North Korea

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea, is a dictatorship and single-party communist state occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula in East Asia, with a land area of 120,538 square kilometers and an estimated population of 26.3 million.^[1] Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang, home to over 3 million residents.^[1] Established on 9 September 1948 following the post-World War II division of Korea, the DPRK has been ruled continuously by the Kim family dynasty—Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Jong-un since 2011—through the Workers’ Party of Korea, enforcing a totalitarian system centered on a cult of personality and the state ideology of Juche, which prioritizes national self-reliance and independence from foreign influence.^[1][2][1] North Korea maintains one of the world’s largest militaries, with up to 1.3 million active personnel, and has developed nuclear weapons capabilities, prompting extensive international sanctions that exacerbate its centrally planned economy’s stagnation, chronic food shortages, and heavy reliance on limited trade with China.^[1][3][1]