North Korea

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.

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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.

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Timeline: North Korea

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.

President Obama on Weapons Proliferation in Prague, Czech Republic

6.12.09 United Nations Security Council voted to tighten sanctions.

U.N. Resolution 1874 includes a number of measures aimed at stopping North Korea’s nuclear proliferation, including tougher inspections of cargo, an expanded arms embargo, and new financial restrictions on North Korea, curbing loans and money transfers that serve as funding for their nuclear program.

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.

N. Korea May Launch Missile Toward Hawaii.

They are accusing the U.S. of waging atomic war. They are responding to a meeting between S. Korean Pres. Lee and Pres. Obama reports MSNBC on 6.21.09.

North Korea threatens to harm US if attacked.

Pres. Obama said his administration and the U.S. military are fully prepared for N. Korea. He will not reward "belligerence and provocation."

South Korea

South Korea is a semi-presidential republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It borders North Korea to the north and closely neighbors China to the west and Japan to the east. Korea is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. South Korea is a developed country. It has the fourth-largest economy in Asia. South Korea is at the leading edge of the digital revolution. It is a trailblazer for high-speed and wireless internet services; in September 2008 officials said almost every household had a high-speed net connection.

Its capital is Seoul. The Government is a semi-presidential republic. The President Lee Myung-bak. He ended his five-year term on February 25, 2013, and was succeeded by Park Geun-hye . She is the first woman to be elected as President in South Korea.

According to the results of the census of 2015 more than half of the South Korean population (56.1%) declared themselves not affiliated with any religious organizations. In a 2012 survey, 52% declared themselves "religious", 31% said they were "not religious" and 15% identified themselves as "convinced atheists". Of the people who are affiliated with a religious organization, most are Christians and Buddhists. According to the 2015 census, 27.6% of the population were Christians (19.7% identified themselves as Protestants, 7.9% as Roman Catholics), and 15.5% were Buddhists. Other religions include Islam (130,000 Muslims, mostly migrant workers from Pakistan and Bangladesh but including some 35,000 Korean Muslims,the homegrown sect of Won Buddhism, and a variety of indigenous religions, including Cheondoism (a Confucianizing religion), Jeungsanism, Daejongism, Daesun Jinrihoe and others. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the constitution, and there is no state religion.

On December 9, 2016, Park was impeached by the National Assembly on charges related to influence peddling by a top aide. Her presidential powers and duties were suspended with the ratification of the impeachment proposal, and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn assumed those powers and duties as Acting President. The impeachment was upheld by the Constitutional Court on March 10, 2017, ending Park's presidency and forcing her out of office.

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Pope Francis has celebrated a huge open-air Mass in the center of Seoul to beatify 124 Korean martyrs who were killed in the 18th and 19th centuries for refusing to renounce Christianity. Per Wikipedia, Christianity is South Korea's largest religion, accounting for more than half of all South Korean religious adherents. There are approximately 13.7 million Christians in South Korea today, about 63% of Christians belong to Protestant churches, while about 37% belong to the Roman Catholic Church. The number of Protestant Christians have slowly decreased since the 1990s, while the number of Roman Catholics has rapidly increased since the 1980s. Presbyterian denominations are the biggest Christian denominations in South Korea.





11.29.16: Corruption charges

Prosecutors have said they want to speak to Park Geun-hye after naming her as a suspect in a corruption probe involving her confidante Choi Soon-sil and other aides.

Choi has been in prison for weeks after being indicted on charges of fraud, abuse of power and coercion, accused of extorting millions of dollars from big businesses for her foundations and personal use. Offices have been raided, top executives hauled in for questioning and two of Park's former Presidential aides, among others, have also been indicted.

As President, Park Geun-hye is currently immune from prosecution. Though her lawyers have said she is willing to cooperate with the investigation, this week she claimed to be too busy to meet with prosecutors.


12.9.16: South Korea's parliament has voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal.


3.12.17: Park Geun-hye left the presidential Blue House two days after the Constitutional Court issued a verdict removing her from office over a corruption scandal.

Hwang Gyo-an is a South Korean lawyer and is the Acting President of South Korea, having continued in that role following the impeachment and removal of President Park Geun-hye by the Constitutional Court of Korea on 10 March 2017. He had already taken over Park's presidential powers and duties on 9 December 2016 when impeachment proceedings were launched against her by the National Assembly and she was suspended from the powers and duties of the office.