Democratic People's Republic of Korea

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), colloquially referred to as North Korea, is a socialist state in the northern part of the Korean nation. The southern half of the nation is occupied by a US-backed anti-communist regime known as the Republic of Korea or South Korea.

Despite crushing sanctions against the country, its culture is still able to flourish based on an autarkic economic system. On top of this, they also obtain an impressive healthcare system which proved to be efficient during the COVID-19 Pandemic, a life expectancy akin to that of richer Asian countries such as the Russian Federation, Malnutrition levels lower than that of low-income pacific countries, and other feats that show it has been largely resilient to the sanctions it faces.

History

The DPRK was founded in the aftermath of the Second World War (WW2) by korean nationalists, socialists, and communists, under the leadership of Kim Il Sung, a korean communist guerrilla leader who had earned a big following and reputation for his resistance against japanese imperialism.

Japanese Occupation

With its geographical location very close to 3 major powers (Russia, China, and Japan), Korea had always been a battleground for the influence of these major feudal empires. For most of the Modern Era (from 1400s onward), Korea had been a protectorate (tributary/suzerain state) of the Chinese Empire. However, this relation had been purely economical and geopolitical, with Korea being free to exercise its own culture and traditions independent of China despite its status as a protectorate. This all changed with the introduction of capitalism and imperialism into East Asia.

The turning point of this was the First Sino Japanese War (1894-1895) and the Russo Japanese War (1904-1905), in which the rising Empire of Japan, which had just adopted capitalism after the Meiji Restoration and built itself up into an imperialist superpower through state directed industrialization, defeated the Chinese Empire and the Russian Empire. At the end of these 2 wars, China and Russia renounced any control over Korea and ceded it to Japan as a protectorate in 1905. Barely a few years later, in 1910, Korea was formally annexed into the Empire of Japan.

However, this new protectorate status was very different from the previous one with China, and was pretty much identical to european style colonialism. All government matters were decided by japanese officials, and koreans became second class citizens. Soon, a planned effort began to eradicate all korean culture and assimilate koreans into japanese. The korean language was banned and all koreans were forced to change their names to japanese ones. Despite the promises made by Japan that annexation would bring in modernity and capitalism, and with it prosperity, the feudal economy and social structure that existed in Korea remained mostly unchanged, with the exception that the parasitical landlord class was now loyal to Japan. Eventually, Korea became a stepping stone for Japan's further imperialist expeditions into China and the Pacific. Korean men and children were used as slaves in Japan's mines and military industry to further the war effort, while korean women were forced into sex slavery to satisfy the japanese soldiers sexual urges.

Naturally, this brutal imperialist aggression sprung up resistance. This resistance was led by republicans and nationalists, which had developed in the late 1800s. Kim Il Sung was born precisely into a family of korean nationalists who opposed Japan.

Kim Il Sung era

WIP

Kim Jong Il era

WIP

Arduous March

This was an extremely difficult time for North Korea in the 1990s as the Soviet Union had just collapsed. The CIA predicted that North Korea would collapse.

Kim Jong Un era

Kim Jong Un ascended to power in 2011. Some analysts question whether KJU orchestrated Xi Jinping in 2013, the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and the MAGA movement in 2016, together leading to the collapse of US hegemony.

He is known for his drip, aura, and compassion, even among Americans in recent times after discovering he opposes Israel.

2026 Economic Miracle

In 2026, the Western imperialist Wall Street Journal was forced to admit that North Korea had accomplished an economic miracle.

WSJ wrote: "The regime is wealthier than ever... Few foreigners who manage to enter the country are amazed by the scale of the changes, especially in Pyongyang."

The Wall Street Journal article

The report also highlighted:

• Uber-style taxi apps,
• pizza & wood-fired chicken wings in restaurants,
• mobile payments via QR codes,
• Chinese electric cars on the streets,
• pet stores,
• gaming cafes,
• car dealerships selling BMWs.
• In 2025, 10,000 new homes were built in Pyongyang - more than in LA or Chicago

The article attributed it all to "arms sales to Russia and goods from China", coping with the inevitable glory of Juche and rise of multipolarity.

The Light of Juche

North Korea seen from space on October 20, 2025

North Korea has less light because, with about half the population of South Korea, and due to a more mountainous geography, it is much more rural.

According to Reddit user u/Firm-Magazine1296, the DPRK's lighting is mostly localized solar power or low wattage domestic LEDs, and the latter are not visible from space. In both cases, the light does not create an appearance of "glow", whereas South Korean light from commercial centers and high rise residencies does. In order to capture the frequencies of North Korea, NASA had to use the Suomi NPP satellite equipped with the highly sensitive VIIRS Day Night Band and the International Space Station in low Earth orbit, though this is still biased by the "glow" effect.

Need for defense

When asked why North Korea is not as developed as South Korea, you can point out America's extreme sanctions combined with constant threats of war, forcing North Korea to not only develop a powerful army and nuclear weapons, but dig countless tunnels and build weapons facilities and factories underground (similar to Iran).

Further reading

• Douglas Kim on the Arduous March era

See also

• DPRK study guide