History of North Korea

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History of North Korea
Division of Korea 1945–1948  People's Republic of  Korea 1945–1946  Soviet Civil  Administration 1945–1948  Provisional People's  Committee of North  Korea 1946–1948 Kim Il Sung 1948–1994  Korean War 1950–1953  Korean DMZ Conflict 1966–1969  Juche 1972  1993-1994 nuclear  crisis 1993–1994  Death and state  funeral of  Kim Il Sung 1994 Kim Jong Il 1994–2011  North Korean famine 1994–1998  Songun 1998  Sunshine Policy 1998–2010  Six-party talks 2003  ROKS Cheonan sinking 2010  Death and state  funeral of  Kim Jong Il 2011 Kim Jong Un 2011–present  State Affairs  Commission 2016  2017-2018 North  Korean crisis 2017–2018  Korean peace process 2018–2019  COVID-19 pandemic 2019–2023
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The history of North Korea began with the end of World War II in 1945. The surrender of Japan led to the division of Korea at the 38th parallel, with the Soviet Union occupying the north, and the United States occupying the south. The Soviet Union and the United States failed to agree on a way to unify the country, and in 1948, they established two separate governments – the Soviet-aligned Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the American-aligned Republic of Korea – each claiming to be the legitimate government of all of Korea.

In 1950, the Korean War broke out. After much destruction, the war ended with a stalemate. The division at the 38th parallel was replaced by the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Tension between the two sides continued. Out of the rubble North Korea built an industrialized command economy.

Kim Il Sung led North Korea until his death in 1994. He developed a pervasive personality cult and steered the country on an independent course in accordance with the principle of Juche (self-reliance). However, with natural disasters and the collapse of the Soviet Bloc in 1991, North Korea went into a severe economic crisis. Kim Il Sung's son, Kim Jong Il, succeeded him, and was in turn succeeded by his grandson, Kim Jong Un.