Claim: A North Korean city's name literally translates to "Flat Land" or "Peaceful Land".

North Korea , officially the Democratic People 's Republic of Korea -LRB- DPRK -RRB- , is a country in East Asia constituting the northern part of the Korean Peninsula .  Pyongyang is the nation 's capital and largest city . To the north and northwest the country is bordered by China and by Russia along the Amnok -LRB- known as the Yalu in China -RRB- and Tumen rivers ; it is bordered to the south by South Korea , with the heavily fortified Korean Demilitarized Zone -LRB- DMZ -RRB- separating the two .   In 1910 , Korea was annexed by the Empire of Japan . After the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II in 1945 , Korea was divided into two zones along the 38th parallel by the United States and the Soviet Union , with the north occupied by the Soviets and the south by the Americans . Negotiations on reunification failed , and in 1948 , separate governments were formed : the socialist Democratic People 's Republic of Korea in the north , and the capitalist Republic of Korea in the south . An invasion initiated by North Korea led to the Korean War -LRB- 1950 -- 1953 -RRB- . The Korean Armistice Agreement brought about a ceasefire , but no peace treaty was signed .   North Korea officially describes itself as a self-reliant socialist state and formally holds elections . Critics regard it as a totalitarian dictatorship . Various media outlets have called it Stalinist , particularly noting the elaborate cult of personality around Kim Il-sung and his family . International organizations have assessed that human rights violations in North Korea have no parallel in the contemporary world . The Workers ' Party of Korea -LRB- WPK -RRB- , led by a member of the ruling family , holds power in the state and leads the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland of which all political officers are required to be members .   Juche , an ideology of national self-reliance , was introduced into the constitution as a `` creative application of Marxism -- Leninism '' in 1972 . The means of production are owned by the state through state-run enterprises and collectivized farms . Most services such as healthcare , education , housing and food production are subsidized or state-funded . From 1994 to 1998 , North Korea suffered a famine that resulted in the deaths of between 240,000 and 3.5 million people , and the country continues to struggle with food production . North Korea follows Songun , or `` military-first '' policy . It is the country with the highest number of military and paramilitary personnel , with a total of 9,495,000 active , reserve , and paramilitary personnel . Its active duty army of 1.21 million is the fourth largest in the world , after China , the United States , and India . It possesses nuclear weapons . North Korea is an atheist state with no official religion and where public religion is discouraged .