Einar H. Dyvik
Research expert covering Nordics and global data for society, economy, and politics
North Korea - statistics & facts
North Korea, officially named the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is widely recognized as one of the most isolated, repressive, and militarized countries in the world. It is situated in the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and was established in 1948 after the end of the Second World War. North Korea is one of the few remaining communist states and is ruled under a totalitarian dictatorship. Third-generation Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has held absolute authority over the one-party state since 2011. North Korea is currently facing one of its most severe economic crises and food shortages聽since the devastating famine of the 1990s. In recent years, inter-Korean relations聽have seen heightened tensions, with North Korea officially abandoning the country's long-standing goal of unification with South Korea in January 2024.聽
Despite officially acknowledging a severe food shortage, the North Korean regime has continued to allocate its limited resources to advance its nuclear and missile programs. An analysis by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in 2022 revealed that the regime had allocated a total of 1.1 billion to 1.6 billion U.S. dollars toward nuclear development since the 1970s 鈥 an amount that could have fed the entire country for four years.
Historical background
Korea had a long history of unity as a single, ethnically homogenous country until it was annexed by the Japanese Empire in 1910. After Japan's surrender in the Second World War, Korea gained independence on August 15, 1945. However, the country was immediately divided into two halves, with the United States occupying the southern region and the Soviet Union occupying the northern region of the peninsula. This division ultimately led to the establishment of two ideologically opposing Korean governments on each side of the 38th parallel. Just two years later, the Korean War聽broke out on June 25, 1950, when North Korean troops invaded South Korea. The war finally ended in 1953 with an armistice that established the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas. Technically, South Korea聽and North Korea are still at war.聽Economic development and nuclear weapons
North Korea has a command economy in which the government has total control over the production and distribution of goods. Following the collapse of the socialist economy in the early 1990s, North Korea has been plagued by chronic economic crises聽and devastating food shortages, which have been exacerbated by international sanctions and the recent COVID-19 pandemic. It is estimated that nearly 50 percent of the North Korean population was undernourished between 2016 and 2019. A survey conducted among North Korean defectors in South Korea revealed that more than 70 percent of them did not receive any food rations before leaving the country. Consequently, residents have increasingly relied on private economic activities such as commerce, small-scale farming, and smuggling. However, these activities became almost impossible after North Korea completely sealed its borders to China in 2020.Despite officially acknowledging a severe food shortage, the North Korean regime has continued to allocate its limited resources to advance its nuclear and missile programs. An analysis by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in 2022 revealed that the regime had allocated a total of 1.1 billion to 1.6 billion U.S. dollars toward nuclear development since the 1970s 鈥 an amount that could have fed the entire country for four years.
Inter-Korean relations
North Korea poses a significant security challenge to South Korea. However, South Korea also sees North Korea as a potential partner for cooperation and eventual unification. Since 2000, five inter-Korean summits have taken place, laying the groundwork for economic cooperation between the two Koreas. These include the Mount Kumgang tourism project, the inter-Korean railway project, and the establishment of the Kaesong Industrial Complex. However, due to a series of provocations from North Korea, all of these projects have been suspended. Most recently, the Kaesong Industrial Complex was shut down in February 2016 following North Korea's fourth nuclear test a month earlier. Since 2019, North Korea has consistently refused to engage in inter-Korean dialogue. In January 2024, Kim Jong Un officially abandoned the longstanding unification policy and defined South Korea as a 鈥減rincipal enemy.鈥 It remains to be seen how South Korea will react to escalated tensions and whether there is still a possibility for resuming dialogue, especially under the Lee Jae-myung adminsitration, which has pledged to pursue dialogue and cooperation with North Korea.
