The most interesting facts about North Korea, from “three generations of punishment” to a metro system that doubles as a nuclear bunker.
Fast facts
Official name: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Population: 25 million (2024 est.)
Area: 120,538 sq km
Capital city: Pyongyang
Major languages: Korean
Major religions: Buddhism, Confucian, Christian, and Chondogyo
Time zone: UTC+9 (Pyongyang Time)
Interesting facts about North Korea
1. North Korea is located in East Asia, on the Korean Peninsula bordering China, Russia, South Korea, the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea.
2. North Korea is a dictatorship and single-party state following the official state ideology of “Juche” or “national self-reliance”.
3. The word “Korea” comes from the Chinese name for Goryeo, which was the Korean dynasty that united the peninsula in the 10th century AD.
4. The Korean Peninsula has been inhabited for at least 400,000 years, possibly as many as 700,000.
5. Even though the government doesn’t refer to itself as communist, North Korea remains one of the world’s few communist states. The only others are Vietnam, China, Cuba and Laos.
6. At the start of the 20th century, Japan, China and Russia bid for control over the Korean Peninsula. Japan ultimately took control of the region in 1905 and formally annexed it in 1910.
7. North Korea is led by a supreme leader. Kim Jong-un is the current and third supreme leader in the Kim dynasty. Kim Il-sung established North Korea in 1948 and, upon his death in 1994, was succeeded by his son Kim Jong-il. Kim Jong-il died in 2011 and was succeeded by his son Kim Jong-un.
8. In 1945, after the end of World War II, the Japanese occupation of Korea ended with Soviet troops occupying the area north of the 38th parallel and American troops to the south, creating two separate Korean nations.
9. Fought between 1950 and 1953, the Korean War left at least two million dead and North and South Korea permanently divided.
10. Although the fighting ended in 1953 when North Korea, China and the USA signed an armistice agreement, South Korea objected to the continued division of Korea and did not agree to the armistice or sign a formal peace treaty. As such, technically, the war never ended and is still ongoing.
11. The 4km-wide, 240km-long buffer called the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separates North Korea from the South, known as the ‘biggest military face-off on Earth’, which occasionally sees defections.
12. Portraits of the supreme leaders are mandatory in public places such as train stations, hospitals, schools, and factories and in private spaces such as homes’ living rooms. All North Korean citizens must also wear lapel badges displaying the images of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
13. North Korea has the highest literacy rate in the world at 100% for both men and women. However, it worth remembering this is self-reported.
14. North Korea is home to the largest stadium in the world. The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in Pyongyang has a capacity of 150,000.
15. North Korean men and women only have a choice of 15 state-approved haircuts. Ilustrated guides have been spotted in Pyongyang hair salons as have patrol units of the Women’s Union who are employed to stop and interrogating civilians whose dress or haircut does not conform.
16. North Korea has a “three generations of punishment” rule where if one person is found guilty of a crime and sent to a prison camp, so too will their family and two subsequent generations born at the camp must remain there for life.
17. North Korea built a fake village. The village of Kijong-dong, or ‘Peace Village’ was built in North Korea’s half of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), but in South Korea, it is known as ‘Propaganda Village’. Observations from the South suggest it is, in fact, derelict and was built to encourage South Koreans to defect to the North.
18. In 2015, North Korea created its own time zone called Pyongyang Time. It is named after the North Korean capital and was initially 30 minutes behind South Korea and Japan. However, in 2018 North Korea changed the time zone to match the South following an inter-Korean summit.
19. North Korea uses a different calendar from the rest of the world. The Juche calendar was adopted in North Korea in 1997 and begins with the year of Kim Il-sung’s birth in 1912 – or Juche 1 to North Koreans. As such, 2021 in North Korea is actually Juche 110.
20. North Korea has dug several tunnels beneath the DMZ so their army could launch a surprise attack on South Korea. Since 1974, four tunnels have been discovered, one of which, the Third Infiltration Tunnel, is now a tourist attraction on the South Korean side.
21. One of North Korea’s most popular attractions is the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun where Kim Il-sung’s and Kim Jong-il’s embalmed bodies lie. The bodies are maintained by the so-called “Lenin Lab” in Moscow, which first embalmed and displayed Vladimir Lenin’s body in 1924.
22. North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang, translates as “flat land” in Korean.
23. A famous North Korean landmark is the Ryugyong Hotel or the ‘Hotel of Doom’. The Ryugyong Hotel is the world’s tallest unoccupied building. Construction stopped in 1992, and the building stood windowless and hollow for 16 years. It has since been clad in metal and glass and fitted with lighting to illuminate it at night, but it remains unoccupied.
24. North Korea has the only commissioned ship in the US Navy held in captivity. The USS Pueblo was taken captive by North Korea in 1968 after entering North Korean waters. 81 other crew members were also captured but later released. Today, the ship is moored along the Pyongyang River and is a tourist attraction.
25. In 2016, an American tourist was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor after attempting to steal a propaganda poster from a hotel during an organized tour. Otto Warmbier, who fell into a coma during his sentence, was released after 17 months before dying from his illness in the USA.
26. The Pyongyang Metro system also doubles as a nuclear bunker in the event of an American invasion. Stations are located deep below ground, and commuters can even see blast doors that will close if the city comes under nuclear bombardment.
27. North Korea used to use human excrement as fertilizer on cops until the state discovered the practice created a risk of spreading intestinal worms, which deprived people of valuable nutrients.
28. It is claimed that the North Korean leader Kim Jong-il shot 11 hole-in-ones on his first attempt at playing golf after opening the Pyongyang golf complex in 1987.
29. North Korea has one of the largest armies in the world with more than one million soldiers and an estimated reserve of five million. Military service is compulsory with a minimum service of of eight years for men and five years for women.
30. North Korea often ranks last regarding its press freedom records globally, effectively suppressing independent journalism. In 2024, North Korea ranks 177th out of 180 countries. Afghanistan, Syria, and Eritrea currently have lower scores.
31. The North Korean flag has two horizontal blue stripes, a wide red central stripe with thinner white stripes, and a white disk bearing a red star. The red stripe and star represent communism, the blue stands for peace, and the white stands for purity, strength, and dignity.
Every effort has been made to verify these facts about North Korea. However, if you find an error or have any questions, please contact us.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. A teacher for seven years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.