Democratic People's Republic of Korea

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK or DPR Korea; Korean: 조선민주주의인민공화국, Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk), commonly referred to as North Korea, is a country in East Asia constituting the northern part of the Korean Peninsula.

According to article 1 of the constitution of North Korea, the DPRK is an "independent socialist State". The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), led by a member of the ruling family, holds absolute power in the state and leads the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland of which all political officers are required to be members. According to article 3 of the constitution of the DPRK, Juche is the North Korean official ideology.

In 1965 Che Guevara said that the DPRK "was a model to which revolutionary Cuba should aspire"

Economy

North Korea has maintained one of the most closed and centralized economies in the world since the 1940s. For several decades, it followed the Soviet pattern of five-year plans with the ultimate goal of achieving self-sufficiency.

The economy is heavily nationalized. Food and housing are extensively subsidized by the state; education and healthcare are free; and the payment of taxes was officially abolished in 1974.

Foreign trade surpassed pre-crisis levels in 2005 and continues to expand. North Korea has a number of special economic zones (SEZs) and Special Administrative Regions where foreign companies can operate with tax and tariff incentives while North Korean establishments gain access to improved technology.

External Links

please use these external links to improve this page

• Wikipedia (about)
• Leftypedia (about)
• EcuRed (Spanish, English auto translated) (about)
• DPRK Study Guide