North Korea Research Paper

North Korea is a country well known for its rich history, landscape, culture as well as much controversy. North Korea, which is located in Eastern Asia, is very easily identifiable on any map. North Korea has the Sea of Japan to the East, the Yellow Sea to the west, Russia and China to the North and of course South Korea directly due south. With an estimated population of nearly 25 million North Korea is a very populated as well as a very secretive country. North Korea is a land rich with culture and history combined with controversy, conflict and political turmoil. There are many key events in the history of this great country that has helped shape as well as mold North Korea into the intriguing and secretive country that it has become

Many of these religions are a combination of other major religions, including Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. Many of these religions became popular in North Korea from its neighbors in China and Japan. There have been some new age religions practiced throughout the country as well. One that has gained in popularity recently is Ch'ndogyo. “Another important religious tradition is Ch'ndogyo. A new religion that developed out of the Tonghak (Eastern Learning) Movement of the mid- and late nineteenth century, Ch'ndogyo emphasizes the divine nature of all people. A syncretic religion, Ch'ndogyo contains elements of shamanism, Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, and Catholicism.” (Library of Congress) During the time between 1945 and the end of the Korean War, many Christians fled the country to escape many of the antireligious policies enabled were a threat to the citizens to practice any religion they chose. There is a very small amount of Christians in North Korea as many have fled to other countries or have adopted other religious practices. “Many if not most observers of North Korea would agree that the country's official religion is the cult of Kim Il Sung.” (Library of Congress) This has been the case for quite some time and there does not appear to be any change in the near

North Korea has always prided itself of its military capabilities, military strength and military technology. North Korea has also received the title of the most corrupt state in the world and has continued to bolster the strength of its military capabilities. “The border between North Korea and South Korea is one of the most militarized in the world, according to the State Department. Pyongyang has about 1.2 million military personnel compared with 680,000 troops in South Korea, where 28,000 U.S. troops are located. Nearly 6 million North Koreans are reservists in the worker/peasant guard, compulsory to the age of 60.” (Research, USA) The military of North Korea is powerful due to the amount of military it is not without a lot of deficiencies and issues within its military power. The vast majority of the military equipment North Korea has is unusable and extremely outdated. The military equipment that is still fully capable is a lot of missiles and air defense equipment that is constantly in the news. North Korea has continued to violate many sanctions and has postured the military capabilities; it has when it comes to ballistic missiles and firepower. The regime of North Korea has continued on its path of posturing aggressively with its military and ruling the citizens of its country through fear and control. “Finally, the sheer level of cruelty