North Korea

[ nawrthkuh-ree-uh, kaw-, koh- ]

noun
  1. Official name Dem·o·crat·ic Peo·ple's Re·pub·lic of Ko·re·a . 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). Capital: Pyongyang.

Other words from North Korea

  • North Ko·re·an, adjective, noun

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How to use North Korea in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for North Korea

North Korea

noun
  1. 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): Official name: Democratic People's Republic of Korea Korean name: Chosŏn

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for North Korea

North Korea

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.

Notes for North Korea

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

Notes for North Korea

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

Notes for North Korea

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.

Notes for North Korea

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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.