 North Korea (National Flag)
The flag was officially adopted in 1948. The colors of Korea's old flag have
been retained. The star represents the Korean Workers' Party, and the dominant
red color indicates that the country has chosen the path of socialism. The white
color is the Korean national color that has been used for centuries as a symbol
of purity, strength and dignity, and the blue color stands for peace and
progress.
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North Korea (History)
About North Korea's history before approximately 1950, in Korea. After World War
II, the Japanese handed over the colony of Korea to the Allies, who had agreed
on a division at the 38th parallel; the northern part was occupied by the Soviet
army. On September 9, 1948, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was
established with Kim Il-Sung as leader and chairman of the Korean Workers' Party
(Communist Party), after which the Red Army left the country. Shortly before,
the Provost Republic of Korea (South Korea) had been formed. The division
quickly came to reflect the Cold War, and on June 25, 1950, the Korean War broke
out., when North Korea invaded South Korea to "liberate" the country and reunite
the two. The war had North Korea and China, which intervened in November 1950,
on one side and South Korea and the United Nations on the other. The Korean War
ended with the armistice agreement on July 27, 1953.
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According to a2zgov, North Korea's situation after 1953 was marked by relations with neighboring
countries: in the north the two rival communist countries China and the Soviet
Union, on whose support one was dependent, and in the south a system oriented
towards the United States in particular, which maintained a military presence in
South Korea. North Korea chose a selective isolationist policy and developed a
state ideology, juche, which emphasized economic, political, and cultural
independence. With the leadership cult around Kim Il-Sung, the Koreans sought to
establish a political system in accordance with the country's traditional
political culture, where a powerful leader was to show care for the people, the
loyal subjects. At Kim Jong-Il in 1994 and Kim Jong-Un in 2011 were able to take
over the leadership role of their fathers, showed that the political system is
based more on traditional Korean political culture than on communist ideology.
The country's international isolation, originally self-elected and
highlighted as a strength, came to seal North Korea's fate. With the collapse of
the Soviet Union and the other socialist countries, China's transition to a
directed market economy, and the establishment of diplomatic relations with
South Korea, North Korea stood virtually alone from the early 1990's.
The North Korean self-help ideology, juche, did not survive the collapse of
the communist world. After years of mishap, floods and droughts in the 1990's,
North Korea had to abandon its self-sufficiency strategy, and the country has
been dependent on foreign aid since the early 1990's. While neighboring countries
implemented a political and economic reorientation, the North Korean regime
maintained a model seemingly without flexibility. A relatively advanced weapons
technology is one of the country's few assets, but is at the same time the
factor that creates conflict with the outside world. The regime repeatedly
denied access to IAEA inspectors (International Atomic Energy Agency), and the
continued North Korean military research in missile technology was viewed
with concern by both South Korea and Japan; the country repeatedly fired test
missiles over the Sea of Japan, leading to serious crises with neighboring
countries, and the regime also claimed to be in possession of nuclear
weapons. South Korea and China are the main foreign players in the North Korean
reform process. However, crucial to the country's future - and to a possible
reunification of Korea - is US policy and role in the region.
The tense relationship with the United States was further aggravated when US
President George W. Bush in 2002 described North Korea as part of an "axis of
evil" and when the country carried out a nuclear test in 2006. In 2007, an
agreement was reached with the IAEA, which provided access for inspectors with a
view to dismantling the nuclear weapons program. The Yongbyon reactor was shut
down and in return the country received financial support and food aid from the
outside world. During 2008, the country's relations with the outside world
deteriorated again, e.g. in connection with test launches of missiles, and harsh
sanctions were imposed. In May 2009, North Korea again conducted a nuclear test,
leading to widespread condemnation from around the world, including China. The
convictions were followed up the following month by further sanctions,
including relating to. search of North Korean ships in international
waters. Prior to the adoption of the UN sanctions, North Korea had announced
that it would consider searches as an act of war, and immediately after the
adoption of the UN sanctions, it announced that it would implement a nuclear
weapons program.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula were further increased with the sinking of
the South Korean naval vessel Cheonan on March 26, 2010; it was
concluded that North Korea was behind it, although the country itself denied
it. The episode led in July of the same year to tougher sanctions from the
United States. In November 2010, North Korea revealed that the country had
sophisticated equipment for enriching uranium and thus a greater capacity to
manufacture nuclear weapons than previously thought. Later that month, North
Korea bombed the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong and South Korea responded to
the fire. The level of tension was then judged to be at its highest level since
the Korean War.
After Kim Jong-Il's death in 2011, his son, Kim Jong-Un, took overthe
power; it was thus emphasized that North Korea is in fact a monarchy under the
leadership of the Kim dynasty. Kim Jong-Un's takeover was accompanied by
replacements of several people at the top of the power hierarchy. His control of
the military was confirmed by a nuclear test in February 2013, which served to
further isolate North Korea. China, the country's only ally, also criticized the
blast. In January 2016, North Korea proclaimed that it had detonated a small
hydrogen bomb. On the one hand, it helped to increase tensions in the region,
and on the other, concerns arose as to whether the country would soon be able to
advance nuclear weapons with intercontinental missiles. The blast was condemned
by the international community and also heavily criticized by China, which had
not been informed in advance.
North Korea (Military)
The Armed Forces is (2006) at 1,106,000 and the fourth largest in the
world. The length of service for conscripts is 5-12 years in the Army, 5-10
years in the Navy and 3-4 years in the Air Force. The army is at 950,000, the
navy at 46,000 and the air force at 110,000. The reserve is 4.7 million, of
which 665,000 reinforce the regular units, the rest are used in a territorial
defense militia. The equipment in all three defenses is for the most part from
the 1950's and 1960's and of Soviet or Chinese make.
The Army ("People's Army Land Force") is, to the extent that resources are
sufficient, heavily equipped according to the Soviet model. With the long period
of service, the force must be assessed to be able to be maintained on real war
readiness. A large part of the army, 88,000, is part of special units, some of
which have been used periodically to infiltrate South Korea. The Navy
("People's Army Navy Force") is essentially a coastal defense navy, which,
however, has a strong submarine weapon. The Air Force ("People's Army Air
Force") is a traditional fighter/fighter bomber air force, and over half of
the aircraft are obsolete. In general, the greatest weakness of the forces is
the high material age, which reflects the critical economic situation of the
country. The security forces total 189,000.
In 1998, North Korea tested the ballistic missile Taepodong-1 by
letting it fly over Japan. The launch was officially referred to as a satellite
launch. In 2006 and 2009, North Korea conducted underground nuclear tests, and
it is estimated that the country is capable of producing nuclear weapons.
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