Following World War II, Korea was split into a northern, communist half and a southern, Western-oriented half. KIM Chong-il has ruled North Korea since his father and the country's founder, president KIM Il-song, died in 1994. After decades of mismanagement, the North relies heavily on international food aid to feed its population, while continuing to expend resources to maintain an army of about 1 million. North Korea's long-range missile development and research into nuclear and chemical weapons are of major concern to the international community.

InsideWorld provides country background information for many countries and regions. Information covers topics like economy, government, demographics, geography and more.

Go to InsideWorld’s Country Information:
 

For more information about current affairs, business, economy, politics and more, use InsideWorld's free daily e-mail news service.

If you would like to receive news, but do not have an InsideWorld account yet, click below to setup your free account now and start receiving news right away.