PRK Timeline

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1. #1PRK History 1950selective

   Keys: 1950

   1950:

   • Preparations began for the fifth independence anniversary celebration in the capital, Seoul.
   • A bill was introduced to the National People's Representative Conference that would allow women to serve in the military and take up positions as combatants rather than restricting them to merely support roles. The bill passed and a new policy was implemented.
   • The Korean Women's Association released its latest survey on the status of gender equality in Korea, reporting an increase in female participation rates and a decrease in gender pay gaps. However, the survey also noted that discrimination and harassment still remain rampant and are particularly prevalent within the military and industrial sectors and drafted proposals to the Ministry of Women's Affairs to address the issue.
   • The Ministry of Culture launched an initiative to document and preserve all oral traditions and folklore currently present in Korea. This would include recording the stories told by elders, interviewing storytellers who have knowledge of the ancient traditions, and collecting any written records that might exist.
2. #2PRK History 1945selective

   Keys: Independence, Japan, 1945

   1945:

   • Korea declared independence from the Japanese Empire and the People's Republic of Korea was established on the 6th of September as the official nation-state of the Korean people.
   • A temporary provisional government was formed to administer local affairs in the country until the first national elections could be held in January of the next year.
   • The remaining Japanese were expelled from the country with the help of Allied forces.
   • Initial efforts were made to dismantle Japanese colonial structures and institutions built during the 40 years of occupation and begin rebuilding a new Korea.
   • The People's Committees were formed throughout the nation and local administrations were organized to help manage local affairs while the provisional government was forming the foundations for a national government.
   • The People's Republic of Korea signed treaties with the United States and the Soviet Union, pledging to maintain peaceful and amicable relations with both nations in exchange for recognition.
3. #3PRK History 1946selective

   1946: The first national elections were held in Korea, The Communist Party of Korea won a majority of delegate seats in the National People's Representative Conference and formed the first democratically-elected government in Korea's history in a coalition with the Korean Democratic Party and the Chondoist Chongu Party.

   • The new coalition government began implementing a process of land reform where land previously owned by Japanese colonizers and local landlords was confiscated by the state and redistributed to the peasantry.
   • Korea's first five-year plan began to be implemented under the supervision of the Ministry of Economy by the Committee of Economic Planning to help modernize the country's infrastructure and industrial basis along with reducing the reliance on foreign imports. The first of the elements included in the plan that began immediate implementation was a massive multi-year infrastructure project launched to rebuild the country, including a project to expand the national railroad network to meet the future logistical needs of the industrial expansion.
   • The PRK's constitution was finalized by the NPRC and ratified with a national referendum. The constitution established the basic structure of the Korean state as a constitutional unitary socialist republic along with lining out the duties of the state, the basic rights of all citizens, and the structure of the National People's Representative Conference (i.e. parliament)
   • The PRK began establishing the foundations for public welfare, providing various public services and benefits for its citizens such as a national public health service, subsidized housing, and a pension scheme for retirees. A new National School System and curriculum would also be gradually established in the coming years, providing free schooling at both a primary and secondary level along with subsidized higher education at the university level.
   • The draconian colonial-era tax code was abolished and replaced with a new progressive tax code.
   • The Korean Won began to be issued, replacing the old colonial period Korean Yen as the country's national currency.
   • The Ministry of Agriculture and the Committee of Economic Planning collaborated together to create the first comprehensive National Food Plan to regulate agricultural production and food distribution along with addressing issues of widespread malnutrition. This first plan would go on to form the basis for future food plans due to its overwhelming success.
4. #4PRK History 1947selective

   Keys: 1947

   1947:

   • A series of laws were passed by the National People's Representative Conference, including the Labor Standards Act, which guaranteed a standard work week and regulated worker safety. The national limit for working hours would be set to a maximum of 8 hours a day with further plans to bring it down to 6 hours later down the line.
   • A new law was introduced to act as a basis for the creation of a new legal code and criminal justice system for the country, criminalizing many of the outdated practices and actions that were historically acceptable during the country's feudal period, such as arranged marriages, concubinage, polygamy, marital rape, and domestic violence.
   • Campaigns to promote traditional Korean culture were launched, leading to the revival of many traditional forms of art and music suppressed during the occupation period.
   • The Korean Workers' Party was formed after a merger between the Communist Party of Korea and the Korean Labor Party, becoming the largest party in the country.
   • The PRK officially joined the UN as a full member state.
   • A bill was proposed by the Ministry of Health to legalize abortion. It was met with resistance by conservative elements within the government and some religious groups such as the catholic minority, but the bill eventually passed through a national referendum due to overwhelming support among the public.
5. #5PRK History 1948selective

   Keys: rural, Military, 1948

   1948:

   • As part of the five-year plan, the PRK began the process of reorganizing and expanding its military to fit the increasingly complex needs of national defense that the local militias left over from the transitionary period were no longer fit to fulfill on their own.
   • The PRK's Ministry of Women's Affairs began a campaign to promote and encourage women's education and participation in the workforce. This campaign was accompanied by the establishment of new publicly-run daycare facilities across the country where workers could take their preschool-age children.
   • The PRK began conducting a series of nationwide construction projects aimed at improving the rural areas of the country as part of the overall five-year economic plan. In practice, this came in the form of expanding public infrastructure and providing more public amenities in rural communities to bring their standard of living closer to if not on par with urban centers.
   • Following the death of Na Hye-sok, an influential writer, the head of the Korean Women's Association, and a major figure in Korean feminism, the NPRC approved a resolution to recognize her as one of the "greatest pioneers of modern Korea" and granted her a state funeral.
6. #6PRK History 1949selective

   Keys: 1949

   1949:

   • The first major diplomatic crisis with Japan occurred when the PRK requested reparations be made to victims of Japanese policies such as women forced into the Japanese army's system of "comfort women" or families whose children had been taken from them during the occupation period, only to be killed in the Japanese military's human experimentation. After the Japanese government refused to pay or even acknowledge any wrongdoings, the PRK cut off diplomatic relations and severed all trade links with Japan.
   • Korea's first official population census was conducted, reporting a total population of 27,288,481 people. Birthrates declined after the end of World War II after a brief spike following independence, but remained well above replacement level, averaging 3.66 children per woman during this time.
   • The PRK government began to establish official diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China following the latter's victory in the Chinese Civil War.
7. #7PRK Politicsselective

   Keys: Politics, organization, party

   The political landscape of the People's Republic of Korea is varied, and although there is a tendency for left-leaning and progressive parties to be dominant on both a local and national level, they are not the sole legal political entities within the country. The current list of registered parties includes:

   • The Korean Workers' Party
   • The Korean Democratic Party
   • The Chondoist Chongu Party
   • The Korean Fatherland Front
   • The Progressive Liberal Party
   • The Social Democratic Party of Korea Besides the parties, there are dozens of different non-governmental organizations ranging from trade unions to civil rights organizations and environmental protection groups, all operating within the framework established by the constitution and the laws of the state.
8. #8PRK Populationselective

   Keys: Population, census

   According to the latest population census conducted at the end of 1949 by the Ministry of Interior ahead of the independence anniversary next year, the total population of Korea was 27.3 Million. The population is mostly homogenous culturally and ethnicity-wise. The only distinctive minority group in the country that is native to the region is the Jeju Islanders.

9. #9PRK Foreign Relationsselective

   Keys: Foreign

   As a member of the United Nations, the People's Republic of Korea is currently enjoying a period of international stability despite the lurking danger of the ongoing Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States. Diplomatic relations between the PRK and most of the UN's member states are decent enough and they would like to keep it that way. The PRK has no major international disputes with any of its neighbors save for Japan, though there are tensions with the USA due to the way it handled the Tokyo War Crime Tribunal and the lack of serious convictions for many of the worst offenders. Relations with China and the USSR have cooled since the end of World War II, but they remain friendly and cordial, especially considering the close history they share and the fact that they are a part of a common trading bloc with Korea. Relations with Japan have been strained since the PRK cut off diplomatic ties with it in 1949 after it refused to acknowledge its war crimes or make reparations to the victims of those crimes. The PRK has also lodged formal complaints within the halls of the UN as a result of the military build-up that Japan has been engaged in since then, claiming that it represents a clear threat to regional security, that Japan's actions are destabilizing the balance of power in the region, and finally that such build-up violates Japan's own peace constitution which prohibits war and the maintenance of any armed formation beyond a token self-defense force.

10. #10PRK Economyselective

    Keys: Economy

    The economy of the People's Republic of Korea can be summed up in two words: economic planning. When the Constitution was still being written in 1946, discussions were already being had about what path the newly independent country should take in the structuring of its economy. A majority consensus eventually formed around the idea of an economic plan, but exactly what this plan should entail and how it would be executed was much more controversial. Some were pushing for an all-out command economy, similar to the USSR. Others were pushing for a mixed economy, with the state heavily controlling certain sectors while leaving others to the national market, which would be dominated by artels and worker co-operatives. The end result was somewhere in the middle: the economy was planned but the national plan was more of a looser set of guidelines and targets while the meat and bones would be the local plans and the decisions made by local committees in each region on how to best achieve the goals of the national plan. The national plan itself is based on the Five-Year Plan, which is the backbone of the country's economic development strategy. The plan is set forth by the Committee of Economic Planning and is drafted by the Council of Ministers, then submitted to the NPRC for approval. Once the plan is approved, it goes into effect. From this point on the only role the national government has is in observing and responding to the needs and demands of local planners, providing aid as necessary. This bottom-up structuring of the economy was designed to ensure that local needs and interests were always considered in the planning process and that there was a degree of flexibility built into the system to adapt to unexpected circumstances. In the present day, the last four years have seen the country reach its planned goals in many areas such as heavy industry, steel production, and coal production. Agriculture is beginning to make strides toward achieving the targets set for it as well. In some areas, however, the economy is lagging behind, mainly in the development of light industry and the growth of the manufacturing sector. It is hoped that the next Five-Year Plan will help close the gap and move the economy closer to the targets laid out by the first.

11. #11PRK Ministriesselective

    Keys: ministry

    The responsibilities of the state's governance are divided into more than a dozen different ministries, which are:

    • The Ministry of Economy, responsible for overseeing the country's economy and economic development, as well as the management of its resource stockpiles.
    • The Ministry of Agriculture, responsible for overseeing the agriculture industry and promoting the development of new farming methods and practices.
    • The Ministry of Land, Forestry, and Maritime Affairs, responsible for the management of the country's natural resources such as forests, mountains, and minerals.
    • The Ministry of Defense, responsible for managing the military, the organization and administration of the armed forces, and the defense of the nation.
    • The Ministry of Interior, responsible for managing the civil service and the administration of the local government.
    • The Ministry of Education, responsible for overseeing the establishment, maintenance, and promotion of the public education system in the country.
    • The Ministry of Health and Welfare, responsible for the health and welfare of all Koreans.
    • The Ministry of Justice, responsible for administering the country's legal system and courts.
    • Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responsible for the conduct of diplomatic relations and international affairs.
    • The Ministry of Information, responsible for overseeing the media and press freedoms in the country.
    • The Ministry of Culture, responsible for overseeing the cultural affairs and development of the arts in the country.
    • The Ministry of Labour, responsible for overseeing the working conditions of workers and ensuring their rights are protected.
    • The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, responsible for the development, management, and maintenance of public transportation, roads, bridges, tunnels, ports, railways, airspace, waterways, and shipping.
    • The Ministry of Energy, responsible for the management and oversight of energy policy, regulation, and research.
    • The Ministry of Women's Affairs, responsible for coordinating gender equality programs and initiatives.
    • The Central Bank, responsible for overseeing and regulating the monetary policy and currency of the country.

    Each ministry is headed by a minister appointed to the position directly by the premier and approved by the NPRC through a simple yes or no vote. The ministers have the authority to appoint other officials and personnel to help them carry out their responsibilities as they see fit, but these appointments can be rescinded or reassigned at the will of the minister in question or the NPRC. The ministry is then divided into several sub-agencies, which are all headed by a director who answers directly to the minister. The job of these sub-agencies is to oversee the operations of the individual departments or programs they are responsible for.

12. #12PRK State Structureselective

    Keys: committees, government, councils, people's councils, people's committees

    The People's Republic of Korea is a constitutional unitary socialist republic governed democratically through a network of people's committees (sometimes called people's councils) spread across the country. These committees scale from local village councils to ones based in regional capitals deciding on regional issues and all the way up to the national level where matters concerning all Koreans are debated upon. The committees also elect local delegates for day-to-day administering of local affairs every two years and national delegates for matters concerning the country as a whole every four years.

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