Korea, North

Japan annexed the independent kingdom of Korea in 1910, continuing to occupy the country until the end of World War II when the country was split into North and South Korea. Although allied with the Soviet Union, the communist dictator of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) managed to resist total domination by either the Soviets or the Chinese. At the same time, South Korea maintained a close alliance with Western powers. Despite enormous international pressure, North Korea has refused to suspend a suspected nuclear weapons program. Significant economic resources in North Korea go toward maintaining the one-million-strong army and the development of weapons, which leads the population of 22,912,000 to depend heavily on international aid for survival.

With a per capita income of ...