Country Report North Korea August 2009

Publication Date	August 2009
Publisher	EIU
Product Type	Report
Pages	23
ISBN Number	not applicable
Product Code	EIU00333

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Summary

You may have noticed that since the second quarter of this year some additional content has started to appear in your monthly and quarterly Country Reports. We are now including a country map, and a range of basic data (selected to be useful for business travellers in particular), in every Country Report. For most countries, except a few for which data is in very short supply, we are also including comparative economic indicators that show each country's position relative to regional peers, in an easy-to-read graphical format.

In addition, for 176 countries the Country Reports will now include an annual analysis of each country's position in the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index, which ranks countries in terms of their level of democracy based on five key categories. These analyses were published in the second quarter of this year (in the April Country Reports for countries covered on a monthly basis, and in the second-quarter reports for those covered on a quarterly basis). Furthermore, as a new feature for more than 150 countries, an analysis of each country's ranking in our unique Quality of Life index will be published on an annual basis, starting in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Some of this content has been migrated over to the Country Reports from another product, the Country Profile, which has now been discontinued. The difficult decision to close the Country Profile reflected limited client demand for this service as well as our view that much of the content included in this report is now available free elsewhere. We would appreciate any feedback that you have on the migration of content from the Country Profiles to the Country Reports.

This report covers the following industry codes:
SIC Code: 20
NAICS Code: 311

Content

Important changes to Country Reports
Summary
Basic data
Political structure
Economic structure: Annual indicators
Outlook for 2009-10: Domestic politics
Outlook for 2009-10: International relations
Outlook for 2009-10: Policy trends
The political scene: North Korea conducts a second nuclear test
The political scene: The North repudiates the 1953 armistice
The political scene: The North ducks a potential confrontation
The political scene: North Korea marks the Fourth of July in its own way
The political scene: An heir to Kim Jong-il appears to be emerging
The political scene: Two hostages aggravate ties with the US
The political scene: The Kaesong industrial zone may be doomed
The political scene: The South accuses the North of a cyber-attack
The political scene: A former official may have been executed
Economic policy: A new food ministry is created
Economic policy: A new "speed battle" is begun in the drive to boost output
The domestic economy: North Korean GDP grew by 3.7% in 2008, the South reports
The domestic economy: The North-South GDP gap remains huge
The domestic economy: A fast-food restaurant opens in Pyongyang
Foreign trade and payments: Exports rose by 23% in 2008, while imports were up by 33%
Foreign trade and payments: Minerals dominate exports
Foreign trade and payments: UN and other sanctions create pitfalls
Foreign trade and payments: Italy blocks the sale of two yachts
Foreign trade and payments: A report highlights North Korea's China trade
Foreign trade and payments: The South now gives little aid