Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Eastern Asia
Isolated · Austere · Mythic
North Korea (officially Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is a country located in Eastern Asia. Its capital city is Pyongyang, with other major cities including Hamhung and Chongjin. With a population of approximately 25.9M, the main language spoken is Korean. The country covers an area of 120,538 km². The official currency is the North Korean won (₩). Traffic drives on the right side.
North Korea runs on 'Pyongyang Time', set 30 minutes behind South Korea as a symbolic act of independence.
Pyongyang serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of North Korea, positioned in Eastern Asia. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Hamhung, Chongjin — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Pyongyang is one of the world's most deliberately designed capitals — Kim Il-sung ordered its reconstruction after the Korean War as a showcase socialist city, producing the 170-metre Juche Tower, the Ryugyong Hotel's unfinished pyramid, and wide boulevards built for mass pageantry rather than pedestrian life.
With a population of approximately 25.9M, North Korea is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Korean, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, North Korea is reached via the dialling code +850. North Koreans participate in the Mass Games, Arirang — a choreographed performance involving up to 100,000 citizens that produces human mosaics visible from the stadium's opposite stand, a display of collective precision with no modern parallel.
North Korea spans 120,538 km², in the Eastern Asia subregion of Asia. Geographically centred around 40.0°N, 127.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Asia convention.
The official currency is the North Korean won (₩), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. North Korea's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+09:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Football holds a special place in the heart of North Korea's national identity. North Korea's 1966 World Cup squad, entirely unknown outside the country, defeated Italy 1–0 and reached the quarter-finals in England, a result still celebrated domestically as proof of Juche self-reliance and never officially explained by the Italian Football Federation.
The highest point in North Korea is Baekdu Mountain, rising to 2,744 metres above sea level. Paektu Mountain, a 2,744-metre volcanic peak straddling the Chinese border, holds a crater lake called Heaven Lake and sits at the ideological core of Korean mythology — the regime claims Kim Jong-il was born on its slopes, binding geography to dynastic legitimacy.