North Korea

American  

[nawrth kuh-ree-uh, kaw-, koh-] / ˈnɔrθ kəˈri ə, kɔ-, koʊ- /

noun

1. Official Name Democratic People's Republic of Korea.  a country in East Asia: formed 1948 after the division of the former country of Korea at the 38th parallel. 50,000 sq. mi. (129,500 sq. km). Pyongyang.

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North Korea British  

noun

1. Official name: Democratic People's Republic of Korea.  Korean name: Chosŏn.  a republic in NE Asia, on the Sea of Japan (East Sea) and the Yellow Sea: established in 1948 as a people's republic; mostly rugged and mountainous, with fertile lowlands in the west Language: Korean. Currency: won. Capital: Pyongyang. Pop: 24 720 407 (2013 est). Area: 122 313 sq km (47 225 sq miles)

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North Korea Cultural  

1. Republic on northern Korean Peninsula on east coast of Asia, bounded on the north by China, on the northeast by Russian Siberia, on the east by the Sea of Japan, on the south by South Korea, and on the west by the Yellow Sea and Korea Bay. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang.

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Discover More

The Korean War began in 1950, when North Korean forces invaded South Korea. Supplied by the Soviets, and eventually joined by the Chinese, North Korea fought forces of South Korea and the United Nations.

It was established in 1948 after two occupation zones were set up in northern and southern Korea during World War II.

Run by one most closed and repressive regimes on Earth, North Korea has suffered from food shortages and a deteriorating economy.

A communist country that used to have close ties with the Soviet Union, North Korea, continues to maintain a close relationship with China.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• North Korean
  adjective

Example Sentences

North Korea, believing that Chinese-style economic reforms would endanger the absolute control of the Kim dynasty, built up a nuclear arsenal to shore up the regime’s power indefinitely.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

"We simply cannot afford to become like North Korea," he said.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

Before Chinese leader Xi Jinping landed in Pyongyang on Monday for a two-day summit with Kim Jong Un, he sent a mission statement to the people of North Korea.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

"No matter how the times change or how the international situation evolves, the traditional friendship between China and North Korea is always invincible," Xi wrote.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

To get out of North Korea, more than half of the refugees said they paid cash to bribe officials or buy help from professional smugglers.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden