Korea, North

Occupying the northern half of the Korean peninsula, North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) was essentially created in 1945 at the end of World War II, but formally came into being in 1948. It is an isolated country with a totalitarian government, which technically is still at war with South Korea and has limited diplomatic relations [Page 622]with other countries. It has a population of 22.6 million (2009 estimate).

North Korea is impoverished (a famine in 199597 killed an estimated 2.5–3 million people) and relies heavily on international aid. The female life expectancy is 74.5 for women. The official figures for infant mortality are 23.29 per 1,000 live births. The maternal mortality ratio in 2002 was 97 per 100,000 live births, and the average infant ...