ges:

Korean

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99%

Education expenditures:

NA

Government
Korea, North

Country name:

conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
conventional short form: North Korea
local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk
local short form: Choson
abbreviation: DPRK

Government type:

Communist state one-man dictatorship

Capital:

name: Pyongyang
geographic coordinates: 39 01 N, 125 45 E
time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4 municipalities (si,
singular and plural)
provinces: Chagang-do (Chagang), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong),
Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae),
Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae), Kangwon-do (Kangwon),
P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan),
Yanggang-do (Yanggang)
municipalities: Kaesong-si (Kaesong), Najin Sonbong-si
(Najin-Sonbong), Namp'o-si (Namp'o), P'yongyang-si (Pyongyang)

Independence:

15 August 1945 (from Japan)

National holiday:

Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9
September (1948)

Constitution:

adopted 1948; completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in
April 1992, and September 1998

Legal system:

based on Prussian civil law system with Japanese influences and
Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

17 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: KIM Jong Il (since July 1994); note - on 3 September
2003, rubberstamp Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) reelected KIM Jong
Il chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded
nation's "highest administrative authority"; SPA reelected KIM Yong
Nam president of its Presidium also with responsibility of
representing state and receiving diplomatic credentials
head of government: Premier KIM Yong Il (since 11 April 2007); Vice
Premiers KWAK Pom Gi (since 5 September 1998), JON Sung Hun (since 3
September 2003), RO Tu Chol (since 3 September 2003), THAE Jong Su
(since 16 October 2007)
cabinet: Naegak (cabinet) members, except for Minister of People's
Armed Forces, are appointed by SPA
elections: last held in September 2003 (next to be held in Septembe