Korea, North (2003)

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Korea, North 2003 year


Administrative divisions	9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4 special cities* (si, singular and plural); Chagang-do (Chagang Province), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong Province), Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong Province), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae Province), Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae Province), Kaesong-si* (Kaesong City), Kangwon-do (Kangwon Province), Najin Sonbong-si, Namp'o-si (Namp'o City), P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan Province), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan Province), P'yongyang-si* (Pyongyang City), Yanggang-do (Yanggang Province)
Age structure	0-14 years: 25% (male 2,845,727; female 2,763,800) 15-64 years: 67.8% (male 7,485,310; female 7,746,603) 65 years and over: 7.2% (male 541,155; female 1,083,886) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs
Airports	72 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 34 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 38 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 7 (2002)
Area	total: 120,540 sq km land: 120,410 sq km water: 130 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Mississippi
Background	Following World War II, Korea was split, with the northern half coming under Communist domination and the southern portion becoming Western-oriented. KIM Chong-il has ruled North Korea since his father and the country's founder, president KIM Il-song, died in 1994. After decades of mismanagement, the North relies heavily on international food aid to feed its population while continuing to expend resources to maintain an army of about 1 million. North Korea's long-range missile development and research into nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and massive conventional armed forces are of major concern to the international community. In December 2002, North Korea repudiated a 1994 agreement that shut down its nuclear reactors and expelled UN monitors, further raising fears it would produce nuclear weapons.
Birth rate	17.61 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Capital	Pyongyang
Climate	temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
Coastline	2,495 km
Constitution	adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992 and September 1998
Country name	conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea conventional short form: North Korea local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk local short form: none note: the North Koreans generally use the term "Choson" to refer to their country abbreviation: DPRK
Currency	North Korean won (KPW)
Death rate	6.93 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external	$12 billion (1996 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (Swedish Embassy in P'yongyang represents the US as consular protecting power)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none; note - North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York
Disputes - international	with China, certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers are in uncontested dispute; a section of boundary around Paektu-san (mountain) is indefinite; China objects to illegal migration of North Koreans into northern China; Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953
Economic aid - recipient	$NA; note - nearly $300 million in food aid alone from US, South Korea, Japan, and EU in 2001 plus much additional aid from the UN and non-governmental organizations
Economy - overview	North Korea, one of the world's most centrally planned and isolated economies, faces desperate economic conditions. Industrial capital stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of years of underinvestment and spare parts shortages. Industrial and power output have declined in parallel. The nation has suffered its tenth year of food shortages because of a lack of arable land; collective farming; weather-related problems, including major drought in 2000; and chronic shortages of fertilizer and fuel. Massive international food aid deliveries have allowed the regime to escape mass starvation since 1995-96, but the population remains the victim of prolonged malnutrition and deteriorating living conditions. Large-scale military spending eats up resources needed for investment and civilian consumption. Recently, the regime has placed emphasis on earning hard currency, developing information technology, addressing power shortages, and attracting foreign aid, but in no way at the expense of relinquishing central control over key national assets or undergoing widespread market-oriented reforms. In 2003, heightened political tensions with key donor countries and general donor fatigue have held down the flow of desperately needed food aid and have threatened fuel aid as well.
Electricity - consumption	27.91 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	30.01 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 29% hydro: 71% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m
Environment - current issues	water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; water-borne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation
Environment - international agreements	party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups	racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese
Exchange rates	official: North Korean won per US dollar - 150 (December 2002), 2.15 (December 2001), 2.15 (May 1994), 2.13 (May 1992), 2.14 (September 1991), 2.1 (January 1990); market: North Korean won per US dollar - 300-600 (December 2002), 200 (December 2001)
Executive branch	chief of state: KIM Chong-il (since NA July 1994); note - on 3 September 2003, KIM Chong-il was reelected Chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded the nation's "highest administrative authority"; KIM Yong-nam was reelected President of the Supreme People's Assembly Presidium and given the responsibility of representing the state and receiving diplomatic credentials head of government: Premier PAK Pong-chu (since 3 September 2003); Vice Premiers KWAK Pom-ki (since 5 September 1998), CHON Sung-hun (since 3 September 2003), NO Tu-chol (since 3 September 2003) cabinet: Cabinet (Naegak), members, except for the Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by the Supreme People's Assembly elections: premier elected by the Supreme People's Assembly; election last held NA September 1998 (next to be held NA) election results: HONG Song-nam elected premier; percent of Supreme People's Assembly vote - NA%
Exports	0 kWh (2001)
Exports	$842 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Exports	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments); textiles and fishery products
Exports - partners	China 23.5%, Japan 19.9%, Costa Rica 12.4%, Brazil 6.5% (2002)
Fiscal year	calendar year
Flag description	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
GDP	purchasing power parity - $22.26 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 30.4% industry: 32.3% services: 37.3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	40 00 N, 127 00 E
Geography - note	strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated
Highways	total: 31,200 km paved: 1,997 km unpaved: 29,203 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports	0 kWh (2001)
Imports	$1.314 billion c.i.f. (2001 est.)
Imports	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment; textiles, grain
Imports - partners	China 24.9%, Brazil 12.1%, India 9.2%, Thailand 9.2%, Germany 7.8%, Japan 7.1%, Singapore 4.5%, Qatar 4% (2002)
Independence	15 August 1945 (from Japan)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%
Industries	military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism
Infant mortality rate	total: 25.66 deaths/1,000 live births male: 27.45 deaths/1,000 live births female: 23.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	NA%
International organization participation	ARF (dialogue partner), ESCAP, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	1 (2000)
Irrigated land	14,600 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly)
Labor force	9.6 million
Labor force - by occupation	agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%
Land boundaries	total: 1,673 km border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km
Land use	arable land: 14.12% permanent crops: 2.49% other: 83.39% (1998 est.)
Languages	Korean
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
Legislative branch	unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 3 August 2003 (next to be held in August 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; the KWP approves a list of candidates who are elected without opposition; some seats are held by minor parties
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 70.79 years male: 68.1 years female: 73.61 years (2003 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write Korean total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99%
Location	Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea
Map references	Asia
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM note: military boundary line 50 NM in the Sea of Japan and the exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea where all foreign vessels and aircraft without permission are banned
Merchant marine	total: 149 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 881,276 GRT/1,309,547 DWT ships by type: bulk 8, cargo 120, combination bulk 2, container 1, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 8, refrigerated cargo 4, short-sea passenger 2 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 1, Greece 2, Pakistan 1, Singapore 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches	Korean People's Army (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), Civil Security Forces
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$5,217.4 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	33.9% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 6,103,615 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 3,654,223 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age	18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	males: 180,875 (2003 est.)
National holiday	Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948)
Nationality	noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean
Natural hazards	late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall
Natural resources	coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines	oil 136 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders	Chondoist Chongu Party [YU Mi-yong, chairwoman]; Social Democratic Party [KIM Yong-tae, chairman]; major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Chong-il, general secretary]
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA
Population	22,466,481 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%
Population growth rate	1.07% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin, Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan
Radio broadcast stations	AM 16, FM 14, shortwave 12 (1999)
Railways	total: 5,214 km standard gauge: 4,549 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) narrow gauge: 665 km 0.762-m gauge (2002)
Religions	traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way) note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage	17 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Russian (Indian Ocean region); other international connections through Moscow and Beijing
Telephones - main lines in use	1.1 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular	NA
Television broadcast stations	38 (1999)
Terrain	mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Total fertility rate	2.25 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate	NA%
Waterways	2,253 km note: mostly navigable by small craft only

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