Ten facts about North Korea
1 The founder and first leader of North Korea, Kim Il-sung, created the country’s policy of juche or “self-reliance,” which cut off North Korea economically and diplomatically from the rest of the world, even in times of great need, such as famines. 2 Kim Jong-il, son of the country’s founder, has performed amazing feats, according to state-controlled media: He scored a perfect 300 the first time he went bowling and sank 11 holes-in-one the first time he played golf. 3 During its seven-decade existence, North Korea has been ruled by three generations of the same family. Kim Jong-un, 33, grandson of Kim Il-sung, came to power in 2011, following the death of his father, Kim Jong-il. 4 Between 150,000 and 200,000 North Koreans live in prison camps surrounded by electrified fencing, according to South Korean government estimates and Human Rights Watch. 5 North Koreans must abide by one of 28 approved haircuts. Unmarried women must have short hair, but married woman have many more options. The hair of young men should be less than 2 inches long, older men can go as long as 2¾ inches, according to a Taiwanese website WantChinaTimes. 6 All legal televisions are tuned to state-controlled domestic programming. The internet does not exist other than a closed domestic network. 7 North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests since 2006, in violation of international law. Two were conducted in 2016, including one that North Korea said was a powerful hydro-
gen bomb. However, the United States doubted that claim. 8 North Korea’s missile programme was first developed with help from the then-Soviet Union in the 1970s. Its long-range Taepodong-2 missile is being developed to reach US territory. Other medium-range missiles have been fired over Japan. 9 The border between North Korea and South Korea is one of the most militarised in the world, according to the State Department. Pyongyang has about 1.2 million military personnel compared with 680,000 troops in South Korea, where 28,000 US troops are also stationed. Nearly 6 million North Koreans are reservists in the worker/peasant guard, compulsory to the age of 60. 10 In 1978, North Korean agents kidnapped South Korean film director Shin Sang-ok and his wife, actress Choe Eun-hui, to create a film industry in North Korea. The couple escaped to the West eight years later, after having made dozens of films.