rties and leaders: Chondoist Chongu Party [YU Mi-yong,
chairwoman]; Korean Social Democratic Party ;
major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Chong-il, General
Secretary]

International organization participation: ESCAP, FAO, ICAO, ICRM,
IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ISO, ITU,
NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note - North Korea has a
Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, headed by YI Hyong-chol

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (Swedish Embassy in
P'yongyang represents the US as consular protecting power)

Flag description: three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple
width), and blue; the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side of
the red band is a white disk with a red five-pointed star

@Korea:Economy

Economy - overview: North Korea ranks among the world's most centrally
planned and isolated economies. The resulting economic distortions and
the government's reluctance to publicize economic data limit the
amount of reliable information available. State-owned industry
produces nearly all manufactured goods, and the regime continues to
devote its focus on heavy and military industries at the expense of
light and consumer industries. Economic conditions remain stagnant at
best and the country's deepening economic slide has been fueled by
acute energy shortages, poorly maintained and aging industrial
facilities, and a lack of new investment. The agricultural outlook,
though slightly improved over previous years, remains weak. The
combined effects of serious fertilizer shortages, successive natural
disasters, and structural constraints - such as marginal arable land
and a short growing season - have reduced staple grain output to more
than 1 million tons less than what the country needs to meet even
minimum international requirements. The steady flow of international
food aid has been critical in meeting the population's basic food
needs. The impact of other forms of humanitarian assistance such as
medical supplies and agricultural assistance largely has been limited
to local areas. Even with aid, malnutrition rates are among the
world's highest and estimates of mortality range in the hundreds of
thousands as a direct result of starvation or famine-related diseases.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $22.6 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 1% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capit