortwave 3