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Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea)

  • Capital City: Pyongyang
  • General Information Official Language: Korean
  • Currency: North Korean Won / (KPW)
  • Population (2024): 26.53 million (2024)

Political Overview

Government Type

Totalitarian, communist state, socialist state, dictatorship, one-party state

Key Leaders

  • Supreme Leader – Kim Jong Un
  • Premier – Kim Tok Hun

Political Stability Index

-0.4 (2022)

International Alliances

  • UN, ASEAN Regional Forum, CBD, G77, IMO, IPU, WHO

Economic Overview

GDP (Nominal)

$29.6 billion (2023)

GDP (PPP)

$300–375 billion (2023)

Key Industries

  • Manufacturing
  • Agriculture
  • Mining
  • Military & Defense

Top 5 Importers/Exporters

Top exports include Tungsten ore ($30.9 million), Refined petroleum ($27.3 million), Ferroalloys ($25.3 million), Electricity ($20.4 million)
Molybdenum ore ($13.7 million). Top export partners are, 2022, China (52.7%), Senegal (10.8%), Nigeria (5.6%), Poland ($9.58 million) and Netherlands ($7.8 million).

Top imports include from China (98.3% for soybean oil, rubber tires, and packaged medicaments in 2022). Soybean Oil ($48.8M), Rubber Tires ($44.3M), Packaged Medicaments ($41.3M), Light Rubberized Knitted Fabric ($34M), and Rice ($33.2M), importing mostly from China ($894M), Zimbabwe ($2.8M), Netherlands ($2.41M), India ($1.74M), and Colombia ($1.63M).

Social Indicators

Human Development Index

Not included

Literacy Rate

100%

Life Expectancy

73.5 years (2024)

Geopolitical Relevance

Strategic Location

Borders with China, Russia and South Korea. Yellow Sea, Sea of Japan and Korean Strait (key waterways access). Control of land routes (resource-rich Russian Far East and China’s northeastern provinces to South Korea and beyond)

Key Conflicts

Korean Peninsula conflict with South Korea (armistice agreement and DMZ), Tensions with the U.S., Japan and South Korea

Border Issues

With South Korea over DMZ, North Korean defectors occasionally attempting to flee through China,

Military Strength

2024, etimated with 1.3 million active personnel, 600,000 reservists and 5.7 million Worker/Peasant Red Guard reservists, among many unarmed units. No formal alliances for military, though cooperate with China and Russia for military purposes.

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