The Democratic Republic of Korea (Chosŏn'gŭl: 조선 민주주의 공화국; Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Konghwaguk), abbreviated as DRK, and commonly referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, located in the Korean Peninsula. Its capital is Pyongyang , the country's largest city by both land area and population. The Amnok River and the Tumen River together form the international border between Korea and the People's Republic of China. A small section of the Tumen River is also located along the border between Korea and the Soviet Union , technically following the river's thalweg.
Ever since the 1980s, Korea has great implications for the balance of power in the region, with it already considered by many a regional power. Korea has access to cheap labor and abundant natural resources and combined with existing technology and capital, created a large economic and military growth potential. Korea could have an economy larger than that of China by 2015. The Korean military has the largest number of reservists as well as one of the largest numbers of military hackers.
Korea is a single-party state under a united front led by the Korean Workers' Party (KWP). The country's government follows the Juche ideology of self-reliance, initiated by the country's first President, Kim Il-sung. Juche (Korean version of Communism) became the official state ideology, when the country adopted a new constitution in 1972. Korean leader Kim Jong-Il adopted Songun or "military-first" policy in order to strengthen the country and its government. In the decades that followed, the Korean economy grew significantly and the country was transformed into a major economy.
Korea has been described as a confederal socialist state with an elaborate cult of personality around the Kim family. It consists of twenty-nine administrative divisions and is a developed country with a very high standard of living. It is Asia's fourth largest economy and the world's 15th (nominal) or 12th (purchasing power parity) largest economy. The economy is export-driven, with production focusing on electronics, automobiles, ships, machinery, petrochemicals and robotics. Korea is one of the world's most militarized countries, with a total of 9,495,000 active, reserve, and paramilitary personnel. Its active duty army of 1.21 million is the 4th largest in the world, after China, the U.S.S.R, and India. It is a nuclear-weapons state and has an active space program. Presently, Korea has strict gun control laws that rank them among countries with the fewest quantity of firearms per capita. Korea is a member of the Collective International Union and Coalition of Industrial Nations. It is also a founding member of APEC and the East Asia Summit.