North Korea, officially the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia constituting the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. North Korea, like its southern counterpart, South Korea, claims to be the legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands.
In 1910, Korea was annexed by Imperial Japan. At the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II in 1945, Korea was divided into two zones, with the north occupied by the Soviet Union and the south occupied by the United States. 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 (1950–1953). The Korean Armistice Agreement brought about a ceasefire, but no peace treaty was signed.
Websites
YouTube
- Exploring Stamps: Season 2/Ep.10 – Message from North Korea
- Stamp Chats: North Korea and South Korea – First Issues after World War II
