Are you curious to learn some weird and wonderful facts about North Korea?
If so, excellent! You are in exactly the right place my friend…
It’s time to chat about North Korea facts.
Let’s dive right in…
Facts About North Korea
1 – North Korea is a country in East Asia with a population of 25.67 million.
2 – It borders China, Russia, and South Korea.
3 – North Korea was ruled by Kim Jong-Il from 1994 to 2011 when he took over after his father died. His son Kim Jong-un became Supreme Leader of North Korea after his father’s death in December 2011.
4 – The highest point in the country is Baekdu Mountain which measures 2,744 meters high.
5 – The capital of North Korea is Pyongyang and it has a population of 2.87 million.
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6 – There are strict restrictions on travel to and from North Korea for foreigners. It is illegal for foreigners to visit without being granted special permission from their government.
7 – There are no free media outlets in North Korea – all radio stations and newspapers are state controlled or owned by the party.
8 – The Korean Peninsula was divided into two separate states following World War II – North Korea and South Korea.
9 – North Korea’s economy is based off of state ownership and central planning.
10 – North Korea is a communist country.
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11 – North Korean soldiers are trained to be ready for war at all times and the government controls what its citizens see and know about the outside world.
12 – More than 70% of people living in North Korea are employed as farmers and fishermen; they rely on trade for food and other necessities from outside their country because so much farmland lies idle due to flooding or drought caused by climate change.
13 – Electricity in some parts of North Korea might only come on for an hour or two once a day and there are reports that power outages have been fatal to children who need medical equipment to survive.
14 – There are 24 million cell phones in use in North Korea but all the content on them can be monitored by the government. It’s a communist state with no free press or elections.
15 – The Korean Peninsula was occupied by Japan from 1910 to 1945 and divided into two countries after World War II.
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16 – North Korea’s economy was once thriving due to its export of goods such as coal, seafood, textiles and clothing but now it’s struggling because of international sanctions imposed on them for their nuclear weapons program.
17 – The capital city Pyongyang has many skyscrapers which were built during the 1970s when it had a booming economy under Kim Il Sung who wanted to demonstrate the power of communism in order to compete with South Korea.
18 – The average citizen earns about $1,000 a year and has no access to money or banks.
19 – The country’s leader Kim Jong-un was recently named “The Most Powerful Person on Earth” by Forbes magazine.
20 – There is a huge disparity between rich and poor – there are few middle class citizens.
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21 – North Korea is actually an atheist state because public religion isn’t encouraged. There are however small groups of Buddhists and Christians.
22 – Kim Jong Un has executed his uncle and half-brother to consolidate power.
23 – All media is controlled by the state.
24 – North Korea’s GDP per capita is $1,800 – this ranks it as one of the poorest countries on earth.
25 – Citizens are not allowed to leave their country without government authorization and must apply for an exit visa.
Bonus Facts
In 2016, North Koreans were able to watch their own soccer team compete for the first time ever at an Olympics game.
There are at least 6 military bases in North Korea that are still active today.
The government believes that capitalism and democracy will corrupt their society.
