North Korea is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The official language is Korean.
Officially, North Korea is an atheist state. Although its constitution guarantees freedom of religion in Article 68, the principle is limited by the requirement that religion may not be used as a pretext to harm the state, introduce foreign forces, or harm the existing social order. Despite this constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion and the right to religious ceremonies, according to Human Rights Watch, religious practice is restricted. Although proselytizing is prohibited due to concerns about foreign influence, the number of Christian churchgoers nonetheless more than doubled between the 1980s and the early 2000s due to the recruitment of Christians who previously worshipped privately or in small house churches. The Open Doors mission, a Protestant group based in the United States and founded during the Cold War era, claims the most severe persecution of Christians in the world occurs in North Korea.
There are no known official statistics of religions in North Korea. According to Religious Intelligence, 64% of the population are irreligious, 16% practice Korean shamanism, 14% practice Chondoism, 4% are Buddhist, and 2% are Christian. Freedom of religion and the right to religious ceremonies are constitutionally guaranteed, but religions are restricted by the government. Amnesty International has expressed concerns about religious persecution in North Korea.
The Country profile , and the facts.
The Government is a single-party communist state. The leader is Kim Jong-il, the late president Kim Il-sung's son. On 12.18.11 Kim Jong il died . From late 2010, Kim Jong-un was viewed as heir apparent to the leadership of the nation, and following his father's death (12/17/2011) he was announced as the "Great Successor" by North Korean state television.
As a result of North Korea withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2003, there has been a series of meetings with six participating states ( six-party talks ): the People's Republic of China; the Republic of Korea (South Korea); the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea); the United States of America; the Russian Federation; and Japan aimed to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns as a result of the North Korean nuclear weapons program.
Talking to Kim Jong II. The world reacts to North Korean rocket launch.
NOTE 4.5.09: The U.S. says neither missile nor satellite reached orbit - the rocket launch failed. Parts landed in the sea of Japan, Pacific Ocean. The matter will be brought before the Council today at 3pm to determine if N. Korea violated any United Nations Security Council resolutions 1695 and 1718.
United Nations is warning N. Korea to halt its nuclear weapons program. Many world leaders are hoping China will step in with a persuasive voice.
North Korea has threatened to launch a long-range missile in retaliation for new sanctions passed by the United Nations Security Council following its May 25 nuclear test, as well as a series of missile launches. Philippine President Gloria Arroyo, Japanese Prime Minister Taro, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, Chinese president Hu Jintao, and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak speak on the issue of N. Korea's nuclear weapons.
