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:
Choson
abbreviation:
DPRK
Government type:
Communist state one-man dictatorship
Capital:
name: Pyongyang
geographic coordinates:
39 01 N, 125 45 E
time difference:
UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 2 municipalities (si, singular and plural)
provinces:
Chagang-do (Chagang), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong), Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae), Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae), Kangwon-do (Kangwon), P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan), Yanggang-do (Yanggang)
municipalities:
Nason-si, P'yongyang-si
Independence:
15 August 1945 (from Japan)
National holiday:
Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948)
Constitution:
adopted 1948; revised several times
Legal system:
based on Prussian civil law system with Japanese influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
17 years of age; universal
Executive branch: Legislative branch: Judicial branch: Political parties and leaders: Political pressure groups and leaders: International organization participation: Diplomatic representation in the US: Diplomatic representation from the US: Flag description:
chief of state: KIM Jong Il (since July 1994); note - on 9 April 2009, rubberstamp Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) reelected KIM Jong Il chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded nation's "highest administrative authority"; SPA reelected KIM Yong Nam in 2009 president of its Presidium also with responsibility of representing state and receiving diplomatic credentials
head of government:
Premier KIM Yong Il (since 11 April 2007); Vice Premier KWAK Pom Gi (since 5 September 1998), Vice Premier O Su Yong (since 13 April 2009), Vice Premier PAK Su Gil (since 18 September 2009), Vice Premier PAK Myong Su (since 4 September 2009), Vice Premier RO Tu Chol (since 3 September 2003)
cabinet:
Naegak (cabinet) members, except for Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by SPA
(For more information visit the )
elections:
last held in September 2003; date of next election NA
election results:
KIM Jong Il and KIM Yong Nam were only nominees for positions and ran unopposed
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 8 March 2009 (next due to be held in March 2014)
election results:
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; ruling party approves a list of candidates who are elected without opposition; a token number of seats are reserved for minor parties
Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly)
major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Jong Il]; minor parties - Chondoist Chongu Party [RYU Mi Yong] (under KWP control), Social Democratic Party [KIM Yong Dae] (under KWP control)
none
ARF, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
none; North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York
none; note - Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang represents the US as consular protecting power
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