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MON, JUN 29 · EDT
Countries›North Korea (KP)

North Korea.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea · Pyongyang · 26.4M people · east-n-southeast-asia

Governmentdictatorship, single-party communist stateLanguagesKoreanArea120.5K km²Sanctioned entities864Active conflicts6Mentions 7d12 ▼ 87%CIA· Jan 2026
Stability Score?How the stability score is computedA weighted composite of seven pillars— conflict intensity, event volatility, arms activity, economic health, market stress, sanctions exposure, and humanitarian proxy. Each pillar is scored 0–100 (higher = healthier). The composite is weighted (conflict 25%, economy 20%, events 15%, the rest 10% each) and recomputed daily from strategic events, World Bank indicators, arms-transfer data, and sanctions records.

Risk tier: Critical < 25 · High 25–50 · Elevated 50–75 · Stable≥ 75.
59.4
High risk
30-day trend
Intelligence briefNo brief published today
Daily intelligence brief is generated for the highest-activity countries. North Korea becomes eligible as dispatch volume climbs.
Linked Bayesian threats?Linked threatsBayesian-tracked threats from the system threat board where North Korea is involved. Each threat shows its current posterior probability and the 7-day move (in percentage points). Click any card for the full threat detail page.
nuclear
North Korea provocations
86%▲ 3.1pp
7-day Bayesian update
North Korea · 90-day event volume
1,321
total events · 90 daily data points
Annotated milestones
1 of 12
NUCLEAR PROGRA2026-03-312026-05-152026-06-28
Source · intelligence_events · all severity tiersHover any annotated dot for full milestone
Event timelineLast 7 days · 12 milestones · hover for context
JUN 26
2026
N Korea refuses talks with S Korea and US
diplomatic_tension · severity 5
Moderate
JUN 26
2026
NK Border Build-up
border_incursion · severity 6
Elevated
JUN 24
2026
NK Equips Navy
enrichment_activity · severity 8
Critical
JUN 24
2026
Nuclear Program
enrichment_activity · severity 9
Critical
JUN 24
2026
N Korea Nuclear-Armed Navy
enrichment_activity · severity 9
Critical
JUN 23
2026
NK-JP Tension
diplomatic_tension · severity 6
Elevated
JUN 23
2026
NK Expands Nukes
enrichment_activity · severity 8
Critical
JUN 23
2026
NKorea Criticizes Japan
diplomatic_tension · severity 6
Elevated
JUN 23
2026
Nuclear Development Goal
enrichment_activity · severity 8
Critical
JUN 23
2026
US and South Korea Tensions
diplomatic_tension · severity 6
Elevated
Stability components7-pillar breakdown · each 0–100, higher = healthier · 30-day trend per pillar
Conflict Intensity
10/100 · 25% wt
target conflicts: 4domestic conflicts: 0max escalation score: 100
Event Volatility
98/100 · 15% wt
target events: 34actor only events: 93domestic events: 0severe domestic: 0instability rate: 1.20%article coverage 90d: 4,786
Arms Activity
0/100 · 10% wt
arms imports: 190total value usd: $17.65Bconflict amplified: yes
Economic Health
88/100 · 20% wt
gdp growth pct: —inflation pct: —unemployment pct: 3.54%
Market Stress
80/100 · 10% wt
total signals 30d: 60negative signals 30d: 12
Sanctions Exposure
0/100 · 10% wt
sanctioned entities: 864is sanctioning power: no
Humanitarian Proxy
75/100 · 10% wt
life expectancy: 73.7literacy rate: —
Risk matrix5 enterprise-decision dimensions · derived from the 7 stability pillars · higher = more risk
Political
25Moderate
Security
66Elevated
Economic
15Stable
Regulatory
100Critical
Operational
56Elevated
Risk dimensions are derived from the 7 stability pillars. Higher score = more risk (inverted from the stability score, where higher = healthier). Operational is a weighted composite intended for enterprise-decision use.
Open the 90-day operational risk view →
Peer comparisonSame-region countries by stability score · this country highlighted
Peer comparison · east-n-southeast-asia
Rank 4 of 22
01Union of Burma
49.2
02Taiwan
53.7
03People's Republic of China
55.2
04Democratic People's Republic of Korea· this country
59.4
05Japan
60.7
06Republic of Indonesia
63.4
07Republic of the Philippines
67.2
08Republic of Korea
67.3
EconomyWorld Bank · 10-year series · 5 indicators
GDP (current USD)
WB
—
GDP per capita
WB
—
Inflation (CPI)
WB
—
Unemployment
WB· 2024
3.5%
▲ 0.1% YoY
Population
WB· 2024
26.5M
▲ 80.6K YoY
Military spend %GDP
WB
—
Life expectancy
WB· 2024
73.7 yrs
▲ 0.1 yrs YoY
Internet users %
WB
—
Security12 recent events · 6 conflicts · 10 transfers
Event volume · 90 days
1321
Casualties (killed) · 90 days
146
High-severity events
2026-06-26
SEV 5
N Korea refuses talks with S Korea and US
Diplomatic Tension
2026-06-26
SEV 6
NK Border Build-up
Border Incursion
2026-06-24
SEV 8
NK Equips Navy
Enrichment Activity
2026-06-24
SEV 9
Nuclear Program
Enrichment Activity
2026-06-24
SEV 9
N Korea Nuclear-Armed Navy
Enrichment Activity
2026-06-23
SEV 6
NK-JP Tension
Diplomatic Tension
2026-06-23
SEV 8
NK Expands Nukes
Enrichment Activity
2026-06-23
SEV 6
NKorea Criticizes Japan
Diplomatic Tension
Active conflicts involving North Korea
Iran war
War · 323881 dispatches
Critical · 100
Israel-Hamas war
War · 31979 dispatches
Critical · 100
US-China conflict
Cold War · 26992 dispatches
Critical · 100
Russia-Ukraine war
War · 21308 dispatches
Critical · 100
Latest dispatches10 in country corpus · sources come online as coverage grows
Other

Korean proverb of the day: 'When whales fight, the shrimp’s back gets broken'

A Korean proverb states that when powerful forces clash, weaker ones often suffer the consequences.

Times of IndiaNorth Korea
Geopolitical Politics
The Hidden Story Behind Kim Jong Un's Mother And Her Secret Past
NDTV
Other
El Canadá vs Sudáfrica abre los duelos de vida o muerte en el torneo
La Jornada
Other
The Real Cost Of Glass Skin: Inside India's K-Beauty Obsession
NDTV
Other
'The View' co-host Joy Behar says Americans 'should all be' embarrassed by U.S.
Washington Times
Empiezan los 16avos: Canadá y Sudáfrica abren la fase de eliminación directa en Los Ángeles
La Gaceta On Line
Trump's North Korea strategy: Why maximum pressure still offers the best path to denuclearization - weeklyblitz.net
weeklyblitz
Un histórico de la selección uruguaya fue lapidario con Bielsa: "Contaminó el ambiente y se amarró a un contrato millonario"
Clarin
South Korea says it will train 500,000 'drone warriors' to counter North Korea
GMA News Online / News
President Harry Truman’s 1950 Decision to Intervene in Korea - Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
Think tanks · this country20 articles from research institutions tracking North Korea
CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies
Japan’s New Defense Export Policy: Will Industry Seize the Day?
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi eliminated Japan's postwar restrictions on defense exports to security partners in April, marking a historic policy shift that positions Japan's defense industry for potential global growth, though actual industry participation remains uncertain pending government follow-up support.
May 9, 2026
Chatham House
Do Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ sanctions inevitably lead to military action?
Trump's administration imposed "maximum pressure" sanctions on five countries during his terms, escalating to military action against Venezuela and Iran when sanctions failed to achieve regime change, demonstrating how economy-wide sanctions without negotiation off-ramps create dangerous escalatory momentum.
May 8, 2026
CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies
The Strategic Value of China to Korea
A CSIS-Korea Foundation conference convened leading experts to reassess South Korea's strategic relationship with China amid U.S.-China competition, evaluating China's value, Korea's potential Taiwan role, and Beijing's effectiveness on North Korea restraint.
May 7, 2026
Brookings
A Look at Hu Jintao’s Visit to Washington D.C.
Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Washington for his first state summit with President Obama, seeking to repair strained U.S.-China relations after a difficult previous year marked by mutual distrust, trade concerns, and military tensions.
May 3, 2026
Brookings
Rethinking North Korea diplomacy
Trump administration's diminished focus on North Korea amid Venezuela and Iran crises contrasts with Trump and Kim's recent diplomatic signals, yet North Korea's strengthened ties with Russia and China-including $7-14 billion in military support-reduce Pyongyang's incentive to negotiate denuclearization.
May 1, 2026
Brookings
Pyongyang’s diplomatic calculus in an unstable multipolar order
North Korea has shifted from negotiation-focused diplomacy toward a multipolar strategy, leveraging competition among the United States, China, and Russia to maximize strategic autonomy while prioritizing regime security over engagement with Washington, evidenced by deepened military ties with Moscow and calibrated engagement with Beijing.
Apr 30, 2026
CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies
Country Economic Security and Technology Assessments
CSIS launched CESTA, examining how U.S. allies strengthen economic and innovation resilience. The spring 2025 Korea assessment identifies vulnerabilities and cooperation opportunities, with future studies planned for the UK, Japan, and Africa.
Apr 29, 2026
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Data Centers, Telecommunications Networks, and Space-Based Systems
The House Committee on Homeland Security examined modernizing DHS cybersecurity efforts for data centers, telecommunications, and space systems, as China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran escalate cyberattacks while U.S. cyber defense funding declines and CISA operates below capacity.
Apr 29, 2026
CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies
Solidarity in an Era of Economic Competition: Featuring Rep. Ami Bera
Rep. Ami Bera discusses reviving economic alliances with Japan, Korea, and India to strengthen U.S. domestic industry and secure critical minerals supply chains while advancing AI healthcare innovation amid global economic competition.
Apr 23, 2026
View all think-tank coverage of North Korea →
Top entitiesMost-mentioned actors in North Korea-tagged articles · last 30 days
Kim Jong Un
personlast · Jun 27
2,059
Kim Jong-un
personlast · Jun 26
762
Kim Yo Jong
personlast · Jun 20
218
Kim
personlast · Jun 24
147
consumers
personlast · Jun 20
116
Kim Ju Ae
personlast · Jun 24
93
Kim Song
personlast · Jun 13
70
Kim Il-sung
personlast · Jun 25
56
Kim Yo-jong
personlast · Jun 19
53
Kim Il Sung
personlast · Jun 19
50
Forward calendar · relatedUpcoming scheduled events · co-mentioned countries · conflicts · recent reports
Related
+Methodology · how this profile is built

This profile draws from four data tiers. Baseline facts (geography, languages, religion) are from the CIA World Factbook snapshot of January 2026 — the final snapshot before the website was retired. Economic indicators refresh daily from the World Bank. Events, conflicts, dispatches, and entity mentions flow continuously from our continuous intelligence graph — sources come online as we add them. Intelligence briefs are generated daily under ICD 203 analytic-tradecraft standards.

Coverage of North Korea will sharpen as we add local-language sources. Every field above carries a provenance chip so you can judge freshness for yourself.