1. The Democratic People’s Republic of Koreahttp://www.atlapedia.com/online/countries/korea_n.htm
2. Kim Jong-il is the Supreme Leader of The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. He was born on February 16, 1941. His father was Kim Il-sung founded the state. He graduated from college in 1964 and quickly rose through the ruling Korean Workers' Party (KWP). In 1992, his father publicly stated that his son was in charge of all internal affairs in the DPRK. Recently, Kim Jong-Il has been grooming his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, to be his successor. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Jong-il
3. The Americans and Soviet Union won WW II. They decided to split up Korea into the South and North Korea. The Soviet Union was to receive North Korea and the Americans got South Korea. North Korea invaded South Korea, to gain control over them. They did not think that America could stop them, but they did. The Soviet Union and America were unable to agree on implementation of the Joint Trusteeship over Korea and decided to give each Korea their own governments in 1984.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_North_Korea
4. http://www.theodora.com/maps/korea_north_map.html
5. To the north west of North Korea is China and to the south of it is South Korea. The bodies of water surrounding it are the Sea of Japan, Korean Bay, and the Yellow Sea.http://www.intute.ac.uk/worldguide/html/980_map.html
6. The 38th parallel is the name given to the line that demarcates North and South Korea. U.S. military planners chose this at the Potsdam Conference.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/592578/38th-parallel
7. The North Koreans hate the South Koreans. This hatred is what started the Korean war, which really truly is not over. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qWGjHuH42ZcZ_DlR8h7n-hox3HxuwtERUJK4o9v27QI/edit?hl=en#
8. North Korea, after the Korean war was over, had only half the population South Korea had but was lucky enough to have the most industrial and natural resources. It remained in the communist block and rebuilt itself, with their leader Kim Il-Sung. In the late 1960’s North Korea’s propaganda apparatus wove itself a personality cult around him. North Korea now is the most closed of countries in the world. Kim keeps the people of North Korea strictly under his rule, allowing them to believe what he wants them to believe. http://articles.cnn.com/2010-09-26/world/north.korea.explainer_1_north-korea-kim-il-sung
9. I could not find a specific reference to the U.N.’s position on North Korea’s relationship with South Korea. However, looking through some of the recent article on the U.N.’s News Centre on North Korea leads me to believe that they do not want to take sides on who is right or wrong, but want the North and South to work peacefully on resolving their differences.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusRel.asp?infocusID=69&Body=democratic+people&Body1=Korea
10. North Korea’s major city is Pyeongyang. http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/asia/north-korea/cities.htm
11. The North Korean army is the fourth largest in the world. They have and estimated 1.21 million armed personnel. North Korea has the highest of military personnel per capita with 1 enlisted soldier for every 25 citizens. Military expenditures account for 15.8% of the state budget and they operate a lot of heavy machinery such as tanks and jets. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea_north
12. It is the ultimate military weapon that North Korea can threaten South Korea and other countries with. Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s The North Korean government worked to establish its nuclear program. Also during this time they entered into agreements to stop making nuclear weapons. However, they never lived-up to those agreements and on October 9, 2006, they announced that they had conducted a nuclear test that was later confirmed. http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/dprk/nuke/index.html
13. China is the closest ally to North Korea. Even though China has recently implemented UN sanctions on North Korea they still provide a lot of economic support in order to maintain North Korea’s stability. Kim Jong-Il describes their relationship as “unbreakable.” http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2792.htm#foreign
14. North Korea is considered a closed state, which means they do not let people in, but they do not let people out either. It is also because North Korea has a Juche government, which has absolute control over its citizens telling them what they can and cannot do, or even what they can and can’t say.http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_cant_people_in_North_Korea_leave_North_Korea
15. North Korea has a record of consistent, severe human rights violations beginning with the country’s total control of the people. Reported human rights abuses include: lengthy imprisonment, torture and degrading treatment, forced labor, public execution, and many more severe punishments. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2792.htm
16. North Korea uses the press to politically control their people. They manipulate the news to always show the government in a positive light and that economic conditions, like crop failures and starvation, are always good. http://www.articlesbase.com/ethics-articles/north-korean-press-3853997.html
17. Elections in North Korea are mostly a formality because most candidates are handpicked by Kim Jung-Il and the ruling party. Officially, the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA), is the highest organ of state power. Its members are elected every 4 years. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/world/asia/09iht-north.1.20696199.htmland http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2792.htm#gov
18. North Korea and the United States’ relationship have been filled with continuous confrontation and mistrust since 1954. North Korea views the U.S. as the strongest imperialist force in the world and the U.S. views North Korea as an international outlaw. http://countrystudies.us/north-korea/68.htm
19. North Korea’s economy is one of the most centrally directed and least open economies. Their GDP (officially exchange rate) is 27.3 billion and their GDP (per capita) is 1,800 dollars. North Korea’s labor force is 20 million, ranking 31st in the world. They are not healthy and thriving. Because of their closed society and centrally controlled government of everything they have problems with food shortages and poor living conditions. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kn.html
20. Traditionally the religious makeup of the country has been Buddhist and Confucianism. However, people are not allowed to practice their own religion in public. The government does sponsor some religious activities, but this is only to provide an illusion of religious freedom. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kn.html
21. North Korea launched an attack on South Korea, dropping artillery shells over Yeonpyong. The attached came a few days after America discovered they had a secret facility with increased amounts of uranium enrichment that could advance their capital’s nuclear ambitions. The attack is significant because it continues the already high tensions between the two countries. http://nationaljournal.com/nationalsecurity/u-s-condemns-north-korean-attack-on-south-korea-20101123?page=1
22. Laura Ling was a journalist and her sister, Lisa Ling was the host of National Geographic and reports frequently for the Oprah Winfrey show and CNN. Laura Ling was over near the China- South Korea border filming a documentary, with her fellow journalist Euna Lee. The two journalists were taken into custody in North Korea and sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in one of their prison camps. Her sister states: “…There was never any intention to go anywhere near the North Korean border.” The only way that the North Koreans were going to release the two women, were if the U.S. sent former president Clinton to speak with Kim Jong-il. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126613763
2. Kim Jong-il is the Supreme Leader of The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. He was born on February 16, 1941. His father was Kim Il-sung founded the state. He graduated from college in 1964 and quickly rose through the ruling Korean Workers' Party (KWP). In 1992, his father publicly stated that his son was in charge of all internal affairs in the DPRK. Recently, Kim Jong-Il has been grooming his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, to be his successor. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Jong-il
3. The Americans and Soviet Union won WW II. They decided to split up Korea into the South and North Korea. The Soviet Union was to receive North Korea and the Americans got South Korea. North Korea invaded South Korea, to gain control over them. They did not think that America could stop them, but they did. The Soviet Union and America were unable to agree on implementation of the Joint Trusteeship over Korea and decided to give each Korea their own governments in 1984.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_North_Korea
4. http://www.theodora.com/maps/korea_north_map.html
5. To the north west of North Korea is China and to the south of it is South Korea. The bodies of water surrounding it are the Sea of Japan, Korean Bay, and the Yellow Sea.http://www.intute.ac.uk/worldguide/html/980_map.html
6. The 38th parallel is the name given to the line that demarcates North and South Korea. U.S. military planners chose this at the Potsdam Conference.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/592578/38th-parallel
7. The North Koreans hate the South Koreans. This hatred is what started the Korean war, which really truly is not over. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qWGjHuH42ZcZ_DlR8h7n-hox3HxuwtERUJK4o9v27QI/edit?hl=en#
8. North Korea, after the Korean war was over, had only half the population South Korea had but was lucky enough to have the most industrial and natural resources. It remained in the communist block and rebuilt itself, with their leader Kim Il-Sung. In the late 1960’s North Korea’s propaganda apparatus wove itself a personality cult around him. North Korea now is the most closed of countries in the world. Kim keeps the people of North Korea strictly under his rule, allowing them to believe what he wants them to believe. http://articles.cnn.com/2010-09-26/world/north.korea.explainer_1_north-korea-kim-il-sung
9. I could not find a specific reference to the U.N.’s position on North Korea’s relationship with South Korea. However, looking through some of the recent article on the U.N.’s News Centre on North Korea leads me to believe that they do not want to take sides on who is right or wrong, but want the North and South to work peacefully on resolving their differences.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusRel.asp?infocusID=69&Body=democratic+people&Body1=Korea
10. North Korea’s major city is Pyeongyang. http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/asia/north-korea/cities.htm
11. The North Korean army is the fourth largest in the world. They have and estimated 1.21 million armed personnel. North Korea has the highest of military personnel per capita with 1 enlisted soldier for every 25 citizens. Military expenditures account for 15.8% of the state budget and they operate a lot of heavy machinery such as tanks and jets. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea_north
12. It is the ultimate military weapon that North Korea can threaten South Korea and other countries with. Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s The North Korean government worked to establish its nuclear program. Also during this time they entered into agreements to stop making nuclear weapons. However, they never lived-up to those agreements and on October 9, 2006, they announced that they had conducted a nuclear test that was later confirmed. http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/dprk/nuke/index.html
13. China is the closest ally to North Korea. Even though China has recently implemented UN sanctions on North Korea they still provide a lot of economic support in order to maintain North Korea’s stability. Kim Jong-Il describes their relationship as “unbreakable.” http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2792.htm#foreign
14. North Korea is considered a closed state, which means they do not let people in, but they do not let people out either. It is also because North Korea has a Juche government, which has absolute control over its citizens telling them what they can and cannot do, or even what they can and can’t say.http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_cant_people_in_North_Korea_leave_North_Korea
15. North Korea has a record of consistent, severe human rights violations beginning with the country’s total control of the people. Reported human rights abuses include: lengthy imprisonment, torture and degrading treatment, forced labor, public execution, and many more severe punishments. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2792.htm
16. North Korea uses the press to politically control their people. They manipulate the news to always show the government in a positive light and that economic conditions, like crop failures and starvation, are always good. http://www.articlesbase.com/ethics-articles/north-korean-press-3853997.html
17. Elections in North Korea are mostly a formality because most candidates are handpicked by Kim Jung-Il and the ruling party. Officially, the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA), is the highest organ of state power. Its members are elected every 4 years. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/world/asia/09iht-north.1.20696199.htmland http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2792.htm#gov
18. North Korea and the United States’ relationship have been filled with continuous confrontation and mistrust since 1954. North Korea views the U.S. as the strongest imperialist force in the world and the U.S. views North Korea as an international outlaw. http://countrystudies.us/north-korea/68.htm
19. North Korea’s economy is one of the most centrally directed and least open economies. Their GDP (officially exchange rate) is 27.3 billion and their GDP (per capita) is 1,800 dollars. North Korea’s labor force is 20 million, ranking 31st in the world. They are not healthy and thriving. Because of their closed society and centrally controlled government of everything they have problems with food shortages and poor living conditions. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kn.html
20. Traditionally the religious makeup of the country has been Buddhist and Confucianism. However, people are not allowed to practice their own religion in public. The government does sponsor some religious activities, but this is only to provide an illusion of religious freedom. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kn.html
21. North Korea launched an attack on South Korea, dropping artillery shells over Yeonpyong. The attached came a few days after America discovered they had a secret facility with increased amounts of uranium enrichment that could advance their capital’s nuclear ambitions. The attack is significant because it continues the already high tensions between the two countries. http://nationaljournal.com/nationalsecurity/u-s-condemns-north-korean-attack-on-south-korea-20101123?page=1
22. Laura Ling was a journalist and her sister, Lisa Ling was the host of National Geographic and reports frequently for the Oprah Winfrey show and CNN. Laura Ling was over near the China- South Korea border filming a documentary, with her fellow journalist Euna Lee. The two journalists were taken into custody in North Korea and sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in one of their prison camps. Her sister states: “…There was never any intention to go anywhere near the North Korean border.” The only way that the North Koreans were going to release the two women, were if the U.S. sent former president Clinton to speak with Kim Jong-il. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126613763
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