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 P'yongyang.
Note: A communist country that used to have close ties with the Soviet Union, North Korea, continues to maintain a close relationship with China.
Note: It was established in 1948 after two occupation zones were set up in northern and southern Korea during World War II.
Note: 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.
Note: Run by one most closed and repressive regimes on Earth, North Korea has suffered from food shortages and a deteriorating economy.