PROFILE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S
REPUBLIC OF KOREA

OFFICIAL NAME

Democratic People's Republic of Korea
(Short form: DPRK or North Korea)

GEOGRAPHY

• Capital of DPRK: Pyongyang
• Country Surface area: 120,540 km²
• Location: Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea.
• Terrain: mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east.
• Climate: temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer.

PEOPLE

• Poplation: over 23.6 million (July 2007 est.)
• Life expectancy: male: 69.18 years, female: 74.8 years (2007 est.)
• Birth rate:15.06 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
• Death rate: 7.21 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
• Languages: Korean
• Religion: traditionally Buddhist, Confucianism, Christian and
• syncretic Chondogyo (or Religion of the Heavenly Way).

GOVERNMENT

• Government type: Communist State
• Nationality: Korean
• Independence: 15 August 1945 (from Japan).
• National Holiday: 9 September 1948
• Executive branch: Chief of state: KIM Jong Il (since July 1994); Note; on 3 September 2003, rubber-stamp Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) re-elected KIM Jong Il chairman of the National Defence Commission, a position accorded nation's "highest administrative authority"; Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) re-elected KIM Yong Nam President of its Presidium also with responsibility of representing state and receiving diplomatic credentials.
• Head of government: Premier KIM Yong Il (since 11 April 2007); Vice Premiers THAE Jong Su (since 16 October 2007).
• Cabinet: Naegak (cabinet) members, except for Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by SPA.
• Elections: last held in September 2003 (next to be held in September 2008)
• Election results: KIM Jong Il and KIM Yong Nam were only nominees for positions and ran unopposed.
• Legislative branch: unicameral SPA or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms).
• Judicial branch: Central Court (judges are elected by the SPA).

POLITICAL SYSTEM

• The DPRK political system is a rigid communist dictatorship led by the Korean Workers' Party (KWP) and its leader. The Constitution divides power between the KWP and the State Administrative Council, but many senior figures hold positions in both the Party and the bureaucracy. The KWP is the DPRK's top political institution. KWP Party Congress is the decision-making body, while the Central Committee (CC) appoints the General-Secretary (who heads the KWP). The CC also appoints the KWP's Political Bureau. Important positions in the government, economy and the military are held by party members or officials while KWP Secretaries generally exercise greater authority over policy and administrative issues than government Ministers. Although open to mass membership, access to the Party is denied to those without a 'reliable' class background.

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

• Currency: North Korean Won (KPW).
• Natural resources: coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydro-power.
• Exports - commodities: minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments), textiles, agricultural and fishery products.
• Imports - commodities: petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment, textiles, grain
• Exports - partners: South Korea 32%, China 29%, Thailand 9%
• Economic aid - recipient: $372 million Note: approximately 65,000 metric tons in food aid through the World Food Program appeals in 2007, plus additional aid from bilateral donors and non-governmental organizations (2007 est.).
• Import partners: China 27%, South Korea 16%, Thailand 9%, Russia 7%

FOREIGN TRADE

• DPRK's has strong bilateral trade with China and the ROK or South Korea.. The total DPRK trade with China was US$1.70 billion in 2006, up 7.5% compared to $1.58 billion in 2005.

NAMIBIA AND DPRK BILATERAL RELATIONS

Namibia is one of the African countries that has established diplomatic with DPRK. DPRK offered selfless spiritual and material aid to the Namibian people in their struggle for the independence of the country and a new life, and now the Chief of DPRK State Kim Jong Il is paying deep attention to the development of friendly and cooperative relations between the DPRK and Namibia.

President Hifikepunye Pohamba and Former Namibian President and the Father of the Nation Dr. Sam Nujoma visited the DPRK. They were accorded an opportunity to lay a wreath before the Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery in memory of the revolutionary martyrs who fought for the liberation of Korea.

The friendly and cooperative relations between Namibia and the DPRK have steadily developed under the deep care of the top leaders of the two countries.
The DPRK has provided sincere and full support, financially and logistically with many specialists in different fields to several Third World countries in Africa.

KOREAN ENTOURAGE

H.E. Comrade Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK is scheduled to arrive in Namibia for an official visit on Thursday, 20 March 2008 for the 18th anniversary of Namibia’s independence and the official inauguration of the new State House on Friday, 21 March 2008.

Comrade Nam will be accompanied by a delegation of 23 people, including the DPRK Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Pak Ui Chum, the Minister of Foreign Trade, Mr. Ri Ryong Nam, the Minister of Public Health, Mr. Choe Chang Sik and the counsellor of the Department of External Relations of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, Mr. Ko Song Sun.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was one of the staunch supporters of SWAPO during the period of the liberation struggle. The new State House in Auasblick, Windhoek, was mainly constructed by DPRK builders, hence the invitation to Comrade Kim Yong Nam to witness the official inauguration of the building on 21 March 2008.

During his stay in Namibia, Comrade Nam will have official talk with representatives of the Namibian government and it is expected that a number of agreements would be signed during the visit. After the official banquet on Thursday, 20 March 2008, President Hifikepunye Pohamba is also scheduled to confer some honours to DPRK leaders.

On Friday, 21 March 2008, Comrade Nam and his delegation will attend the 18th independence anniversary celebrations and the inauguration of the new State House in Auasblick.

On Saturday, 22 March, his is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Dr. Sam Nujoma, Founding Father of the Namibian Nation, before departing to the Heroes’ Acre for a wreath-laying ceremony.

Comrade Nam and his delegation will depart back to the DPRK on Sunday, 23 March 2008.

programme for the official visit by h.e. comrade kim yong NAm, president of the presidium of the supreme people’s assembly of the dEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUblic OF kOREA (DPRK) to Namibia from 20 - 23 march 2008

Thursday, 20 march 2008

Arrival ceremony, hosea kutako international airport

12h20 : Arrival of Cabinet Ministers

12h30 : Arrival of Hon. Dr. Libertina Amathila, MP, Deputy Prime
Minister of the Republic of Namibia

12h45 : Arrival of Rt. Hon. Nahas Angula, MP, Prime Minister of the
Republic of Namibia

13h00 : Arrival of H.E., Comrade Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of the Republic of Namibia

13h20 : Arrival of H.E., Comrade Kim Yong Nam, President of the
Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK.

The Ambassador of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Namibian Chief of Protocol board the aircraft

H.E. the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK disembark the aircraft and are welcomed by H.E. the President of the Republic of Namibia and introduced to the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister, the Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Service Chiefs

Presentation of Flowers

Proceed to the Saluting Dais

Mount Dais

19 Gun Salute concurrently with the Korean National Anthem and Namibian National Anthem

Inspection of the Guard of Honour

Return to Dais

National Anthems

March pass

Proceed to the presentation line, H.E. Comrade Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of the Republic of Namibia presents the Cabinet Ministers to the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK

The Chief of Protocol presents the Members of the Diplomatic Corps

View Cultural performances

14h00 : Departure for Windhoek

17h05 : Tête-â-Tête at State House

17h40 : Official Talks at State House

18h30 : End of Official Talks

Signing of Agreements

20h00 : Official Banquet in honour of H.E. Comrade Kim Yong Nam,
President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly of
the DPRK at the Safari Hotel

: Conferment of Honours

22h00 : End of Official Banquet

FRIDAY, 21 MARCH 2008

09h30 : Departure for the 18th Independence Anniversary
Celebration and Inauguration of the New State House

SATURDAY, 22 MARCH 2008

10h00 : Courtesy call by H.E. Dr. Sam Nujoma Founding President
and the Father of the Namibian Nation

11h10 : Arrival at Heroes’ Acre

- Wreath-Laying Ceremony

SUNDAY 23, MARCH

12h30 : Arrival at Hosea Kutako International Airport


departure ceremony, hosea kutako international airport

09h30 : Arrival of the Public and Cultural Groups

09h30 : Arrival of the Guard of Honour and the Military Band

10h45 : Arrival of the Service Chiefs

11h00 : Arrival of the Heads of Diplomatic Mission and International
Organizations

11h15 : Arrival of Cabinet Ministers

11h30 : Arrival of Hon. Dr. Libertina Amathila, MP, Deputy Prime
Minister of the Republic of Namibia

11h40 : Arrival of Rt. Hon. Nahas Angula, MP, Prime Minister of the
Republic of Namibia

12h30 : Arrival of Their Excellencies, Comrades Kim Yong
Nam, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
of the DPRK and Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of the
Republic of Namibia

Received by Rt. Hon. Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs
and Service Chiefs

Proceed to the Saluting Dais

National Anthems

Inspection of the Guard of Honour

Return to Dais

National Anthems

March pass

H.E. Comrade Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of the Republic of Namibia, presents his Cabinet Ministers to the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK

The Chief of Protocol presents the Members of the Diplomatic Corps

View Cultural Performances

Farewell to the Service Chiefs, the Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs,
the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister

Farewell to H.E. Comrade Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of the Republic of Namibia

12h45 : Departure of the visiting President

H.E. the President of the Republic of Namibia departs for State House