Question

Please describe the global forces that influence the demographics of North Korea?

Answer 1

The population of North Korea mainly consists of Koreans (with a small Chinese and few ethnic Japanese populations). It is estimated that the North Korean economy consists of approx. 25,549,604 people. Further, the population growth rate has been estimated to be 0.51%.

Some of the global forces that influence the demographics of North Korea are discussed as under:

- 1994 to 1998 FAMINE – One of the most deadly famines shook North Korea from 1994 to 1998 which resulted in deaths of approx. 420,000 people. The impact of the famine can still be seen in North Korea as the population continues to suffer from problems like malnutrition, and anemia. Due to the impact of the famine, the population of North Korea declined significantly.

- MILITARY-FIRST POLICY - North Korea follows a "military-first" policy with approx. 37% of its population serving as military and paramilitary personnel. North Korea has the fourth-largest active duty army in the world after China, the US, and India. The ideology of the caretakers of North Korea has been to build a strong-armed force to protect the Country. This can be largely attributed to the Korean War which was a major blow to the economy and its population. Further, the region of Pyongyang has become extremely isolated due to the continuous military and nuclear experiments being undertaken by the economy.

- KOREAN WAR – The Korean War led by the United States carried out to defend the countries of the South was a major blow to the population of North Korea. The war began when the military of North Korea invaded most of the Southern countries. Though the war ended by restoring the boundaries of North Korea and South Korea, approx. 3 million have been estimated to die as a result of the war. The death toll is more than the cases arising due to World War II. This is another big incident where the North Korean country lost approx. 15% of its total population.

- LITERACY – North Korea is very strict when it comes to education. The country has mandated primary and secondary education for children. As per the 2008 census, the entire North Korean population was listed as literate. However, the case is a little different when it comes to higher education mainly because most of the citizens are inclined to join the army and serve the country. That is why most of the students from a compulsory education background do not attend universities and instead join the armed forces. 50% of the courses comprise of ideological subjects with 20% science subjects. Some researchers consider the same to be an imbalance in the curriculum.