Korea, North (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)

Korea, North Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Status	Independent State
Capital	Pyongyang
Land Area	120 410km21
Location	Asia
Population	24.6m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	70.52yrs (2017)3
GNI
ISO3166-1 Codes	KP, PRK, 4084
Internet Domain	.kp5
Currency	Won (KPW)6
Telephone	+8507

1. Overview
2. Korea, North National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Politics and Freedom
5. Gender Equality
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. Public Health Issues
8. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
9. Links

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1. Overview

“An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was occupied by Japan beginning in 1905 following the Russo-Japanese War. Five years later, Japan formally annexed the entire peninsula. Following World War II, Korea was split with the northern half coming under Soviet-sponsored Communist control. After failing in the Korean War (1950-53) to conquer the US-backed Republic of Korea (ROK) in the southern portion by force, North Korea (DPRK), under its founder President KIM Il Sung, adopted a policy of ostensible diplomatic and economic "self-reliance" as a check against outside influence. The DPRK demonized the US as the ultimate threat to its social system through state-funded propaganda, and molded political, economic, and military policies around the core ideological objective of eventual unification of Korea under Pyongyang's control. 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. KIM Jong Un was publicly unveiled as his father's successor in September 2010. Following KIM Jong Il's death in December 2011, the regime began to take actions to transfer power to KIM Jong Un and KIM has now assumed many his father's former titles and duties. After decades of economic mismanagement and resource misallocation, the DPRK since the mid-1990s has relied heavily on international aid to feed its population. The DPRK began to ease restrictions to allow semi-private markets, starting in 2002, but then sought to roll back the scale of economic reforms in 2005 and 2009. North Korea's history of regional military provocations; proliferation of military-related items; long-range missile development; WMD programs including tests of nuclear devices in 2006, 2009, and 2013; and massive conventional armed forces are of major concern to the international community.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₈

“Most people form their opinions of North Korea from news reports and James Bond movies, but there´s more to the Democratic People´s Republic than military parades and stand-offs with the UN. No country in the world provokes a similar reaction to North Korea. Now on its third hereditary ruler, this nominally communist state and by-product of the Cold War has defied all expectation and survived a quarter of a century since perestroika dismantled the rest of the once-vast Soviet empire.

Most people don´t even know that it´s possible to travel here, and indeed the compromises required to do so are significant. You´ll be accompanied by two government minders at all times and only hear a one-sided account of history. Those who can´t accept this might be better off staying away - but those who can will have a fascinating trip into another, unsettling world.

With your official minders, you can roam mountain resorts and ancient capitals, though the main attractions remain the bombastic iconography of the North Korean regime and the surreal existence of ordinary people in this troubled, autocratic state.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₉

2. Korea, North National and Social Development

#human_development

Social & Moral Development Index10
Pos.		Higher is better Points10
1	Denmark	84.2
2	Sweden	83.7
3	Finland	83.5
	...
127	Puerto Rico	48.6
128	Micronesia	48.3
129	Saudi Arabia	48.3
130	Korea, N.	48.2
131	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	48.1
132	Dominica	47.8
133	Djibouti	47.8
134	Kiribati	47.5
	World Avg	54.1
q=198.

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

#demographics #health #immigration #Korea #life_expectancy #overpopulation #population

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10011
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
107	Brunei	16.2
108	El Salvador	17.3
109	Panama	17.7
110	Korea, N.	17.8
111	Turkey	18.0
112	Vietnam	18.3
113	Tunisia	18.6
114	Azerbaijan	18.7
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)12
Pos.		%12
1	Dominica	104.8
2	Palestine	68.4
3	Samoa	67.3
	...
166	Cameroon	1.4
167	Malawi	1.4
168	Congo, DR	1.3
169	Korea, N.	1.3
170	Thailand	1.2
171	UAE	1.2
172	Mongolia	1.2
173	Kenya	1.1
	World Avg	11.5
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013)13
Pos.		2.0 is best13
1	Korea, N.	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
6	Australia	1.96
7	Uruguay	2.05
8	Norway	1.95
9	Myanmar (Burma)	1.95
10	Indonesia	2.07
11	Sweden	1.93
12	Tunisia	1.93
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Immigrants (2010)12
Pos.		%12
1	Qatar	86.5
2	Monaco	71.6
3	UAE	70.0
	...
183	Colombia	0.2
184	Madagascar	0.2
185	Myanmar (Burma)	0.2
186	Korea, N.	0.2
187	Morocco	0.2
188	Cuba	0.1
189	Peru	0.1
190	Vietnam	0.1
	World Avg	9.2
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)14
Pos.		Higher is better Years14
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
111	Ukraine	71.13
112	Azerbaijan	70.90
113	Kyrgyzstan	70.79
114	Korea, N.	70.52
115	Trinidad & Tobago	70.52
116	Russia	70.26
117	Fiji	70.15
118	Belize	70.08
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)15
Pos.		The Overpopulation of the Earth15
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
46	Uzbekistan	28.1m
47	Yemen	25.6m
48	Ghana	25.5m
49	Korea, N.	24.6m
50	Mozambique	24.5m
51	Australia	22.9m
52	Madagascar	21.9m
53	Romania	21.4m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Korea, North's population is predicted to rise to 26.18 million by 2030. This rise is despite a low fertility rate, meaning, that this country is helping to alleviate problems with growing population in neighbouring countries by accepting immigrants, very likely as a requirement of maintaining an active workforce. This country has a fertility rate of 2.00. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

• The Overpopulation of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

4. Politics and Freedom

#burundi #corruption #eritrea #france #human_development #human_rights #indonesia #Korea #mass_media #peace #politics #slavery

Corruption (2012-2016)16
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score16
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
	...
169	Turkmenistan	18.2
170	Libya	16.8
171	Iraq	16.6
172	S. Sudan	13.8
173	Sudan	12.2
174	Afghanistan	10.8
175	Korea, N.	08.8
176	Somalia	08.4
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

Global Peace Index (2012)17
Pos.		Lower is better17
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
148	Pakistan	2.83
149	Israel	2.84
150	Central African Rep.	2.87
151	Korea, N.	2.93
152	Russia	2.94
153	Congo, DR	3.07
154	Iraq	3.19
155	Sudan	3.19
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009)18
Pos.		Higher is better Treaties18
1	Argentina	24
2	Chile	23
3	Costa Rica	23
	...
174	Somalia	8
175	Eritrea	8
176	Indonesia	7
177	Korea, N.	7
178	Sao Tome & Principe	7
179	Grenada	7
180	UAE	7
181	St Lucia	6
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

Press Freedom (2013)19
Pos.		Lower is better19
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
	...
171	Vietnam	7178
172	China	7307
173	Iran	7340
174	Somalia	7359
175	Syria	7853
176	Turkmenistan	7914
177	Korea, N.	8390
178	Eritrea	8483
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

Slavery (2018)20
Pos.		Lower is better % Victims20
1	Japan	0.03
2	Canada	0.05
3	Taiwan	0.05
	...
160	Pakistan	1.68
161	S. Sudan	2.05
162	Mauritania	2.14
163	Afghanistan	2.22
164	Central African Rep.	2.23
165	Burundi	4.00
166	Eritrea	9.30
167	Korea, N.	10.46
	World Avg	0.65
q=167.

The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory₂₁. Private households and national endeavours have frequently been augmented with the use of slaves. The Egyptian and Roman empires both thrived on them for both purposes. Aside from labourers they are often abused sexually by their owners and their owners' friends₂₂. The era of colonialism and the beginnings of globalisation changed nothing: the imprisonment and forced movements of labour continued to destroy many lives except that new justifications were invented based on Christian doctrine and the effort to convert non-Christians. By 1786 over 12 million slaves had been extracted from Africa and sent to colonial labour camps, with a truly atrocious condition of life₂₃. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves₂₄.

The abolition of the slave trade was a long and slow process. Until a relatively modern time, even philosophers, religious leaders and those concerned with ethics justified, or ignored, the problem of slavery₂₅. The first abolitionists were always the slaves themselves. Their protests and rebellions caused the industry to become too expensive to continue. After that, it was the economic costs of maintain slave colonies that led the British to reject and then oppose the slave trade globally. Finally, the enlightenment-era thinkers of France encouraged moral and ethical thinking including the declaration of the inherent value of human life and human dignity₂₆. A long-overdue wave of compassionate and conscientious movements swept across the West, eliminating public support for slavery, until the industries and churches that supported it had no choice but to back down.

'Modern slavery' includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones and the vulnerable.₂₇. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₂₀, Eritrea₂₀, Indonesia₂₈) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery₂₉.

Of the millions of North Koreans subject to slavery, the "clear majority" are being held in forced labour by the state itself₂₉ and the Walk Free Foundation say that when other countries purchase coal from North Korea, there is the "greatest concern" that it is produced via slave labour₃₀. The state enslaves people by withdrawing food rations from people if they don't do the work the state requires; sometimes (far too often) people prefer to be employed rather than unemployed, as being unemployed risks being sent to labour camps for up to 6 months at a time. And so, people find themselves in the absurd position of having to pay their company in order to be listed as an employee even if the (fake) companies they work for have no actual output. But as companies must have output, the employees are made to directly give produce to the company, in order to remain listed as 'employed' there₃₁.

“On paper I was a labourer but in reality I did not work as one. It was a place that raised pigs to support the People's Army and shock brigades. It was supposed to raise pigs. But no one actually raised pigs there. There was no space to raise pigs there and no feed for them either. Since the labourers cannot work, they are required to pay a certain amount of money instead. Every month the labourers must give 2kg of pork to the management office.”

Female Adult, Respondent No. 23
Quoted in "Global Slavery Index" by Walk Free Foundation (2018)₃₁

5. Gender Equality

#Korea #politics #women

Year Women Can Vote32
Pos.		Lower is better Year32
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
55	Indonesia	1945
56	Japan	1945
57	Togo	1945
58	Korea, N.	1946
59	Liberia	1946
60	Romania	1946
61	Panama	1946
62	Cameroon	1946
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

6. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₃₃:

Christian	2%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	1.5%
Folk Religion	12.3%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	71.3%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: 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 freedom₃₄.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems

7. Public Health Issues

#alcohol #health #Korea #parenting #population #smoking #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)35
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100035
1	Korea, N.	0.5
2	Korea, S.	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
4	Hong Kong	3.2
5	Slovenia	3.8
6	Singapore	3.8
7	Netherlands	4.0
8	Denmark	4.0
9	Japan	4.1
10	Cyprus	5.0
11	Sweden	5.7
12	Norway	5.9
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Alcohol Consumption (2010)36
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita36
1	Libya	0.1
2	Pakistan	0.1
3	Kuwait	0.1
	...
60	Congo, DR	3.6
61	Samoa	3.6
62	Sri Lanka	3.7
63	Korea, N.	3.7
64	Guatemala	3.8
65	Central African Rep.	3.8
66	Congo, (Brazzaville)	3.9
67	Honduras	4.0
	World Avg	6.2
q=191.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)37
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %37
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
82	Germany	94.0
83	Lithuania	93.9
84	Estonia	93.9
85	Korea, N.	93.8
86	Italy	93.8
87	Austria	93.8
88	Argentina	93.7
89	Bulgaria	93.7
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Smoking Rates (2014)38
Pos.		Lower is better38
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
94	Malaysia	584
95	Seychelles	590
96	Jamaica	593
97	Korea, N.	610
98	Fiji	618
99	Cambodia	645
100	Equatorial Guinea	649
101	Singapore	652
	World Avg	819
q=182.

8. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries

There isn't much information in the database for Korea, North, most likely because it is either a part of another country (i.e., a territory or posession) and therefore most international statistics are counted for the country as a whole, or, this is such an exotic place that little data exists about it.