North Korea

                                     NORTH KOREA

                       North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (abbreviated DPRK), is a country in East Asia constituting the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. Pyongyang is the nation's capital and largest city. To the north and northwest the country is bordered by China and by Russia.

                        In 1910, Korea was annexed by the Empire of Japan. After the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II, in 1945, Korea was divided into two zones, with the north occupied by the Soviets and the south by the Americans.North Korea officially describes itself as a self-reliant socialist state and formally holds elections.International organizations have assessed that human rights violations in North Korea have no parallel in the contemporary world.The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), led by a member of the ruling family, holds power in the state.

                        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.It possesses nuclear weapons. North Korea is an atheist state with no official religion and public religion is discouraged. Both North Korea and South Korea became members of the United Nations in 1991.

              North Korea is widely accused of having perhaps the worst human rights record in the world. North Koreans have been referred to as "some of the world's most brutalized people" by Human Rights Watch, because of the severe restrictions placed on their political and economic freedoms.Despite a historically strong Chinese influence, Korean culture has shaped its own unique identity. The Historic Sites and Monuments in Kaesong and the Complex of Goguryeo Tombs are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.