A brief overview of North Korea's history and discussion of current issues in the country.

1. North Korea
Mr. McDuffie
7th Grade
World Geography

2. 3 Main Topics
 Korean War- how did
things get so bad?
 Current conditions-
what is life like for North
Koreans?
 Nuclear program- what
might happen in the
future?

3. Korean War
 1950-1953
 Resulted in the division
of Korea
 Peace treaty has not
been signed

4. Division of Korea
 Japan took over Korea in 1910
 After Japan is defeated in WWII, U.S. and
Soviet Union divide up Korea
 North, controlled by Soviets, became
Communist. South, controlled by U.S.
became Capitalist.
 Cold War begins and tensions grow between
North and South

5. War Begins
 Kim il-Sung put in
power by Soviets
 Asks to invade South
Korea to reunite
country
 Nearly takes over
South Korea
 U.S. sends troops to
support South Koreans

6. U.S. Involvement
 President Harry S. Truman wanted to prevent spread of
Communism
 U.S.-led forces fought back to near the Chinese border
 China supports North Korea, drives back South Koreans

7. 38th Parallel
 1953- Ceasefire agreed to, but no peace treaty
 38th Parallel becomes border between North and
South

8. Recent Events
 1991- Soviet Union collapses
 North Korea no longer has financial support
 Starvation and hardship for many citizens
followed
 U.S. not willing to help

9. Floods have frequently wiped out grain harvests,
leading to famine.
Nearly 2 million people died in the mid 1990s from famine.

10. Life in North Korea
 13 million people are
malnourished (60% of
children)
 Over 1 million soldiers
in military
 U.S. = 1.5 million
soldiers; population is 12
times higher
 Government spent 30%
of budget on military
 U.S. = 20%
 Citizens are forbidden
to have contact with
outside countries
through phone and
internet

11. Citizens of North Korea must obey a curfew.
Satellite photos show lights turned off
throughout the country.

12. Rural areas are extremely poverty stricken.

13. Kim Jong-il
 Dictator of North Korea
from 1994 - 2011
 Extremely unstable
 Critics are jailed
 Has ordered monuments
built around the country
 Birthday is a national
holiday
 Imported 200 Mercedes
Benz sedans ($20
million)

14. Death of Kim Jong Il
 Died of a heart attack
on December 17,
2011.
 Body will be embalmed
and put on public
display.
 Citizens who did not
mourn enough have
been sentenced to 6
months in labor camps.
 Succeeded by his
son, Kim Jong-un
 CNN profile

15. Nuclear Program
 2002- admitted to developing weapons
 2006- claimed to have successfully tested weapons
 2009- successful nuclear test, caused 4.7 seismic event
 February, 2013- successful underground nuclear test
 Considered by U.S. government to be a threat