Democratic People's 
Republic of Korea (North Korea)

26 Aug 1945 - 8 Sep 1948                 Feb 1946 - 10 Jul 1948        Flag of Provisional People's Cmte.                            Adopted 10 Jul 1948    Map of North Korea  Hear National Anthem "Aegukka" (Patriotic Song)  Text of National Anthem Adopted 1947 Constitution (28 Sep 2009) ---------------------------------- 1998 Constitution (27 Dec 1972; revised Apr 1992, 5 Sep 1998-28 Sep 2009) --------------------------------- 1948 Constitution (9 Sep 1948-27 Dec 1972) Capital: Pyongyang (Sinuiju 21 Oct 1950-1950; Kanggye 1950-1953) Currency: North Korean Won (KPW)  National Holidays: 9 Sep (1948) Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Day ------------------------------------- 15 Apr (1912)  Sun's Day (Birthday of Kim Il Sung) Population: 23,479,088 (2008) GDP: $40 billion (2008) note: North Korea does not publish any reliable National Income Accounts data Exports: $1.68 billion (2007) Imports: $3.05 billion (2007) Ethnic groups: Korean 99.8%, Chinese 0.2%, a few ethnic Japanese (1999) Total Active Armed Forces: 1,106,000 (2006) Nuclear Power (2006): est. 4-20 weapons (2007) Merchant marine: 167 ships (2008) Religions: nonreligious 55.6%, atheist 15.6%, traditional beliefs 12.3%, Ch'ondogyo  (Religion of the Heavenly Way) 12.9%, Christian 2.1%, Buddhist 1.5% (2000)   note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent International Organizations/Treaties: ANT, ARF, BTWC, ENMOD, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, Intersputnik, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCLOS (signatory), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFCC, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO North Korea Index Chronology 27 Mar 1393                Part of Great Choson Realm (or Kingdom)                              (before 1948 see under South Korea). 22 Aug 1910 - 15 Aug 1945  Annexed by Japan. 26 Aug 1945 -  9 Sep 1948  North Korea occupied by Soviet Union.  9 Sep 1948                Democratic People's Republic of Korea                               (North Korea). 28 Jun 1950 - 27 Sep 1950  Most of South Korea (except Pusan perimeter)                               occupied by North Korea. 19 Oct 1950 -  5 Dec 1950  UN-U.S. occupation of most of North Korea.  5 Dec 1950 - 26 Oct 1958  Chinese troops garrison North Korea.  U.S. and UN Occupation (1950-51)  Sinuiju Special Admin.  Region  Map of  Korean Peninsula Map of Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

Soviet Commanders-in-chief
26 Aug 1945 - Apr 1947     Ivan Mikhailovich Chistyakov       (b. 1900 - d. 1979)
Apr 1947 -  9 Sep 1948     Gennady Petrovich Korotkov         (b. 1898 - d. 1982)
Chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Assembly
22 Feb 1947 -  9 Sep 1948  Kim Du Bong                        (s.a.)               CND
Chairmen of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly
 9 Sep 1948 - 20 Sep 1957  Kim Du Bong                        (s.a.)               CND
20 Sep 1957 - 28 Dec 1972  Choi Yong Kun                      (b. 1900 - d. 1976)  CND
Presidents
28 Dec 1972 -  8 Jul 1994  Kim Il Sung                        (s.a.)               CND
 8 Jul 1994 -  5 Sep 1998  Vacant¹
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly²
 5 Sep 1998 -              Kim Yong Nam                       (b. 1928)            CND

Administrators for Civil Affairs
Oct 1945 - 1947            Andrey Alekseyevich Romanenko      (b. 1906 - d. 1979)  Mil
1947 - 1948                Nikolay Georgiyevich Lebedev                            Mil
Chairman of the Provisional People's Committee for the Five Provinces
(or Five Provinces Administration Bureau)
 8 Oct 1945 -  8 Feb 1946  Cho Mansik                         (b. 1883 - d. 1950)  Non-party
Chairman of the Provisional People's Committee for North Korea
 8 Feb 1946 -  9 Sep 1948  Kim Il Sung                        (s.a.)               CND
Chairmen of the Council of Ministers (premiers)
 9 Sep 1948 - 28 Dec 1972  Kim Il Sung                        (s.a.)               CND
28 Dec 1972 - 29 Apr 1976  Kim Il                             (b. 1910 - d. 1984)  CND
29 Apr 1976 - 16 Dec 1977  Pak Sung Chol                      (b. 1913 - d. 2008)  CND
16 Dec 1977 - 27 Jan 1984  Li Jong Ok                         (b. 1916 - d. 1999)  CND
27 Jan 1984 - 29 Dec 1986  Kang Song San (1st time)           (b. 1931)            CND
29 Dec 1986 - 12 Dec 1988  Li Gun Mo                          (b. 1924)            CND
12 Dec 1988 - 11 Dec 1992  Yon Hyong Muk                      (b. 1931 - d. 2005)  CND
11 Dec 1992 - 21 Feb 1997  Kang Song San (2nd time)           (s.a.)               CND
21 Feb 1997 -  3 Sep 2003  Hong Song Nam                      (b. 1929 - d. 2009)  CND
                             (acting to 5 Sep 1998)
 3 Sep 2003 - 11 Apr 2007  Pak Pong Ju                        (b. 1939)            CND 
11 Apr 2007 -              Kim Yong Il                        (b. 1944)            CND

Commanders of U.S. and United Nations Forces
19 Oct 1950 - 11 Apr 1951  Douglas MacArthur (U.S.)           (b. 1880 - d. 1964)
11 Apr 1951 - 15 Dec 1951  Matthew Bunker Ridgway (U.S.)      (b. 1895 - d. 1993)

Commanders of Chinese Forces
(Wade-Giles transliteration in parentheses)
25 Oct 1950 - Sep 1954     Peng Dehuai (P'eng Tehuai)         (b. 1898 - d. 1974)
Aug 1953 - Sep 1954        Deng Hua (Teng Hua)                (b. 1910 - d. 1980)
                             (acting for Dehuai) 
Oct 1954 - Mar 1955        Yang Dezhi (Yang Te-chih)          (b. 1911 - d. 1994)
Mar 1955 - 25 Oct 1958     Yang Yong (Yang Yung)              (b. 1906/12 - d. 1983)

 ¹Vice-presidents during the vacancy: Pak Song Chol (s.a.), Li Jong Ok (s.a.), Kim Yong Chu
(b. 1922), Kim Pyong Sik (b. 1919 - d. 1999).

 ²Performing ceremonial head of state functions only. Kim Jong Il, in his capacity as chairman of the National Defense Commission (declared "the highest post of the state" 5 Sep 1998), is 
the de facto ruler.

Territorial Disputes: Risking arrest, imprisonment, and deportation, tens of thousands of North Koreans cross into China to escape famine, economic privation, and political oppression; North Korea and China dispute the sovereignty of certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers; Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic incidents in the Yellow Sea with South Korea which claims the Northern Limiting Line as a maritime boundary; North Korea supports South Korea in rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima).

Party abbreviations: CND = Chõson Nodongdang (Workers Party of Korea, authoritarian, communist -only legal party); Mil = Military