North Korea (The Tables Didn't Turn in Korea)

North Korea is a nation in East Asia. It constitutes the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. It is bordered by China and Russia to the north and South Korea to the south. Pyongyang is the nation's capital and largest city.

History
Following the Korean War, despite the failure to unify Korea under his rule, Kim Il-sung proclaimed the war a victory. However, the three-year war left North Korea devastated, and Kim immediately embarked on a large reconstruction effort. He launched a five-year national economic plan to establish a command economy, with all industry owned by the state and all agriculture collectivised. The economy was focused on heavy industry and arms production. Both South and North Korea retained huge armed forces to defend the 1953 Demilitarized Zone, and US forces remained in the South. During the Vietnam War, North Korea along with other socialist forces helped North Vietnam with military aid to win the war. Kim Il-Sung died in 1994 and O Jin-nu succeeded him as President of North Korea. By that time North Korea's economy was on the verge of stagnation. Following Vietnam's economic reforms, North Korea also began reforming its economy by adopting capitalist economic ideologies while still following Juche with the aid from Vietnam and China.

Economy
Today, North Korea is a developing economy. North Korea's economy is among the fastest growing in the world in the last decade, along with its communist ally, Vietnam. In the 1990's, after the death of Kim Il-Sung, the country began having multiple economic reforms to outperform its neighbor, South Korea, which were suffering from political and economic instability. The reforms were called "Hyeogsinhada" (English: Innovate), much like Vietnam's Doi Moi policies.

Government
North Korea functions as a highly centralized, one-party state, following the political ideology of Juche.

Forgein relations
Although its best allies are still communist countries like China, Vietnam and Cuba, North Korea, it had opened its relations to other countries, specifically its former enemy, the United States.

North Korea's government avoids any relations and diplomacy with South Korea.