North Korean Exchange Rate (NKW/USD)

"Stumbed upon (lower case) this fascinating UNHCR chart of countries that have accepted refugees from North Korea. 23 countries have accepted at least one refugee — definitely an international problem."

"Say what you will about the death penalty, this is a pretty embarrassing list to be on.

Amnesty's 2010 Death Penalty Report named China as the top executor with thousands of executions. Iran came in second with 252 executions, followed by North Korea at 60, Yemen at 52, USA at 46, Saudi Arabia at 27, Libya at 18 and Syria at 17."

"Pyongyang’s precarious power transfer has narrowed China’s goals on the Korean Peninsula, experts here say, turning Beijing from a benefactor and adviser into a protector — concerned foremost with preventing collapse, not pushing for improvement."

"The nations with the largest numbers of active military personnel generally fall into one of two categories — either the populous and wealthy or the war-torn. China, the United States, and India top the list of the world’s largest militaries in absolute numbers, but Pakistan, Iran, and Vietnam all finish out the top 10. But when the figures are adjusted for the size of the nation’s civilian...

MSNBC offers a brief and humorous list of some of North Korea's infamous oddities.

"As NASA retreats from an ambitious human spaceflight program for the foreseeable future, foreign countries are moving ahead with their own multibillion-dollar plans to go to the moon, build space stations and even take the long voyage to Mars.

Although most of the world still lags far behind the United States in space technology and engineering know-how, other nations are engaging in a...

"N. Korea always has been a focus of the world news regarding human rights crisis. According to Amnesty International Publications 2010, N. Korea has dealt with a great famine since early 1990s which led up to one million people in death toll.

Lack of food and downfall of economy has been ongoing problem in N. Korea. World Health Organization (WHO) in 2006 reported that N. Korea is in...

"Secret American intelligence assessments have concluded that Iran has obtained a cache of advanced missiles, based on a Russian design, that are much more powerful than anything Washington has publicly conceded that Tehran has in its arsenal, diplomatic cables show.

Iran obtained 19 of the missiles from North Korea, according to a cable dated Feb. 24 of this year. The cable is a...

"Little is known about North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who died on Saturday at the age of 69. He rarely spoke in public, almost never traveled abroad and has an official biography that is steeped with propaganda, but lacking in concrete substance. Today’s double dose of graphics contain a factbox about North Korea, a timeline of of Kim Jong-il’s reign and a look at his changed appearance over...

"The death of Kim Jong-il provoked uncertainty, anxiety and calls for a peaceful succession on Monday as governments within the region and beyond awaited some signal from North Korea about its nuclear intentions and the prospects, if any, for a new relationship with the world beyond its borders."

"North Korea’s official media announced that Kim Jong-il, the country’s long-time leader, died on Saturday of 'physical and mental overwork.' Although Kim had several health problems, particularly after a stroke in August 2008, he had appeared vibrant in recent meetings. As such, the surprise development raises concerns about its impact on Pyongyang’s ongoing leadership transition, regime...

"The ability to visit a foreign country without the cost and hassle of obtaining a visa is a welcome bonus for any traveller. It is also a barometer of a country's international alliances and relations. A report released on August 25th by Henley & Partners, a consultancy, shows that Britons have the fewest visa restrictions of the 190-odd countries (and territories) for which data are...

"North Korea announced Friday that it is withdrawing from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, but does not intend to produce nuclear weapons, according to a statement from the official North Korean news agency KCNA.

In the United States, New Mexico's Gov. Bill Richardson on Friday prepared for a second round of talks with top diplomats from North Korea.

The statement from North...

"North Korea announced plans Friday to blast a satellite into space on the back of a long-range rocket, a provocative move that could jeopardize a weeks-old agreement with the U.S. exchanging food aid for nuclear concessions."

"North Korea's march to launch a rocket or missile in the next few days is being driven by what many analysts say is dictator Kim Jong Il's desire to reassert his power over North Korean society, a grip that has been weakened by his recent illness and the steady rise of market forces in the country.

The launch is expected to occur just before the country's rubber-stamp legislature meets...

"The death of Kim Jong Il opens a new and potentially dangerous period of transition and instability for North Korea and northeast Asia, while also bringing to a halt some progress in improving Pyongyang's relations with the U.S. and South Korea.

Mr. Kim died Saturday of a heart attack while on a train, North Korea's state media said. A television news announcer, dressed in black and...

"Thousands of North Koreans stood in the giant square in the middle of Pyongyang on Thursday morning to pay final tribute to dictator Kim Jong Il, as leaders of his government formally proclaimed his son as the country's next 'supreme leader.'

North Korean television showed the immense crowd as well as smaller gatherings in plazas in other parts of the city, where people listened to...

"North Korea conducted an underground nuclear explosive test on October 16, 2006. The estimated yield of the test was less than one kiloton.

In a roundtable discussion with the United States and China in Beijing on April 24, 2003, North Korean officials admitted for the first time that they possessed nuclear weapons. Furthermore, North Korean officials claim to have reprocessed spent...

"President Barack Obama declared Thursday that the United States will take an expanded role in shaping the Asian Pacific region, with an increased military presence one step of that policy.

'Our enduring interests in the region demand our enduring presence in this region,' Obama said in a speech to the Australian Parliament. 'The United States is a Pacific power, and we are here to stay...

"North Korea's new leader is depicted in U.S. intelligence assessments as a volatile youth with a sadistic streak who may be even more unpredictable than his late father, according to U.S. officials.

U.S. intelligence officials say they have limited information about Kim Jong Eun, the youngest son of Kim Jong Il and his anointed successor. The U.S. has had few direct contacts on which...

"As the 2012 State of the Union approaches, the public continues to give the highest priority to economic issues. Fully 86% say that strengthening the economy should be a top priority for the president and Congress this year, and 82% rate improving the job situation as a top priority. None of the other 20 issues tested in this annual survey rate as a top priority for more than 70% of Americans...

South Korea's president, Lee Myung-bak is struggling to lead his country through some difficult times. He is faced with the three-fold challenge of handling South Korea's domestic issues, dealing with the threat from North Korea, and figuring out America's role in the situation.

"While the Obama administration pursued a policy of 'strategic patience' toward North Korea during its first two years in office, Pyongyang continued to create 'facts on the ground.'

In this period and during the last years of the Bush administration as well, North Korea conducted nuclear weapons tests and flight tests of missiles. It built a uranium enrichment plant and is constructing...

"Relations between the United States and North Korea have seesawed for decades, with neither side fully trusting the carrots the other had offered. In recent years, Kim Jong Il played his one card — his nuclear program — to the hilt. He used it to extract badly needed energy and food assistance from the United States and other countries, all the while developing the program behind the scenes....

"In another double dose of graphics, today we look at the comparison between North and South Korea. This ... graphic looks at a number of key metrics like life expectancy, exports, and more. Notice just how far South Korea is ahead in some of the most basic functions of a country."

"Say what you will about the death penalty, this is a pretty embarrassing list to be on.

Amnesty's 2010 Death Penalty Report named China as the top executor with thousands of executions. Iran came in second with 252 executions, followed by North Korea at 60, Yemen at 52, USA at 46, Saudi Arabia at 27, Libya at 18 and Syria at 17."

"The North Korean economy was valued at 30,049 billion won (nominal GNI) for 2010, one thirty-ninth (2.6%) the size of the South Korean economy, and its per capita GNI stood at 1.242 million, approximately one nineteenth (5.3%) that of South Korea."

"When asked which country represents the greatest danger to the U.S., more Americans volunteer Iran (28%) than name any other country, though nearly as many (22%) name China. North Korea (8%), Iraq (7%) and Afghanistan (5%) are mentioned by smaller proportions of the public.

The percentage naming Iran has more than doubled since last January (from 12% then to 28% today); opinions today...

"The following graphic lists the ten most/least corrupt countries based on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2011. The Corruption Perception Index assigns countries and territories with scores between 0 (highly corrupt) and 10 (very clean). New Zealand tops the list as the least corrupt country, while North Korea and Somalia are all the way at the bottom."

"Figure 1 illustrates what appears to be North Korea’s policy cycle. It is apparent that the DPRK’s foreign relations and Pyongyang’s actions to become a recognized nuclear power have alternated between what appears to be movement toward denuclearization and a warming of foreign relations and actions that move toward nuclearization and a cooling of foreign relations. The one constant in this...

"The chart above shows another comparison of the economies of North and South Korea, based on data from Angus Maddison. Between 1950 and the early 1970s, real GDP per capita in South Korea was exactly the same as in North Korea. As South Korea implemented market reforms, its economy and output per person started consistently rising while economic conditions to the north stagnated. After forty...

"Little is known about North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who died on Saturday at the age of 69. He rarely spoke in public, almost never traveled abroad and has an official biography that is steeped with propaganda, but lacking in concrete substance. Today’s double dose of graphics contain a factbox about North Korea ... [and] a timeline of Kim Jong-il’s reign...."

"[This] graphic focuses solely on the military of each country and how they differ in size and strength. Although North Korea severely lacks in things like mobile phone subscribers, budget and roads, it’s military is nearly double the size of South Korea’s military."

"Formal Name: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK—Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk).

Short Form: North Korea (Chosŏn).

Term for Citizen(s): Korean(s).

Capital: P’yŏngyang.

Date of Independence: August 15, 1945, from Japan; Democratic People’s Republic of Korea founded September 9, 1948."

"The National Defense Commission constitutionally is the highest institution within the military establishment only, but in practice, under Kim Jong Il, the National Defense Commission has become the dominant decision-making body of the state (see fig. 10)."

"Railroad, highway, air, and water transportation all are used in North Korea. Railroads are the most important mode of transportation, linking all major cities and accounting for about 86 percent of freight and about 80 percent of passenger traffic. Roads, on the other hand, support only 12 percent of the freight-transporting capacity, and rivers and the sea, only 2 percent. Transportation by...

"Washington hasn't stipulated what types of sanctions North Korea might face in the wake of a missile launch, due to concerns it could cause Mr. Kim to unilaterally pull out of six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing the Korean peninsula.

But discussions have been taking place behind the scenes at the United Nations over the possibility of implementing a new round of sanctions on...

"North Korea was formed after WWII and the end of the Japanese occupation. It was split at the 28th parallel as part of a UN arrangement, to be administered by the US in the South ... and the the Soviet Union in the North since the two couldn’t agree on how to run it. Working with the Soviets, a Communist regime was set up.

Kim Il-Sung became leader in 1948. Shortly thereafter, he and...

"In principle, currency reforms are not a bad thing. Governments often use them to signal after a period of high inflation that the bad days are in the past and that the government will pursue more responsible macroeconomic policies in the future. Typically a government issues new currency with a number of decimal places or zeroes removed, often linking the nominal value of the new currency to...

North Korea’s real annual GDP decreased by 0.5% in 2010, marking a second consecutive year of contraction.

The negative growth was attributable mainly to sluggish agriculture, forestry & fishing production due largely to deteriorating weather conditions, and to the continued decline in manufacturing output centering around the light industries."

"A look at North Korea's industrial structure in 2010 shows a rise in the GDP share of mining & manufacturing led by mining and decreases in the shares of services, electricity, gas & water supply, and agriculture, forestry & fishing."

"North Korea’s population, estimated in July 2007 to be 23,301,725, is slightly less than half that of South Korea. The North’s 2007 estimated birthrate is 15.0 births per 1,000 and the death rate 7.2 per 1,000. The country is highly urbanized. Only about 40 percent of its citizens live in rural areas, a low percentage for a less-developed country and a reflection of the mountainous terrain...

"North Korea’s major natural resources include coal, copper, fluorspar, gold, graphite, iron ore, lead, magnesite, pyrites, salt, tungsten, and zinc (see fig. 6). The country also has uranium ore deposits, which often have been cited in the international crisis over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program that may include a uranium enrichment program in addition to its known plutonium...

Originally created in 1972 and 1973, these two maps demonstrate the land utilization of North and South Korea. The second chart shows that South Korea uses far more of its land for paddy crops than North Korea.

"A chart figure was made by the WHO, showing per capital total expenditure on health at average exchange rate (US$) in 2006. It shows as follows: Global 760, Timor-Leste 52, SE Asia 31, Nepal 17, Myanmar 5, North Korea 0.50. North Korea government’s fail to supply the people with sufficient amount of food, it has created a devastating result of malnutrition, and other related sicknesses...

"As indicated in Table 6, since 1991, the South Korean government has provided a total of $3,337.0 million in assistance to the DPRK. Of this, $2,221.99 million was humanitarian assistance (food aid, fertilizer, or assistance provided through non-governmental organizations). Total assistance reached a high of $635.43 million in 2007 but dropped to $159.36 million in 2008 as deliveries of food...

"Pie charts showing North Korean major trading partners for exports and imports; South Korea has banned all its trade with the North."

"A series of high-profile events in 2010 and 2011 highlighted the increasing and multifaceted threat of cyberattacks. These include the espionage hacks on Google and Western energy companies (WSJ), the Stuxnet (VanityFair) infiltration of Iranian nuclear sites, and the targeting of government networks in South Korea (BBC). U.S. cybersecurity policy continues to evolve to meet these challenges...

"North Korea’s real annual GDP decreased by 0.5% in 2010, marking a second consecutive year of contraction.

The negative growth was attributable mainly to sluggish agriculture, forestry & fishing production due largely to deteriorating weather conditions, and to the continued decline in manufacturing output centering around the light industries."

"The United States is in Asia to stay. The graphics that follow help to demonstrate why. A quick glance is enough to demonstrate the dynamism of the region. Asia is home to more than half the world’s population. Freedom and tyranny live side by side across the region, as do economic opportunity and poverty. East and South Asia have some of the best places in the world to do business, but they...

"This chronology provides information on selective instances of North Korean provocations between June 1950 and 2003. The purpose of this report is to place current provocations in the context of past actions in order to better judge their significance and to determine changes in trends. The term 'provocation' is defined to include: armed invasion, border violations, infiltration of armed...

"This article is aimed at analyzing, in a comparative perspective, the economic reforms undertaken by Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea) and Cuba since the demise of the Soviet bloc in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. ... The comparison seems pertinent inasmuch as both the DPRK and Cuba are relatively small countries that managed to survive the collapse of real...

"This essay reviews these three books against the backdrop of the questions raised above and makes two overarching arguments. First, North Korea is more 'normal' than often thought, and its domestic politics, economy, and society function in ways familiar to other countries. When viewed from the inside out, North Korea’s institutions, economic life, and people act in ways similar to those of...

"Charlie Rose and Erica Hill speak with Steve Kroft about a cyber attack that crippled the Iranian nuclear program for a time."

"U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks at The Heritage Foundation on June 18, 2008, about U.S. policy toward Asia."

This propaganda film celebrates the achievements, technological advancement and physical fitness of the North Korean army. It paints the United States as an imperialist aggressor against which North Korea has had to defend itself. The film also extols the role of the army in building and supporting socialism in the economic, social and cultural spheres in order to achieve "the people's...

"In 'Kim's Nuclear Gamble,' FRONTLINE traces the delicate maneuvers and clumsy turns that have brought the world to the brink of a nuclear showdown in East Asia. Through interviews with key insiders -- including former cabinet secretaries, U.S. ambassadors, diplomats, and negotiators -- the one-hour documentary examines the highly unstable relationship between America and North Korea and the...

"North Korea 'is one of the most staggering human-rights and humanitarian disasters in the world.' - Vaclav Havel

KIMJONGILIA, The Flower of Kim Jong Il, is the first film to fully expose the disaster through a tapestry of defectors' stories, North Korean propaganda, and original performance. This feature documentary shows why the defectors fled, describes their hair-raising escapes,...

"In an attempt to display his statesmanship potential, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney wades into deep foreign policy waters discussing Iraq, North Korea and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin."

This document from the State Department details some major facts on North Korea, including information on population, geography, and economics.

"Today North Korea said that it has conducted a nuclear test in violation of international law. It appears to also have attempted a short-range missile launch. These actions, while not a surprise given its statements and actions to date, are a matter of grave concern to all nations. North Korea's attempts to develop nuclear weapons, as well as its ballistic missile program, constitute a threat...

"The final thing, a subject that I want to open up personally before we go to the questions, is merely the Korean question.

I wrote a letter to Mr. Rhee in which I earnestly tried to express what is my understanding and, I believe, the American understanding of how we got into that war, what we were trying to achieve, where we are now, and what we are trying to do. In no case have we...

"At noon today I sent a message to the Congress about the situation in Korea. I want to talk to you tonight about that situation, and about what it means to the security of the United States and to our hopes for peace in the world.

Korea is a small country, thousands of miles away, but what is happening there is important to every American."

"Over the past 15 months the North Koreans have pursued a stepped-up campaign of violence against South Korean and the American troops in the area of the Demilitarized Zone.

Armed raider teams in very large numbers have been sent into South Korea to engage in sabotage and assassination."

"Speaker Chae, Vice Speaker Yun, Vice Speaker Koh, distinguished Members of the National Assembly, and honored guests:

I'm privileged to be among such friends. I stand in your Assembly as Presidents Eisenhower and Johnson have stood before me. And I reaffirm, as they did, America's support and friendship for the Republic of Korea and its people."

"The use of mandatory sanctions is intended to apply pressure on a State or entity to comply with the objectives set by the Security Council without resorting to the use of force. Sanctions thus offer the Security Council an important instrument to enforce its decisions. The universal character of the United Nations makes it an especially appropriate body to establish and monitor such measures...

Kim Jong-il lays out his unique ruling philosophy. He describes the superiority of the Korean people, while also clarifying "new philosophical principles centered on man," namely, "man is the master of everything and he decides everything."

"Richard A. Clarke warned America once before about the havoc terrorism would wreak on our national security -- and he was right. Now he warns us of another threat, silent but equally dangerous. Cyber War is a powerful book about technology, government, and military strategy; about criminals, spies, soldiers, and hackers. This is the first book about the war of the future -- cyber war -- and a...

"A remarkable view into North Korea, as seen through the lives of six ordinary citizens.
 
Nothing to Envy follows the lives of six North Koreans over fifteen years—a chaotic period that saw the death of Kim Il-sung, the unchallenged rise to power of his son Kim Jong-il, and the devastation of a far-ranging famine that killed one-fifth...

The Council on Foreign Relations offers a multimedia breakdown of North Korea's history and present challenges.

"The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST) is an independent nonprofit organization founded in 1986. Located in an historic Sears-style cottage at the State Department's George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center (NFATC) in Arlington, Virginia, ADST advances knowledge of American diplomacy and supports training of foreign affairs personnel at the NFATC's Foreign...