North Korea emerged in 1948 amid the chaos following the end of World War II. Its history is dominated by its Great Leader, Kim Il-sung, who shaped political affairs for almost half a century.

OVERVIEW

After the Korean War, Kim Il-sung introduced the personal philosophy of Juche, or self-reliance, which became a guiding light for North Korea's development. Kim Il-sung's son, Kim Jong-il, is now head of state, but the post of president has been assigned "eternally" to his late father.

Decades of this rigid state-controlled system have led to stagnation and a leadership dependent on the cult of personality.

AT-A-GLANCE

Politics: Supreme leader Kim Jong-il heads a secretive, communist regime which tolerates no dissent

Economy: North Korea's command economy is dilapidated, hit by natural disasters, poor planning and a failure to modernize

International: With its nuclear ambitions, North Korea presents a serious challenge to those trying to rein it in; the two Koreas are still technically at war. Aid agencies have estimated that up to two million people have died since the mid-1990s because of acute food shortages caused by natural disasters and economic mismanagement. The country relies on foreign aid to feed millions of its people.

The totalitarian state also stands accused of systematic human rights abuses. Reports of torture, public executions, slave labour, and forced abortions and infanticides in prison camps have emerged. A US-based rights group has estimated that there are up to 200,000 political prisoners in North Korea.

Pyongyang has accused successive South Korean governments of being US "puppets", but South Korean President Kim Dae-jung's visit in 2000 signalled a thaw in relations. Seoul's "sunshine policy" towards the north aimed to encourage change through dialogue and aid.

But this tentative reaching-out to the world was dealt a blow in 2002 by Pyongyang's decision to reactivate a nuclear reactor and to expel international inspectors. The country is said to have a handful of nuclear weapons and a uranium enrichment programme. It has declared itself a nuclear power and has an active missile programme.

In October 2006 North Korea said it successfully tested a nuclear weapon, spreading alarm around the region.

Diplomatic efforts have so far failed to rein in North Korea's nuclear ambitions and US President George W Bush has named it as part of an "axis of evil".

North Korea maintains one of the world's largest standing armies and militarism pervades everyday life. But standards of training, discipline and equipment in the force are said to be low.

FACTS

Full name: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Population: 22.9 million (UN, 2005)

Capital: Pyongyang

Area: 122,762 sq km (47,399 sq miles)

Major language: Korean

Major religions: Mainly atheist or non-religious, traditional beliefs

Life expectancy: 60 years (men), 66 years (women) (UN)

Monetary unit: 1 won = 100 chon

Main exports: Minerals and metals, cement, agricultural products

GNI per capita: n/a

Internet domain: .kp

International dialling code: +850

LEADERS

Eternal president: Kim Il-sung (deceased)

Chairman, National Defence Commission: Kim Jong-il

Beyond the elaborate personality cult through which he rules, little is known about Kim Jong-il's character.

"Dear Leader" Kim Jong-il

He is rarely photographed and is almost never heard in radio and TV broadcasts.

After the death of Kim Il-sung in 1994, Kim Jong-il did not immediately assume his father's titles; there were reports that Kim Il-sung's first choice as successor was the younger brother, Kim Yong-ju. Kim Jong-il eventually became head of the Korean Workers' Party in 1997.

He is credited with writing six operas in two years, and with personally designing the huge Juche tower in Pyongyang.

In recent years he has met several world leaders, including the South Korean president and the Japanese prime minister. He has attended summits in Moscow and Beijing.

Mr Kim is sometimes caricatured as a reclusive playboy with bouffant hair, platform shoes and a taste for cognac.

There has been speculation about his health. Mr Kim is said to have gastric problems arising from his love of spicy food. Other reports suggest that he has liver problems. North Korea watchers believe that one of Mr Kim's three sons will become the dictator's anointed heir.

Kim Jong-il was born in Siberia in 1941 during his father's period of exile in the former Soviet Union.

But official North Korean accounts say he was born in a log cabin at his father's guerrilla base on the country's highest mountain - an event marked by a double rainbow and a new star in the sky.

Premier: Pak Pong-ju

Foreign affairs minister: Paek Nam-sun

People's Armed Forces minister: Kim Il-chol

Finance minister: Mun Il-bong

MEDIA

Radio and TV sets in North Korea are pre-tuned to government stations that pump out a steady stream of propaganda. The state has been dubbed the world's worst violator of press freedom by the media rights body Reporters Without Frontiers.

Press outlets and broadcasters - all of them under direct state control - serve up a menu of flattering reports about Kim Jong-il and his daily agenda. North Korea's economic hardships or famines are not reported.

However, after the historic Korean summit in Pyongyang in 2000, media outlets toned down their fierce denunciations of the Seoul government.

Ordinary North Koreans caught listening to foreign broadcasts risk harsh punishments, such as forced labour.

North Korea has a minimal presence on the internet. The web pages of North Korea's official news agency, KCNA, are hosted by the agency's bureau in Japan.

The Press

Rodong Sinmun (Labour Daily) - organ of Korean Workers' Party

Joson Inmingun (Korean People's Army Daily)

Minju Choson (Democratic Korea) - government organ

Rodongja Sinmum (Workers' Newspaper) - organ of trade union federation

Television and radio

Korean Central Broadcasting Station - radio station of Korean Workers' Party

Korean Central TV - TV station of Korean Workers' Party

Mansudae TV - cultural station

Voice of Korea - state-run external service, via shortwave

Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)

Related Links:

Inside North Korea

A gulag with nukes: inside North Korea

Video shows executions, life inside North Korea

Inside North Korea's bubble