North Korea

From Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia written in simple English for easy reading.

North Korea, or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is a country in the northern part of what used to be Korea. North Korea borders China, Russia, and South Korea. The capital city of North Korea is Pyŏngyang.

After World War II, Korea became independent of Japan and was occupied by the Soviet Union and the United States. They left Korea in 1948. North Korea was formed with Soviet support. North Korea became a Communist country, and still is. America decided to split the nation to stop communism, so South Korea was formed with American support

In 1950, North Korea sent troops to South Korea, trying re-unite Korea and Korean families under Communism. This began the Korean War. American troops led by Douglas MacArthur and troops from many other countries were sent in by the United Nations because they wanted to stop communism from spreading. They forced the North Koreans almost as far as the border with China on the Yalu River. Because of this, China sent its troops to help the North Koreans. Both sides agreed to stop the war and leave the border between the two countries close to where it was before the war began.

Kim Il-Sŏng was the first leader of North Korea. He was the founder of Juche ("self-reliance"). In 1994, he died and his son, Kim Jŏng-Il took over. Kim Jŏng-Il is the current leader of North Korea.

North Korea is a communist country. Its understanding and interpretation of human rights and freedom of speech are different from how other countries see them. Travelling to other countries, and moving around inside North Korea has been limited. Because of the Juche idea North Korea still fears US domination. In some parts of the country, the supply of food is not enough. Currently, foreign countries provide food for some of North Koreas population. That is called foreign aid.

In October 2006, North Korea made nuclear tests. .

Countries and territories of Asia

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1. Includes territory in both Europe and Asia. 2. Usually thought of as Asia, but sometimes counted as part of Europe for cultural and historical reasons. 3. Special territories.