North Korea-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

North Korea-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

North Korea-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
In 1945, Korea, a country bordering on China, was liberated from Japan. Three years later, a demilitarized zone littered with landmines separated the country into North and South regions. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or North Korea, was established under leader Kim Il Sung, who ruled as Great Leader until his death in 1994. In 1998, his son and successor Kim Jong Il took highest office in North Korea, with head of government Premier Choe Yong Rim. The DPRK, known as the hermit nation, is a nation plagued by corruption, inhumane treatment, and hunger. With a valid-looking constitution setting up an entire government, the DPRK is actually a one-man dictatorship, with an idolized leader who is practically worshipped by all citizens, regardless of their well-being. Reports of famine and human rights violations from the country are extensive. However, official government information is seldom published, and many of the actual statistics of the population remain secret.
The DPRK’s constitution was amended in 1972, in 1998, then in 2009. It contains 167 articles and 7 chapters that explicitly outline socialist principles and Juche ideology (principles similar to Marxism, developed by Kim Il Sung, naming the Korean working class as crucial to North Korean development), establish a centralist government and a self reliant economy, list expectations and rights of citizens, and set up the structure of the government and military, all while praising the Great Leader Kim Il Sung and the superiority of the Korean people. The constant praise of Juche ideals, the Great Leader, and the aim for a perfect socialist society actually makes up the majority of the text in the constitution, while actual laws and regulations are scattered in between.
The constitution prefaces with a brief history of the DPRK’s founding by the Great Leader, Kim Il Sung. The first chapter establishes the DPRK as “an independent socialist...

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