Corea del Norte

"La República Popular Democrática de Corea (RPDC) (chosn'gl: , hancha: , romanización revisada: Joseon Minjujueui Inmin Gonghwaguk, McCune-Reischauer: Chosn Minchuchu-i Inmin Konghwaguk),? llamada comúnmente Corea del Norte para distinguirla de Corea del Sur, es un país soberano de Asia Oriental. Ocupa la porción septentrional de la península de Corea, situada al este de la República Popular China, entre el mar de Japón y el mar Amarillo. Limita al norte con China, al noreste con Rusia, al este con el mar del Japón, al sur con Corea del Sur y al oeste con la bahía de Corea y el mar Amarillo. La península fue gobernada por el Imperio coreano hasta que fue conquistada y colonizada por Japón después de la guerra ruso-japonesa de 1905. En 1945 justo después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial la península fue dividida en dos zonas, la ocupada por la Unión Soviética y la ocupada por Estados Unidos. En 1948, Corea del Norte rechazó participar en las elecciones celebradas al amparo de las Naciones Unidas, creándose finalmente dos Gobiernos independientes en cada una de las zonas ocupadas. Ambos Estados reclamaban la península entera como territorio propio, lo que los llevaría a la guerra de Corea en 1950, que finalizó con la firma de un armisticio en 1953; oficialmente, los dos países siguen en guerra, ya que todavía no se ha firmado un tratado de paz."

"North Korea (), officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK ), is a country in East Asia, in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. Pyongyang is both the nation's capital as well as its largest city. To the north and northwest the country is bordered by China and by Russia along the Amnok (known as the Yalu in China) and Tumen rivers. The country is bordered to the south by South Korea (officially the Republic of Korea), with the heavily fortified Korean Demilitarized Zone separating the two. The origins of the Korean state began with Korean pottery dating back to 8000 BC, with three kingdoms flourishing in the 1st century BC. The name Korea is derived from the Kingdom of Goguryeo, also spelled as Kory, which was one of East Asia's greatest empires. During the 7th century, Korea under Later Silla and Balhae dynasties enjoyed over a millennium of relative tranquility under long lasting dynasties with the invention of the Hangul script, created by Sejong the Great in 1446. Korea was annexed by the Empire of Japan in 1910 until the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II in 1945, when Korea was divided into two zones along the 38th parallel by the United States and the Soviet Union, with the north occupied by the Soviets and the south by the Americans. Negotiations on reunification failed, and in 1948 two separate governments were formed: the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the north, and the Republic of Korea in the south. An invasion initiated by North Korea led to the Korean War (195053). The Korean Armistice Agreement brought about a ceasefire, and no official peace treaty was ever signed. Both states were accepted into the United Nations in 1991.The DPRK officially describes itself as a self-reliant socialist state and formally holds elections. Critics regard it as a totalitarian dictatorship. Various outlets have called it Stalinist, particularly noting the elaborate cult of personality around Kim Il-sung and his family. International organizations have assessed human rights violations in North Korea as belonging to a category of their own, with no parallel in the contemporary world. The Workers' Party of Korea, led by a member of the ruling family, holds 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. Over time North Korea has gradually distanced itself from the world communist movement. Juche, an ideology of national self-reliance, was introduced into the constitution as a "creative application of MarxismLeninism" in 1972. The means of production are owned by the state through state-run enterprises and collectivized farms. Most services such as healthcare, education, housing and food production are subsidized or state-funded. From 1994 to 1998, North Korea suffered from a famine that resulted in the deaths of between 0.24 and 3.5 million people, and the country continues to struggle with food production. North Korea follows Songun, or "military-first" policy. It is the country with the highest number of military and paramilitary personnel, with a total of 9,495,000 active, reserve, and paramilitary personnel. Its active duty army of 1.21 million is the fourth largest in the world, after China, the U.S., and India. It possesses nuclear weapons. North Korea is an atheist state with no official religion and where public religion is discouraged."