North Korea Country & Tourist Information

Location
Far East.

Area
122,762 sq km (47,399 sq miles).

Population
22.9 million (UN estimate 2005).

Population Density
186.5 per sq km.

Capital
Pyongyang.
Population: 2.7 million (1993).

Government
Communist Republic.

Language
Korean.

Religion
Buddhism, Christianity and Chundo Kyo are officially cited as the main religions.

Time
GMT + 9.

Electricity
110/220 volts AC, 60Hz.

Head of Government
Premier Kim Yong-il since 2007.

Head of State
President Kim Jong-il since 1994. Jong-il is officially known as Chairman of the National Defence Commission, with the deceased Kim Il-sung regarded as the ’Eternal President’.

Telephone
Country code: 850. Some hotels in Pyongyang provide direct international calls although this may be expensive.

Mobile Telephone
Limited GSM 900 network. SUNNETis the only network provider.

Internet
Access to the Internet is unavailable.

Media
Radio and TV sets in Korea (Dem Rep) are pre-tuned to government stations with Kim Jong-il propaganda. Press outlets and broadcasters are all under direct state control. The country’s economic hardships or famines are not reported. However, after the historic Korean summit in Pyongyang in 2000, media outlets toned down their fierce denunciations of the Seoul government. Ordinary Koreans (Dem Rep) caught listening to foreign broadcasts risk harsh punishments, such as forced labor.

Post
Services are extremely slow and limited outside the capital. Airmail takes about 10 days to reach Western Europe.

Post office hours: Mon-Sat 0900-2100.

Press
• Rodong Sinmun (Labor Daily) is the organ of the Korean Workers’ Party.
• Other publications include Joson Inmingun (Korean People’s Army Daily), Minju Choson (Democratic Korea), which is government owned and Rodongja Sinmum (Workers’ Newspaper), the organ of the trade union federation.

Radio
• Korean Central Broadcasting Station is the radio station of the Korean Workers’ Party.
• Voice of Korea is a state-run external service, via shortwave.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2007-December 2008 period.

2007
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
16 Feb Kim Jong-il’s Birthday.
15 Apr Day of the Sun/Kim Il-sung’s Birthday.
25 Apr Foundation of the People’s Army.
1 May International Workers’ Day.
27 Jul Victory Day.
15 Aug Anniversary of Liberation.
9 Sep Independence Day. 
*Oct Ch’usok (Harvest Moon Festival).
10 Oct Foundation of the Korean Workers’ Party.
27 Dec Constitution Day.

2008
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
16 Feb Kim Jong-il’s Birthday.
15 Apr Day of the Sun/Kim Il-sung’s Birthday.
25 Apr Foundation of the People’s Army.
1 May International Workers’ Day.
27 Jul Victory Day.
15 Aug Anniversary of Liberation.
9 Sep Independence Day. 
*Oct Ch’usok (Harvest Moon Festival).
10 Oct Foundation of the Korean Workers’ Party.
27 Dec Constitution Day.

Note
* Held on the 15th day of the eighth lunar moon.

Contact Information:

The National Tourism Administration of the DPRK
Central District, Pyongyang, Korea (Dem Rep)
Tel: (2) 381 8901.
E-mail: nta@silibank.com

Kumgangsan International Tourist Company
Central District, Pyongyang, Korea (Dem Rep)
Tel: (2) 31562. Fax: (2) 381 2100.

Embassy of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the UK
73 Gunnersbury Avenue, Ealing, London W5 4LP, UK
Tel: (020) 8992 4965. E-mail: singuk.ha@btinternet.com

General Delegation of the DPRK in France
3 rue Asseline, 75014 Paris, France
Tel: (1) 5654 2603.
E-mail: delegationcoree@wanadoo.fr


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