1. By Josh Lange and John Thurston
North Korea
By Josh Lange and John Thurston

2. General History and Background
Population of 24.6 million people
Highly centralized communist state – Korean Workers’ Party
Gained independence from Japan in 1945 (1)
Separated from South Korea in 1948 (1)

3. Korean War: 1950 - 1953 Conflict between North and South Korea
United Nations established UN Command (UNC) (1)
Armistice agreement

4. North Korean Leaders Kim II–sung (1948 – 1994)
Kim Jong-il (1997 – 2011)
Kim Jong-un (December 2011 – present day)

5. Human Rights Abuses
Very isolationist in nature but known to carry out many human rights violations
Torture, starvation, forced labor, etc…
Government control over everything (1)

6. Foreign Relations South Korea Military Demarcation Line
Closest allies are China and Russia (1)

7. U.S. Policy Towards North Korea
“Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on North Korea to:
take concrete, irreversible denuclearization steps toward fulfillment of the 2005 Joint Statement
comply with international law including UNSCRs 1718 and 1874
cease provocative behaviors
take steps to improve relations with its neighbors.” (1)

8. Sanctions (2) Resolution 1718 Resolution 1874
Ban transfer of tanks and WMD
A call on states to take cooperative action, including through inspection of cargo to/from North Korea, to ensure compliance with the sanctions.
Asset freeze (but only for individuals/entities designated by the Committee).
Bans transfer of all arms to and from the DPRK.
Call for states to be more strict with ships that could possibly contain banned materials and gives the states authority to seize banned items.
A call on states not to provide grants, assistance, loans or public financial support for trade if such assistance could contribute to North Korea’s proliferation efforts and deny all financial services.

9. Effects North Korea still developing rockets.
Aggression is met with aggression. (3)
North Korea and South Korea tensions remain high (4)
North Korean GDP (PPP): $40 billion (2011 est.) (5)
Compared to South Korean GDP (PPP): $1.574 trillion (2011 est.) (6)

10. Citations
(1)United States State Department. "Background Note: North Korea." U.S. Department of State. Last modified April 4, Accessed October 21, (2) United States Department of State. "North Korea Sanctions: Resolution 1718 Versus Resolution 1874." U.S. Department of State. Last modified June 12, Accessed October 21, (3) "North Korea warns US on missiles after South deal." BBC World News. Last modified October 9, Accessed October 21, (4) "North Korea warns of 'strike' over South propaganda leaflets." BBC World News. Last modified October 19, Accessed October 21, (5) Central Intelligence Agency. "North Korea." Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook. Accessed October 21, (6) Central Intelligence Agency. "South Korea." Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook. Accessed October 21,