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

• North Korean adjective

Example Sentences

Lukashenko, in a recent visit to Pyongyang, agreed with Kim to sign a “friendship treaty” between Belarus and North Korea.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

For example, North Korea has established five-household surveillance-system groups, demanding they hold routine criticism sessions to monitor dissent.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

Although North Korea has relentlessly suppressed religion and vilified American missionaries, the origins of this hereditary cult are found in a surprising place: Protestant Christianity, and in particular, postbellum American Presbyterianism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

Prior to the pandemic, Chinese tourists made up the bulk of foreign visitors to North Korea, numbering roughly 350,000 in 2019 and providing a huge revenue stream for Pyongyang, according to specialist website NK News.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

It put the world on notice that North Korea was moving ever closer to having the ability to strike the continental United States with a nuclear-armed ballistic missile.

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