North Korea RPG

North Korea (DPRK) is a totalitarian state with a one-party system, a de facto hereditary dictatorship. The official ideology is based on the ideas of Juche (self-reliance) and Songun (the primacy of the military). All power is concentrated in the hands of the Workers' Party of Korea. Tight control over all aspects of society, ideological indoctrination of the population, and a closed country are maintained.

A country in East Asia, commonly known by its unofficial name, North Korea. Located in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, it shares land borders with the Republic of Korea to the south (the two countries are separated by a demilitarized zone), the People's Republic of China to the north, and the Russian Federation to the northeast. The country is bordered by the Yellow Sea to the west and the Sea of Japan to the east. It is divided into 13 administrative divisions: nine provinces, a directly administered city, and three special cities. The capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The official language is Korean.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is a monoethnic state, with Koreans making up approximately 99% of the population. The vast majority of the population is atheist. Major cities in the DPRK, excluding Pyongyang (3,702,757 residents)[31]:

Sinuiju (286,000); Kaesong (352,000); Nampo (467,000); Chongjin (330,000); Wonsan (340,000); Sariwon (161,000); Songnim (159,000); Hamhung (768,551); Haeju (227,000); Kanggye (208,000); Hyesan (110,000); Kimchaek (200,000).

State structure

The Supreme People's Assembly consists of 687 members elected by universal, equal, and direct suffrage by secret ballot for five-year terms (elections are uncontested; government candidates are officially declared to have received 100% of the vote).[54] Suffrage begins at age 17. The government is the cabinet of ministers (Nae-gak), whose members, with the exception of the Minister of the People's Army, are appointed by the Supreme People's Assembly. It was established by the 1948 Constitution, renamed the Administrative Council by the 1972 Constitution, and regained its previous name in 1998.

The Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers is Pak Thae-song.

The Cabinet of Ministers is obligated and authorized to direct the work of all committees, ministries, subordinate agencies, and local people's committees, to draft a national plan for economic development and take measures for its implementation, and to draft a national budget and take measures for its implementation. The Cabinet of Ministers takes measures to strengthen the monetary and banking system, concludes treaties with foreign states and is responsible for foreign relations, takes measures to maintain public order, protect the property and interests of the state and cooperative organizations and ensure the rights of citizens. The judicial system of the DPRK comprises the Central Court, provincial courts (of municipalities directly under the central government), people's courts, and special courts (Articles 147-162). Judicial bodies are elected on an elective basis: the president of the Central Court is elected by deputies to the Supreme People's Assembly for a five-year term, while judges and assessors of the Central Court are elected by the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (Article 110). The Central Court is accountable to the Supreme People's Assembly and the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly between sessions. Provincial courts (of municipalities directly under the central government) and people's courts (in cities, counties, or city districts) are accountable for their activities to the relevant people's assemblies.

Court hearings are open, with the accused guaranteed the right to defense, but court sessions may be closed to the extent established by law. Prosecutorial oversight is exercised by the Supreme Prosecutor's Office and provincial and county prosecutor's offices.

Kulture

The DPRK has a well-developed film industry, producing films in the spirit of "socialist realism with Korean characteristics." Animated films are also produced. It is claimed that North Korean animators often work for European and American studios.

Respect for leaders is not a formality, but a mandatory norm. In North Korea, the personality cult of leaders is not a symbol, but the foundation of political and cultural identity. Photographs of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il hang in public places, train stations, hotels, and even homes. Partially photographing or cropping their images is prohibited, much less making jokes about them.

North Korean society is built on the idea of collectivism. There is no individualistic approach to freedom or success in the DPRK, as in Western countries. The key is conformity, cohesion, and shared contribution. This is reflected in behavior, clothing, lifestyle, and even excursions.

People stick together in groups, their movements are coordinated, and discipline is felt even in their gestures. Attempts to stand out, speak loudly, or show excessive initiative are perceived as inappropriate behavior. An unspoken rule applies: be polite and follow the rhythm.

Almost everything related to interactions with tourists is strictly monitored. Routes are set, movement around the city is restricted, and accompanying guides monitor not only safety but also behavioral appropriateness. This is perceived not as a restriction, but as the norm.

North Koreans are genuinely proud of their country, its history, independence, and achievements. This is evident in conversations, tours, and the presentation of information. Even modest objects are accompanied by a strong ideological message.

Photography is not permitted everywhere in the DPRK. Permission is required not only for photographs of objects but also for photographs of people. Photographs of military personnel, construction sites, poor neighborhoods, or transportation hubs are strictly prohibited. Violating these rules may result in the deletion of photos or confiscation of equipment.

Raised voices, excessive gesticulation, sarcasm, or crude humor are unacceptable in the North Korean context. It is customary to speak softly, respectfully, and without undue emotional pressure. Even requests and refusals are made as neutrally as possible.

The DPRK carefully preserves elements of classical Korean culture, including folk instruments, dances, and ritual melodies. Many cities boast ensembles performing traditional music, and some tourist programs include live concerts featuring the traditional gayageum instrument. These performances are not shams, but a truly respected art form, mastered from childhood.

On the streets of Pyongyang, early in the morning, you can see employees or students performing synchronized exercises to music. This isn't mandatory, but a part of a lifestyle aimed at promoting health, discipline, and team spirit. Participation in such activities creates a remarkable sense of rhythm and community, especially for the observing tourist.

Despite the strict regime, festive events in North Korea are held with great emotional intensity. Spring and autumn festivals are accompanied by songs, street processions, folk dances, and colorful lanterns. The massive participation of schoolchildren, students, and workers is particularly impressive—it all feels both solemn and touching.

North Korea still adheres to Confucian principles in family relationships. Elderly family members are highly respected, and caring for parents and grandparents is not only a moral norm but also socially accepted behavior. This lends stability and a sense of continuity to society, particularly noticeable in everyday conversations and family scenes in art. While maintaining social distance and respecting the rules, Koreans demonstrate politeness, a willingness to help, an interest in foreigners, and even a light sense of humor.

Education

Since 1975, the DPRK has implemented a transition to universal compulsory 11-year education (including a one-year preschool)[59]. In higher and secondary specialized education, training in technical specialties predominates. The largest higher education institution in the DPRK is Kim Il Sung University. Education in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (Korean: 조선민주주의인민공화국의_교육) is a universal public education funded by the government of the DPRK. Education in the DPRK is free and compulsory. The literacy rate is very high—99%. Children receive one year of kindergarten, then attend four years of elementary school, then six years of middle school, after which they enter university. The most prestigious university in the DPRK is Kim Il Sung University. North Korea also has such renowned universities as Kim Chaek Polytechnic University, the University of Foreign Studies, which trains diplomats and trade officials in foreign language fluency, and Kim Hyong Jik University, which trains teachers.

Healthcare:

North Korea has a public health service and health insurance system. Healthcare expenditures account for approximately 3% of GDP. Since 1950, the country has placed significant emphasis on healthcare: between 1955 and 1986, the number of hospitals increased from 285 to 2,401, and the number of clinics from 1,020 to 5,644. There are also hospitals at factories and mines. Since 1979, greater emphasis has been placed on traditional Korean medicine, based on herbal treatments and acupuncture. Almost 100% of the population has access to water, but it is not always potable. Infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, and hepatitis are endemic in the country. The average life expectancy in the DPRK is 70.7 years, ranking 157th in the world according to CIA estimates in 2017.

Economy

The country's economy is mixed, with a high degree of government intervention.[67] A distinctive feature is its isolation from the rest of the world, and since the DPRK has not published any economic statistics since the early 1960s, all data on its economy are based on external expert assessments. The climate, landscape, and soil composition are not particularly favorable for farming, and the use of machinery on the terraces of North Korea's mountainous terrain is difficult. Only 17% of the territory is cultivated, two-thirds of which is irrigated. On average, there are 0.12 hectares of cultivated land per capita, which is three to four times less than in most European countries. Most cultivated land is located in the south and west of the country. The main branch of agriculture is crop production. Grains are grown—primarily corn and rice—as well as beans, soybeans, cotton, flax, tobacco, and ginseng plantations. Vegetable and melon growing are also common. Fruit growing in the DPRK includes apples, pears, peaches, and apricots.

Livestock farming: goat breeding, cattle, pigs, poultry. Sericulture. In 2023, livestock production totaled approximately 4 million goats, 570,000 head of cattle, 2.4 million pigs, 170,000 sheep, and 48,000 horses.

The fishing industry includes developed aquaculture and seafood production.

Large reserves of non-ferrous and alloy metal ores (copper, zinc, lead, nickel, tungsten, molybdenum, and others) are present. Non-ferrous metal exports are a major source of foreign exchange earnings. The modern electric power industry is based on the use of hydroelectric resources, estimated at approximately 10 million kW, and solid fuels in the form of anthracite and brown coal.

Army and Armed Forces:

At its inception, the DPRK's army numbered 1,280,000, making it the fifth-largest in the world after at least China, the United States, and India. This was despite a population of 25 million and economic stagnation. The reserves number approximately 5.6 million, 600,000 of whom are members of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Guard. Recruitment is by conscription. The branches of the armed forces are as follows: Ground Forces – approximately 1.1 million (including 88,000 special forces), Navy – 60,000, Air Force – 110,000. Paramilitary security forces, border guards, and public order agencies comprise an additional 189,000 personnel.

North Korea spends 27% of its national income on maintaining its military.

In the DPRK, there are no civilian construction organizations, and all construction in the country is carried out by military construction workers, who accordingly constitute a significant portion of the total army. On February 8, 2018, a parade and rally dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army took place at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, the capital of the DPRK, the day before the official opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in South Korea.[86]

Command and control of the armed forces and military construction is exercised by the State Council of the DPRK, headed by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Marshal of the DPRK Kim Jong-un. The Chairman of the State Council commands and directs all armed forces and is responsible for the country's defense as a whole.

North Korea has a compulsory military service, with citizens being conscripted upon reaching the age of 17.

The term of service for conscripts in the ground forces ranges from 5 to 12 years. The main units and formations of the ground forces are the army, corps, division, and brigade. The army has no permanent structure, but is deployed within army corps. The conscript's service term in the Air Force and Air Defense Forces is 3-4 years.

The conscript's service term in the Navy is 5-10 years.

Since the mid-1990s, North Korea has been almost completely self-sufficient in artillery, small arms, and certain types of weapons and military equipment.

The organizational structure of the armed forces as of 2018 was as follows. The ground forces are organized into 15 corps: 2 mechanized, 12 infantry, and the Pyongyang Defense Corps. These corps include one armored division, four mechanized divisions, 27 infantry divisions, 15 armored brigades, nine multiple rocket launcher brigades, 14 infantry brigades, one artillery division, and 21 artillery brigades. The Special Forces command 88,000 troops, distributed among six sniper brigades, nine light infantry brigades, eight separate special forces battalions, 17 separate reconnaissance battalions, three airborne brigades, one airborne battalion, two airborne sniper brigades, and two marine sniper brigades. The Ground Forces Reserve consists of 40 infantry divisions and 18 infantry brigades.

The Navy, headquartered in Pyongyang, is organizationally divided into two fleets. The East Sea Fleet (headquartered in Nagwon) and the West Sea Fleet (headquartered in Nampo). The former has nine naval bases, the latter ten.

The Korean People's Army Air Force comprises four commands (33 regiments), plus three independent battalions. Three of these commands are responsible for the northern, eastern, and southern defensive sectors, while the fourth—the training command—is responsible for the northeastern sector. The Air Force has 11 air bases, primarily in the border region with South Korea, and several in the border region with China.

The bulk of its forces are deployed along the heavily fortified demilitarized zone. The Korean People's Army is estimated to have approximately 3,500 main battle tanks, 560 light tanks, and 2,500 light infantry fighting vehicles. Armored personnel carriers and lightly armored vehicles, 3,500 towed artillery pieces, 4,400 self-propelled guns, 2,500 multiple launch rocket systems, 7,500 mortars, 24 surface-to-surface missile launchers, an unknown number of anti-tank guided missile launchers, 1,700 recoilless rifles, and approximately 11,000 anti-aircraft guns in the ground forces.

The navy consists of 92 submarines, 3 frigates, 6 corvettes, 43 missile boats and small missile ships, 158 patrol ships, 103 torpedo boats, 334 patrol boats, 10 landing ships, 2 coastal defense batteries, 130 hovercraft, 23 minesweepers, 1 floating base, 8 small craft, and 4 support vessels.

The Air Force consists of 80 bombers, 541 fighters and fighter-bombers, approximately 316 transport aircraft, 588 transport (multi-role) helicopters, 24 attack helicopters, 228 training aircraft, and at least one unmanned aerial vehicle.

The DPRK has military advisers in 12 African countries.

The country's military doctrine is based on active defense.

Political Relations:

As of 2013, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea maintains diplomatic relations with 161 UN member states and UN observer states. Thirty-one countries, including the United States and Japan, do not have diplomatic relations with it.

Major Friendly Countries and Areas of Cooperation: China: North Korea's main economic partner (approximately 90% of its foreign trade), political patron, and source of food and fuel. Russia: Close military relations, security cooperation, and developing cultural ties. Russia also provides humanitarian food aid. Traditional Allies: Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. Other Countries: North Korea maintains diplomatic relations with many countries, including several European countries (Sweden, Poland, Germany), through a network of embassies.

Media:

Over 30 newspapers and magazines are published in the DPRK (including those in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, and Chinese).

The main publications published in Pyongyang are:

Rodong Sinmun (Workers' Newspaper), since 1945, a daily newspaper and organ of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK); Keunnoja (Worker's Newspaper), since 1946, a monthly theoretical and political journal and organ of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK); Minju Chosun (Democratic Korea), since 1945, a daily newspaper; Tongil Sinbo (Unification News), since 1972, a newspaper; "Pyongyang Sinmun" (Pyongyang Newspaper), since 1946, a daily newspaper, the organ of the Pyongyang City Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and the City People's Committee (its daily English-language version, "The Pyongyang Times," since 1965, and also the French-language "Les Nouvelles de Pyongyang" have been published); "Rodong Chongnyeon" (Working Youth), since 1946, a daily newspaper, the organ of the Central Committee of the Kimilsung-Kimjongil Youth League. All published literature is subject to strict censorship.

Broadcasting

The Korean Central News Agency, founded in 1946, operates in the DPRK. Radio broadcasting within the DPRK is carried out by the Korean Central Broadcasting System. The DPRK has a powerful international broadcasting system, operated by the Voice of Korea radio station, the leading Broadcasts on short and medium wave, as well as via satellite, are available in eight foreign languages, including Russian. Within the DPRK, listening to foreign radio broadcasts is prohibited and punishable by imprisonment. Only radio receivers tuned to DPRK stations are officially permitted.

Television

DPRK television broadcasts four channels, including one cultural channel and the educational channel Ryonnamsan. Residents' television receivers are subject to mandatory registration, frequency settings are blocked, and controls are sealed. Several years ago, KCTV and Voice of Korea broadcasts (including Russian radio broadcasts) began broadcasting to Asia via the Thai satellite Thaicom.

According to Freedom House, North Korean television is constantly subject to propaganda, and journalists are punished for even the slightest errors.

Computer Networks

North Korea has its own top-level domain, .kp. Since July 2010, the official domain has been Pyongyang is actively active on YouTube and Twitter, which has led to another wave of censorship in South Korea.

In North Korea, internet cafes offer internet access (in 2007, the Ministry of Public Security ordered their temporary closure); internet access is currently denied to most North Koreans. Internet access is restricted to diplomatic facilities and certain foreign enterprises. However, tourists can connect.

The country operates a disconnected domestic network, called Kwangmyong, which is accessible via dial-up telephone lines and, since 2009, via mobile internet.

Citizens' Life:

North Korean Daily Routine:

The daily routine of North Koreans (DPRK) is characterized by strict discipline, early rising, and mandatory participation in social or work activities. Most of the population follows a state-imposed schedule, which includes work/study, ideological training, and an early bedtime.

Typical Daily Routine: Morning (6:00 - 8:00 AM): Early rise. Often begins with national anthems or propaganda broadcasts played over loudspeakers. Mandatory morning exercises. Work/School Day (8:00 AM/9:00 AM - 6:00 PM): Work begins strictly according to schedule. Residents are required to wear badges with images of leaders. Evening (after 6:00 PM): Participation in ideological meetings, political information sessions, or community service (e.g., street cleaning). Little free time. Leisure: Viewing state-approved television is limited. Sleep: Early bedtime due to early rising hours and power shortages in the evening.

North Korean citizens are not free to leave their country, and therefore information comes from refugees, defectors, and others who have fled the DPRK. Although this information is often subjective, based on the large number of refugee reports, several organizations have drawn conclusions about the general situation in the DPRK. The DPRK legal system is based on the principles of convergence of the Romano-Germanic and socialist legal systems.[21] The foundation of the DPRK legal system is the constitution, which has supreme legal force throughout the country. The DPRK Constitution guarantees citizens the following rights:

The right to protection – a citizen, regardless of their place of residence, is under the protection of the DPRK; Universal equal suffrage, as well as the right to be elected, regardless of gender, nationality, profession, residence, property status, level of education, political views, or religion. This right is guaranteed to all citizens over 17 years of age, except those convicted by a court of deprivation of voting rights. Right to work; Right to housing; Right to rest; Right to receive free medical care; Right to education; Freedom of scientific, literary, and artistic activity; Freedom to choose one's place of residence and travel; Equal rights for women and the protection of motherhood and childhood; Inviolability of the person, home, and privacy of correspondence. Furthermore, the DPRK Constitution guarantees the right of asylum for foreign citizens who strive for peace, democracy, national independence, and socialism, and for freedom of scientific and cultural activity, and who are persecuted in their countries. Torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, including as punishment, public executions, prolonged imprisonment, lack of due process and respect for the rule of law, death sentences for politically motivated crimes, the existence of numerous prison camps, and the widespread use of forced labor.

Punishments for DPRK citizens who have been abroad include consideration of their departure as treason, imprisonment, torture, cruel or degrading treatment, or the death penalty.

Severe and pervasive restrictions on freedom of thought, conscience, religion, expression, peaceful assembly and association, access to information, and restrictions on people wishing to move freely within the country or leave it.

Continuous violations of women's human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly in the areas of trafficking in women for prostitution or forced marriage, ethnically motivated abortions, including <...> the killing of children of repatriated mothers.

Foreigners are prohibited from visiting certain regions of the country, which, according to official statements from North Korean authorities, are considered strategically important. Every tour group is assigned at least two guides, independent travel is limited to the immediate vicinity of tourist sites, and contact with the local population is discouraged. However, in recent years, due to the general liberalization and easing of the regime, this oversight has become less intrusive.

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