Where is North Korea?
North Korea is located on the Northern half of the Korean peninsula in north eastern Asia. The border between the two Koreas was originally drawn along the 38 th parallel, and whilst it's often referred to as such, it does not follow this in a straight line.
North Korea shares a land border with South Korea to the south, China to the north, and a small part with Russia in the north east. In fact, for any land border nerds out there, there's a spot where you can see all three countries at once! This is it, pictured here.
The majority of the country is mountainous with the highest mountain of the country, Mount Paektu, split between China and North Korea. The most populated part of the DPRK runs along the western side of the country, which is where Pyongyang, as well as the main agricultural, centres are located.
Until very recently, North Korea saw the peninsula as a whole country with the end goal of reunification. This was a very significant part of the ethos of North Korean culture, and is why it was important to refer to the country as either "Korea" or "DPRK", when inside. After an announcement in January of 2023, this has now changed and the North has now deemed the South as an enemy state and has now ended the goal of reunification.
Regions of North Korea
North Korea is divided between nine administrative regions and three main economic cities. The three cities with separate administrative status are Nampo (on the west coast), Pyongyang (the capital) and Rason (a special economic zone in the north east along the border with Russia).
Pyongyang
The capital and beating heart of North Korea is Pyongyang. Pyongyang lies on the banks of the Taedong river and is one of the oldest cities on the Korean peninsula, having previously been the capital of two ancient Korean kingdoms. It currently has an estimated population of around 3.8 million people and is the largest city in North Korea.
The name Pyongyang means "flat land" and refers to the geography of area surrounding the city, which is, you got it - low and flat.
The city was almost completely destroyed following the Korean war, however, was rebuilt with the assistance of the Soviet Union. The city’s streets are categorised for different purposes such as education, government and the arts. It is common to find streets with names like "future scientist street" which is said to house students and teachers from nearby educational institutions in futuristic looking buildings.
Rason Special Economic Zone
The Rason Special Economic Zone was set up in the 1990s to increase economic investment into the country. It is located on the western side of the Tumen river in the north eastern most part of the country, bordering both China and Russia (and where you can take an epic picture of the three countries, just like ours). It has been set up in a similar style to the special economic zones of China where they aim to pilot different market economics to the rest of the country. Rason also serves as a warm water port for both North Korea and Russia. And in terms of travel, it's just a very different side to North Korea than what you'll see in other parts of the country.