North Korea
North Korea: Political System
North Korea is constitutionally a people's democratic republic. The
officially highest constitutional body is the "Supreme People's Assembly". The
original constitution from 1972 was last amended in 1998. After that, the
country is ruled by a Prime Minister and a Central People's Committee.
The parliament, i.e. the Supreme People's Assembly, is officially the highest
state organ and thus its chairman is the country's official head of state. The
country does not have a living president, as the late Kim Il Sung was named
"Eternal President". His embalmed corpse is laid out in a mausoleum built for
him in Pyongyang and can be venerated there, comparable to the Lenin mausoleum
in Moscow.
The nearly 700 members of the Supreme People's Assembly are elected every
four years. But the candidates are named centrally and opposing candidates are
impossible. The Supreme People's Assembly meets twice a year for a few days, and
its function is comparable to that of the People's Chamber of the old GDR.
The ruling party of the country is the Communist Workers' Party of Korea, the
general secretary heads the party, it was until December 2011 "Kim Jong-il
(1942-2011) who was the real ruler of the country.
On December 17th 2011 the" Beloved Leader passed away "Kim Jong-il", who had
ruled the country for 17 years since 1994.
Just a few days after Kim Jong-il's death, his youngest son "Kim Jong Un" (born
1983) was at the head of the state.
The official North Korean news agency KCNA described him as a "great heir" and
"outstanding leader of the party, army and people". He is also known as the
"respected marshal".
According to Digopaul.com,
the official name of the country is:
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| People's Democratic Republic of North Korea |
National anthem
Based on flag descriptions by
Countryaah.com, the national anthem of North Korea was written by Pak Se-yong (1902-1989) and
set to music by Kim Won-gyon (1917-2002). It became the country's official
anthem in 1948. In Korean, but with Latin letters, it reads:
| A ch'im un pinnara i kangsan
Un'gum e, chawon do kaduk han
Samch'olli, arumdaun nae choguk,
Panmannyon oraen ryoksa e.
Ch'allan han munhwa ro charanan
Sulgiroun inmin ui i yonggwang:
Momgwa mam ta pach'yo, i, choson
Kiri pattuse.Paektusan'gisang ul ta an'go.
Kullo ui chongsin un kitturo.
Chilli ro mungch 'yo chin oksen ttut
On segye apso nagari.
Sonnun him nodo do naemiro,
Inmin ui ttus uro son nara.
Han opsi pugang hanun
I choson kiri pinnaese. |
And in the English translation
| Let the morning sun shine on the gold and silver of this land,
three thousand miles packed with natural resources.
My beautiful fatherland.
The merit of a wise people
produced a great culture.
Let us give our bodies and minds to
support this Korea forever.The enterprise, bound by the truth, will be
a nest for the working
spirit that embraces the spirit of Mount Paektu
and goes out into the whole world.
The land was founded with the will of the people,
To fight the waves with rising force.
Let us praise this Korea forever,
infinitely rich and strong. |
Animals in North Korea
Mammals
Deer, mountain antelopes, Manchurai weasels, lynxes, northern pikas,
muskrats and the Amur tiger live in the northern forests and mountains. With a
length of 1.40 to 2.80 m and a height of 80 to 110 cm, the latter is the largest
and at the same time the most endangered species of big cats.
In addition to wild boars, it also eats deer and other larger mammals. In
addition to a few individuals in North Korea, there are also individual animals
in China. The big cat, also known as the Siberian tiger, is most widespread in
the Amur-Ussuri region in eastern Siberia.
You can also encounter foxes, wild boars, wolves and leopards here. The latter,
however, are located in rather remote areas. In the lowlands, black bears, river
deer, mandarin vole, bats, shrews and chipmunks are more common.
Reptiles, amphibians
The Chinese fire-bellied toad comes from North Korea and China. The up
to 6 cm large animal is strongly bound to the water and feeds on earthworms,
crickets and house crickets. The green back color with black spots and the red
or yellow-black lower abdomen are characteristic.
Poisonous animals
This is where the adder occurs.
Birds
There are both migratory and migratory birds in North Korea. The
Chinese little egret belongs to the migratory birds. The ring-necked pheasant
and the pine-biter are common. Cranes, pigeons and waterfowl are also among the
more common occurrences in North Korea.
On the Paektusan mountain you can find the black grouse, the hawk owl, the
small-spotted woodpecker, the three-toed woodpecker and the willow tit. The
black and white colored Tristram woodpecker is one of the protected species. The
red cheeks and red crown of the 46 cm tall bird are striking.
Insects, spiders
Anopheles mosquitoes are common along the border of North and South
Korea and there is a low risk of malaria infection.
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