History of North Korea

After Russia's defeat in the war with Japan in 1905, Korea became a protectorate of Japan. In 1910, a treaty was signed in August 1910 on the annexation of Korea to Japan. Korea became a colony of Japan. The Japanese colonization of Korea was extremely brutal. Repression and violence extended not only to political activists, but also to the ordinary population of Korea.

Koreans tried to protest. Protests swept through Korean students studying in Tokyo, and mass protests began in Korea in 1919. The protests were brutally suppressed. The Japanese policy of assimilation of Korea was tightened. At the same time, a strict military-police system of violence and oppression was created. The use of the Korean language in government institutions was prohibited and its teaching in schools was stopped, and a campaign was carried out to replace Korean surnames with Japanese ones.

After Japan's defeat in 1945, the Korean Peninsula was divided by the United States and the Soviet Union along the 38th parallel. In 1948, the Republic of Korea was created in the southern part of the peninsula under the leadership of Syngman Rhee, who sought to oppose communism. In northern Korea, the Soviets supported communist guerrilla Kim Il Sung, who became prime minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

In 1950-1953, the Korean War between north and south took place on the peninsula. The parties signed a truce without signing a peace treaty, the borders remained unchanged.

With the support of the Soviet Union, North Korea achieved success in developing mining and heavy industries. After the death of Kim Il Sung in 1994, his son Kim Jong Il took over the country and was succeeded by his son Kim Jong Un. The constitution defines North Korea as a "dictatorship of people's democracy" under the leadership of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The country continues to develop along the socialist path, providing its citizens with free education, medical care, housing, and support for the elderly population.

Over the past decades, after the very difficult 90s of the 20th century, North Korea has made a powerful leap forward. The issue of food security was resolved, market mechanisms began to be integrated into the economy, China provided significant investment support, although since 2016 the country has been under draconian US sanctions, which have banned almost all North Korean exports - from coal to seafood. China remains the country's main trading partner, with up to 90% of North Korean exports sent there. Cooperation with Russia is also developing.

The DPRK's debt to the Soviet Union, which Russia inherited, was written off. In June 2024, Russia and the DPRK signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement, which also includes mutual military assistance. In April 2025, the Russian President thanked the North Korean military for their participation in the liberation of the Kursk region from the Armed Forces of Ukraine.