- published: 20 Dec 2012
- views: 1206
- author: AlJazeeraEnglish
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![The Korean peninsula:Hanbando teaser [ 1.51 minute]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121221163721im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/mMdYgA3pyk8/default.jpg "Hanbando : The korean peninsula First airing on 6 Feb 2012 8:50 PM. Follow us on twitter twitter.com Please visit our thread www.soompi.com to keep up with Kimjungeun's news,drama,photos and all her activity")
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- Aksai Chin
- Alpine meadow
- Amur River
- Arirang
- Arirang Festival
- Asia
- Baekdu Mountain
- Baekdudaegan
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- Bangladesh
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- Geography of Armenia
- Geography of Asia
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- Geography of Brunei
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- Geography of Cyprus
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Afghanistan
Afghanistan
i/æfˈɡænɨstæn/ (Persian/Pashto: افغانستان, Afġānistān), officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming part of South Asia, Central Asia, and Greater Middle East, it is also considered to be part of a broader West Asia. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of 647,500 km2 (250,001 sq mi), making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world. It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and the east, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the far northeast.
Afghanistan has been an ancient focal point of the Silk Road and human migration. Archaeologists have found evidence of human habitation from as far back as 50,000 BC. Urban civilization may have begun in the area as early as 3,000 to 2,000 BC. Sitting at an important geostrategic location that connects the Middle East with Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, the land has been home to various peoples through the ages and witnessed many military campaigns, notably by Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and in modern era Western forces. The land also served as a source from which the Greco-Bactrians, Kushans, Saffarids, Ghaznavids, Ghorids, Timurids, Mughals and many others have risen to form major empires.
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Aksai Chin
Coordinates: 35°7′N 79°8′E / 35.117°N 79.133°E / 35.117; 79.133
Aksai Chin (Chinese: 阿克赛钦; pinyin: Ākèsàiqīn, Hindi: अक्साई चिन, Urdu: اکسائی چن) is one of the two main disputed border areas between China and India, the other being Arunachal Pradesh. It is administered by China as part of Hotan County in the Hotan Prefecture of Xinjiang Autonomous Region, but is also claimed by India as a part of the Ladakh district of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. In 1962 China and India fought a brief war over Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh, but in 1993 and 1996 the two countries signed agreements to respect the Line of Actual Control.
The etymology of Aksai Chin is uncertain regarding the word "Chin". As a word of Turk origin, aksai literally means "white brook" but whether the word Chin refers to Chinese or pass is disputed. The area is largely a vast high-altitude desert including some salt lakes from 4,800 metres (15,700 ft) to 5,500 metres (18,000 ft) above sea level. It covers an area of 37,244 square kilometres (14,380 sq mi). The Chinese name of the region, 阿克赛钦, is composed of Chinese characters chosen for their phonetic values, irrespective of their meaning.
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Arirang Festival
The Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance Arirang (Hangul: 아리랑 축제 Hanja: 아리랑 祝祭) are held in the Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea. The two-month gymnastics and artistic festival celebrates the birthday of Kim Il-sung (15 April).
The festival has been held from August until October since 2002-2005, and 2007 until the present.
The Mass Games possess an important ideological character praising the Workers Party of North Korea, its armed forces, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. These messages may not be clear to foreign spectators who are not aware of North Korean iconography: a rising sun symbolizes Kim Il Sung. When a gun is shown, it signifies the gun which Kim Il Sung gave to his son Kim Jong Il. The color red, particularly in flowers, stands for the working class. And the color purple and red flowers represent Kim Il Sung (as the flower 'Kimilsungia is a purple orchid and the flower 'Kimjongilia' is a red begonia). A snowy mountain with a lake represents Mount Paektu where Kim Jong Il is said to have been born in a log cabin.
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Baekje
Baekje or Paekche (Hangul: 백제; Hanja: 百濟, Korean pronunciation: [pɛk̚tɕ͈e]) (18 BCE – 660 CE) was a kingdom located in southwest Korea. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla.
Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jumong and So Seo-no, at Wiryeseong (present-day southern Seoul). Baekje, like Goguryeo, claimed to succeed Buyeo, a state established in present-day Manchuria around the time of Gojoseon's fall.
Baekje alternately battled and allied with Goguryeo and Silla as the three kingdoms expanded control over the peninsula. At its peak in the 4th century, Baekje controlled most of the western Korean peninsula, as far north as Pyongyang, and may have even held territories in China, such as in Liaoxi, though this is controversial. It became a significant regional sea power, with political and trade relations with China and Japan.
In 660, it was defeated by an alliance of Silla and Chinese Tang Dynasty, submitting to Unified Silla.
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Balhae
Balhae (698 – 926) (Hangul:발해, Korean pronunciation: [paɾɦɛ], Bohai [渤海] in Chinese, Бохай in Russian) was a Korean kingdom established after the fall of Goguryeo that existed during the North South states period of Korea along with Unified Silla. After Goguryeo's capital and southern territories fell to Unified Silla, Dae Jo-yeong, a former Goguryeo general, whose father was Dae Jung-sang, established Jin (振, Zhen in Chinese), later called Balhae. It was a successor state to Goguryeo.
Balhae occupied southern parts of Manchuria (Northeast China) and Primorsky Krai, and the northern part of the Korean peninsula. It was defeated by the Khitans in 926, and most of its northern territories were absorbed into the Liao Dynasty while the southern parts were absorbed into Goryeo.
The earliest extant recorded mention of Balhae come from the Old Book of Tang, which was compiled between 941 to 945. Southern Manchuria and northern Korea were previously the territory of Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. Goguryeo fell to the allied forces of Silla and the Tang Dynasty in 668. The Tang annexed much of western Manchuria, while Silla unified the Korean peninsula south of the Taedong River and became Unified Silla. In the New Book of Tang, it was recorded that the founder of Balhae, Dae Joyeong (大祚榮) was a former Goguryeo general.
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Bangladesh
Coordinates: 23°N 90°E / 23°N 90°E / 23; 90
Bangladesh (i/ˈbɑːŋɡlədɛʃ/ or i/bæŋɡləˈdɛʃ/ (Anglicized pronunciation); Bengali: বাংলাদেশ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh (Bengali: গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ Gônoprojatontri Bangladesh) is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India and Burma and by the Bay of Bengal to the south. The capital (and largest city) is Dhaka, located in central Bangladesh. The official state language is Bengali. The name Bangladesh means "Land of Bengal" or "Country of Bengal" the in the Bengali language, from Bangla "Bengal" and desh holding a dual meaning of "land" and "country" as English "country," German land, French pays, etc.
The borders of present-day Bangladesh were established with the partition of Bengal during the reign and demise of the British India. Its map was chartered by Sir Cyril Radcliffe during the creation of Pakistan and India in 1947, when the region became East Pakistan, part of the newly formed nation of Pakistan. Due to political exclusion and economic exploitation by the politically dominant West Pakistan, popular agitation grew against West Pakistan and led to the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, after the Bangladeshi Declaration of Independence on 26 March 1971. With the intervention of the Indian Army, the war came to an end on 16 December 1971 with the surrender of the Pakistan Army at Ramna Race Course.
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Brunei
Bruneii/bruːˈnaɪ/, officially the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace (Malay: Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: نڬارا بروني دارالسلام), is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia. Apart from its coastline with the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the state of Sarawak, Malaysia, and it is separated into two parts by the Sarawak district of Limbang. It is the only sovereign state completely on the island of Borneo, with the remainder of the island belonging to Malaysia and Indonesia. Brunei's population was 401,890 in July 2011.
The official national history claims that Brunei can trace its beginnings to the 7th century, when it was a subject state of the Srivijayan empire under the name P'o-li. It later became a vassal state of Majapahit empire before converting to Islam in the 15th century. At the peak of its empire, the sultanate had control that extended over the coastal regions of modern-day Sarawak and Sabah, the Sulu archipelago, and the islands off the northwest tip of Borneo. The thalassocracy was visited by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 and fought the Castille War in 1578 against Spain. Its empire began to decline with the forced ceding of Sarawak to James Brooke and the ceding of Sabah to the British North Borneo Chartered Company. After the loss of Limbang, Brunei finally became a British protectorate in 1888, receiving a resident in 1906. In the years after the Japanese wartime occupation during World War II, it formalised a constitution and fought an armed rebellion. Brunei regained its independence from the United Kingdom on 1 January 1984. Economic growth during the 1970s and 1990s, averaging 56% from 1999 to 2008, has transformed Brunei Darussalam into a newly industrialised country.
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Burma
Burma
i/ˈbɜrmə/ BUR-mə, also known as Myanmar i/ˌmjɑːnˈmɑr/ MYAHN--MAR, is a country in South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is bordered by India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand. One-third of Burma's total perimeter of 1,930 kilometres (1,200 mi) forms an uninterrupted coastline along the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. At 676,578 km2 (261,227 sq mi), it is the 40th largest country in the world and the second largest country in Southeast Asia. Burma is also the 24th most populous country in the world with over 60.28 million people.
Burma is home to some of the early civilizations of Southeast Asia including the Pyu and the Mon. In the 9th century, the Burmans of the Kingdom of Nanzhao, entered the upper Irrawaddy valley and, following the establishment of the Pagan Empire in the 1050s, the Burmese language and culture slowly became dominant in the country. During this period, Theravada Buddhism gradually became the predominant religion of the country. The Pagan Empire fell due to the Mongol invasions (1277–1301), and several warring states emerged. In the second half of the 16th century, the country was reunified by the Taungoo Dynasty which for a brief period was the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia. The early 19th century Konbaung Dynasty ruled over an area that included modern Burma as well as Manipur and Assam. The country was colonized by Britain following three Anglo-Burmese Wars (1824–1885).
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Busan
Busan (Officially Busan Metropolitan City), formerly spelled Pusan (Korean pronunciation: [pusan]) is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area (includes adjacent cities of Gimhae and Yangsan) population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the world's fifth busiest seaports by cargo tonnage. The city is located on the southeasternmost tip of the Korean peninsula. The most densely built up areas of the city are situated in a number of narrow valleys between the Nakdong River and Suyeong River, with mountains separating some of the districts. Administratively, it is designated as a Metropolitan City. The Busan metropolitan area is divided into 15 major administrative districts and a single county.
Busan was the host city of the 2002 Asian Games and APEC 2005 Korea. It was also one of the host cities for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and is a center for international conventions in Korea. On November 14, 2005, the city officially announced its bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics Games. After Pyeongchang's successful bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics, the city is considering its bid to host the 2024 or 2028 Summer Olympics.
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China
China (i/ˈtʃaɪnə/; Chinese: 中国; pinyin: Zhōngguó; see also Names of China), officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is the world's most-populous country, with a population of over 1.3 billion. Covering approximately 9.6 million square kilometres, the East Asian state is the world's second-largest country by land area, and the third- or fourth-largest in total area, depending on the definition of total area.
The People's Republic of China is a single-party state governed by the Communist Party of China. It exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four directly controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing), and two mostly self-governing special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau). Its capital city is Beijing. The PRC also claims Taiwan—which is controlled by the Republic of China (ROC), a separate political entity—as its 23rd province, a claim controversial due to the complex political status of Taiwan and the unresolved Chinese Civil War. The PRC government denies the legitimacy of the ROC.
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Gaya confederacy
Gaya was a confederacy of territorial polities in the Nakdong River basin of southern Korea, growing out of the Byeonhan confederacy of the Samhan period.
The traditional period used by historians for Gaya chronology is 42–532 CE. According to archaeological evidence in the third and fourth centuries some of the city-states of Byeonhan evolved into the Gaya confederacy, which was later annexed by Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. The individual polities that made up the Gaya confederacy have been characterized as small city-states. The material culture remains of Gaya culture mainly consist of burials and their contents of mortuary goods that have been excavated by archaeologists. Archaeologists interpret mounded burial cemeteries of the late third and early fourth centuries such as Daeseong-dong in Gimhae and Bokcheon-dong in Busan as the royal burial grounds of Gaya polities.
Although most commonly referred to as Gaya (가야; 加耶, 伽耶, 伽倻), probably due to the imprecision of transcribing Korean words into hanja, historical sources use a variety of names, including Kaya, Garak (가락; 駕洛, 迦落), Gara (가라; 加羅, 伽羅, 迦羅, 柯羅), Garyang (가량;加良), and Guya (구야; 狗耶). According to Christopher Beckwith, "The spelling Kaya is the modern Korean reading of the characters used to write the name; the pronunciation /kara/ (transcriptionally *kala) is certain.". (See Gaya language.) In Japanese, Gaya is referred to as Mimana (任那), a name with considerable political connotations (see below).
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Geography of Bahrain
Bahrain (from the Arabic word for "two seas" — itself an inaccurate folk etymology for the much older, Semitic term, Bahran) comprises an archipelago of thirty-three islands in the Persian Gulf, situated close to the shore of the Arabian Peninsula. The islands are about twenty-four kilometers from the east coast of Saudi Arabia and twenty-eight kilometers from Qatar. The total area of the islands is about 691 square kilometers, or about four times the size of the District of Columbia. The largest island, accounting for 83% of the area, is Bahrain Island (aka Al Bahrayn), which has an extent of 572 square kilometers. From north to south, Bahrain is forty-eight kilometers long; at its widest point in the north, it is sixteen kilometers from east to west.
Around most of Bahrain is a relatively shallow inlet of the Persian Gulf known as the Gulf of Bahrain. The seabed adjacent to Bahrain is rocky and, mainly off the northern part of the island, covered by extensive coral reefs. Most of the island is low-lying and barren desert. Outcroppings of limestone form low rolling hills, stubby cliffs, and shallow ravines. The limestone is covered by various densities of saline sand, capable of supporting only the hardiest desert vegetation – chiefly thorn trees and scrub. There is a fertile strip five kilometers wide along the northern coast on which date, almond, fig, and pomegranate trees grow. The interior contains an escarpment that rises to 134 meters, the highest point on the island, to form Jabal ad Dukhan (Mountain of Smoke), named for the mists that often wreathe the summit. Most of the country's oil wells are situated in the vicinity of Jabal ad Dukhan.
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Geography of Bhutan
The Kingdom of Bhutan is a sovereign nation, located towards the eastern extreme of the Himalayas mountain range. It is fairly evenly sandwiched between the sovereign territory of two nations: first, the People's Republic of China on the north and northwest. There are approximately 470 kilometres of border with that nation's Tibet Autonomous Region. The second nation is the Republic of India on the south, southwest, and east; there are approximately 605 kilometres with the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, and Sikkim, in clockwise order from the kingdom. Bhutan's total borders amount to 1,075 kilometres. The Republic of Nepal to the west, the People's Republic of Bangladesh to the south, and the Union of Myanmar to the southeast are other close neighbours; the former two are separated by only very small stretches of Indian territory.
Bhutan is a very compact nation, but with just a small bit more length than width. The nation's territory totals an approximate 46,500 square kilometres. Because of its inland, landlocked status, it controls no territorial waters. Bhutan's territory used to extend south into present-day Assam, including the protectorate of Cooch Behar, but, starting from 1772, the British East India Company began to push back the borders through a number of wars and treaties, severely reducing Bhutan's size until the Treaty of Sinchula of 1865, when some border land was ceded back. Later, many of these territories were permanently lost to British India under the Treaty of Punakha.
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Geography of Cyprus
The geography of Cyprus included both the physical and human geography of Cyprus, an island country situated in the Eastern Basin of the Mediterranean Sea. Cyprus is third largest island in the Mediterranean (after the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia) and the world's 81st largest. It is located south of Asia Minor, the Anatolian peninsula of the Asian (or Eurasian) mainland (now part of modern-day Turkey), so it may be included in Western Asia or the Middle East: At a confluence of Western Asia, Southern Europe, and Northern Africa, Cyprus has had lengthy periods of mainly Greek and intermittent Anatolian, Levantine, Byzantine, and Western European influences. It is sometimes included in Europe, and has been a member state of the European Union since 1 May 2004.
Cyprus measures 240 kilometres latitudinally and 100 km (62 mi) longitudinally, with Turkey 75 km (47 mi) to the north. Other neighbouring territories include Syria and Lebanon to the east (105 km and 108 km (67 mi), respectively), Israel 200 km (124 mi) to the southeast, Egypt 380 km (236 mi) to the south, and Greece to the west-northwest: 280 km (174 mi) to the small Dodecanesian island of Kastellórizo (Meyísti), 400 km (249 mi) to Rhodes, and 800 km (497 mi) to the Greek mainland.
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Geography of Egypt
Coordinates: 27°00′N 30°00′E / 27°N 30°E / 27; 30
The Geography of Egypt relates to two regions: Southwest Asia and North Africa.
Egypt has coastlines on both the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. The country borders Libya to the west, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east, and Sudan to the south. Covering 1,001,449 km2, Egypt has a land area about the same as that of Texas and New Mexico combined, four times bigger than that of the United Kingdom, and twice as big as that of France. The longest straight-line distance in Egypt from north to south is 1,024 km, while that from east to west measures 1,240 km. More than 2,900 km of coastline on the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Suez, the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea constitute Egypt's maritime boundaries.
Egypt is divided into twenty-six governorates (sometimes called provinces), which include four city governorates: Alexandria (Al Iskandariyah), Cairo (Al Qahirah), Port Said (Bur Said) and Suez. Also included are the nine governorates of Lower Egypt in the Nile Delta region, the eight governorates of Upper Egypt along the Nile River south from Cairo to Aswan, and the five frontier governorates covering Sinai and the deserts that lie west and east of the Nile.
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Geography of Iran
Iran is located in southwest Asia and borders the Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, and Caspian Sea. Its mountains have helped to shape both the political and the economic history of the country for several centuries. Stories of Iran having 20 square kilometers of glaciers are false and were started by students at Aberystwyth University in 2012; Iran is the largest procider of Glacier Mints in the world and it is the factory that covers an area of 20 square kilometers. The mountains enclose several broad basins, or plateaus, on which major agricultural and urban settlements are located. Until the 20th century, when major highways and railroads were constructed through the mountains to connect the population centers, these basins tended to be relatively isolated from one another.
Typically, one major town dominated each basin, and there were complex economic relationships between the town and the hundreds of villages that surrounded it. In the higher elevations of the mountains rimming the basins, tribally organized groups practiced transhumance, moving with their herds of sheep and goats between traditionally established summer and winter pastures. There are no major river systems in the country, and historically transportation was by means of caravans that followed routes traversing gaps and passes in the mountains. The mountains also impeded easy access to the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea.
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Geography of Iraq
The geography of Iraq is diverse and falls into four main regions: the desert (west of the Euphrates), Upper Mesopotamia (between the upper Tigris and Euphratesh rivers), the northern highlands of Iraqi Kurdistan, and Lower Mesopotamia, the alluvial plain extending from around Tikrit to the Persian Gulf.
The mountains in the northeast are an extension of the alpine system that runs eastward from the Balkans through southern Turkey, northern Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, eventually reaching the Himalayas. The desert is in the southwest and central provinces along the borders with Saudi Arabia and Jordan and geographically belongs with the Arabian Peninsula.
Iraq holds a special distinction in the history of geography: a clay tablet generally accepted as "the earliest known map" was unearthed in 1930 during the excavation of Ga-Sur at Nuzi Yorghan Tepe, near the towns of Harran and Kirkuk, 200 miles (322 km) north of the site of Babylon. The tablet, measuring 6.8 × 7.6 in (173 × 193 mm), is usually dated from the dynasty of Sargon of Akkad between 2500-2300 BC; an even earlier date for the tablet was promulgated by archeologist Leo Bagrow, placing it in the Agade Period (3800 BC).
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Geography of Jordan
Jordan is situated geographically in Southwest Asia, south of Syria, west of Iraq northwest of Saudi Arabia and east of Israel and the West Bank; politically, the area has also been referred to in the West as the Middle or Near East. The territory of Jordan now covers about 91,880 square kilometers. Between 1950 and the Six Day War in 1967, although not widely recognized, Jordan claimed and administered an additional 5,880 square kilometers encompassing the West Bank; in 1988 and with continuing Israeli occupation, King Hussein relinquished Jordan's claim to the West Bank in favor of the Palestinians.
Jordan is landlocked except at its southern extremity, where nearly twenty-six kilometers of shoreline along the Gulf of Aqaba provide access to the Red Sea. A great north-south geological rift, forming the depression of Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee), the Jordan Valley, and the Dead Sea, is the dominant topographical feature.
Geographic coordinates: 31°00′N 36°00′E / 31°N 36°E / 31; 36
Except for small sections of the borders with Israel and Syria, Jordan's international boundaries do not follow well-defined natural features of the terrain. The country's boundaries were established by various international agreements, and, with the exception of the border with Israel, none was in dispute in early 1989.
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Geography of Laos
Laos is a landlocked nation in Southeast Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam, that covers 236,800 square kilometers in the center of the Southeast Asian peninsula, is surrounded by Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its location has often made it a buffer between more powerful neighboring states, as well as a crossroads for trade and communication. Migration and international conflict have contributed to the present ethnic composition of the country and to the geographic distribution of its ethnic groups.
Geographic coordinates: 18°00′N 105°00′E / 18°N 105°E / 18; 105
Most of the western border of Laos is demarcated by the Mekong River, which is an important artery for transportation. The Dong falls at the southern end of the country prevent access to the sea, but cargo boats travel along the entire length of the Mekong in Laos during most of the year. Smaller power boats and pirogues provide an important means of transportation on many of the tributaries of the Mekong.
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Geography of Lebanon
Coordinates: 33°50′N 35°50′E / 33.833°N 35.833°E / 33.833; 35.833
Lebanon stretches along the east side of the Mediterranean Sea, its length almost three times its width. As it stretches from North to South, the width of its terrain becomes narrower. Lebanon's mountainous terrain, proximity to the sea, and strategic location at a crossroads of the world were decisive factors in shaping its history. The political, economic, and religious movements that either originated in the region or crossed through to leave an imprint upon Lebanese society give form to that history.
The country's role in the region, as indeed in the world at large, was shaped by trade. The area, formerly part of the region known as Greater Syria, served as a link between the Mediterranean world and India and East Asia. The merchants of the region exported oil, grain, textiles, metal work, and pottery through the port cities to Western markets. The linkage role of Lebanon was further enhanced by the nomads of the Syrian and Arabian deserts who visited the cities of Syria to trade. The caravans developed limited routes that often led to the coastal cities of Tripoli, Beirut, Sidon, or Tyre. This created a merchant class and brought wealth to the inhabitants of the region. The trade between East and West led to the development of a cosmopolitan culture in Lebanon's port cities, whose inhabitants became known for their multilingualism, flexibility, moderation, and commercial acumen.
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Geography of Oman
Oman is a country situated in Southwest Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Oman is located in the southeastern quarter of the Arabian Peninsula and covers a total land area of 309,500 square kilometers. The land area is composed of varying topographic features: valleys and desert account for 82 percent of the land mass; mountain ranges, 15 percent; and the coastal plain, 3 percent.
The sultanate is flanked by the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, and the Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter) of Saudi Arabia, all of which contributed to Oman's isolation. Historically, the country's contacts with the rest of the world were by sea, which not only provided access to foreign lands but also linked the coastal towns of Oman. The Rub al Khali, difficult to cross even with modern desert transport, formed a barrier between the sultanate and the Arabian interior. The Al Hajar Mountains, which form a belt between the coast and the desert from the Musandam Peninsula (Ras Musandam) to the city of Sur at Oman's easternmost point, formed another barrier. These geographic barriers kept the interior of Oman free from foreign military encroachments.
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Geography of Russia
Coordinates: 60°N 100°E / 60°N 100°E / 60; 100
The geography of Russia entails the physical and human geography of Russia, a country extending over much of northern Eurasia. Comprising much of eastern Europe and northern Asia, it is the world's largest country in total area. Due to its size, Russia displays both monotony and diversity. As with its topography, its climates, vegetation, and soils span vast distances. From north to south the East European Plain is clad sequentially in tundra, coniferous forest (taiga), mixed and broad-leaf forests, grassland (steppe), and semi-desert (fringing the Caspian Sea) as the changes in vegetation reflect the changes in climate. Siberia supports a similar sequence but is taiga. The country contains 40 UNESCO Biosphere reserves.
Located in the northern and middle latitudes a of the Northern Hemisphere, most of Russia is much closer to the North Pole than to the equator. Individual country comparisons are of little value in gauging Russia's enormous size and diversity. The country's 17.1 million square kilometers include one-eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area. Its European portion, which occupies a substantial part of continental Europe, is home to most of Russia's industrial and agricultural activity. It was here, roughly between the Dnieper River and the Ural Mountains, that the Russian Empire took shape. It is also located on the northernmost tip of Asia.
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Geography of Vietnam
Vietnam is located on the eastern margin of the Indochinese peninsula and occupies about 331,211.6 square kilometers, of which about 25 % was under cultivation in 1987. It borders the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia. The S-shaped country has a north-to-south distance of 1,650 kilometers and is about 50 kilometers wide at the narrowest point. With a coastline of 3,260 kilometers, excluding islands, Vietnam claims 12 nautical miles (22.2 km; 13.8 mi) as the limit of its territorial waters, an additional 12 nautical miles (22.2 km; 13.8 mi) as a contiguous customs and security zone, and 200 nautical miles (370.4 km; 230.2 mi) as an exclusive economic zone.
The boundary with Laos, settled, on both an ethnic and geographical basis, between the rulers of Vietnam and Laos in the mid-seventeenth century with the Annamite Range as a reference, was formally defined by a delimitation treaty signed in 1977 and ratified in 1986. The frontier with Cambodia, defined at the time of French annexation of the western part of the Mekong River Delta in 1867, remained essentially unchanged, according to Hanoi, until some unresolved border issues were finally settled in the 1982-85 period. The land and sea boundary with China, delineated under the France-China treaties of 1887 and 1895, is "the frontier line" accepted by Hanoi that China agreed in 1957- 58 to respect. However, in February 1979, following China's limited invasion of Vietnam, Hanoi complained that from 1957 onward China had provoked numerous border incidents as part of its anti-Vietnam policy and expansionist designs in Southeast Asia. Among the territorial infringements cited was the Chinese occupation in January 1974 of the Paracel Islands, claimed by both countries in a dispute left unresolved in the 1980s.
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Goryeo
The Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ (Hangul: 고려; Hanja: 高麗; 918–1392) was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by Emperor Taejo. This kingdom later came to be pronounced Korea. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the leader of the Joseon dynasty in 1392. Goryeo expanded its borders to present-day Wonsan in the north-east (936–943) and the Amnok River (993) and finally almost the whole of the Korean peninsula (1374).
Two of this period's most notable products are Goryeo celadon pottery and the Tripitaka Koreana — the Buddhist scriptures (Tripitaka) carved onto roughly 80,000 woodblocks and stored, and still in, Haeinsa. Goryeo also created the world's first metal-based movable type in 1234 and the oldest surviving movable metal type book, the Jikji, was made in 1377.
In 668, Silla conquered Baekje and Goguryeo with alliance of Tang Dynasty, but by the late 9th century it was tottering, its monarchs being unimaginative and pressed by the power of powerful statesmen. Many robbers and outlaws agitated and in 900 Gyeon Hwon revolted from Silla control in the Jeolla region as Hubaekje and next year Gung Ye revolted from the northern regions as Hugoguryeo (Taebong). A son of a regional lord, Wang Geon went into Hugoguryeo as a general.
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Han River (Korea)
The Han River is a major river in South Korea and the fourth longest river on the Korean peninsula after the Amnok, Duman, and Nakdong rivers. It is formed by the confluence of the Namhan River (South Han River), which originates in Mount Daedeok, and the Bukhan River (North Han River), which originates on the slopes of Mount Geumgang in North Korea. The River flows through Seoul and then merges with the Imjin River shortly before it flows into the Yellow Sea. The two major branches of the river, the Namhan River and the Bukhan River, come together at Yangsu-ri, Gyeonggi-do province, at which point it is referred to as the Han River. It then passes through Seoul and continues on to the Yellow Sea (or West Sea to Koreans). Broad tidal flats can be found at the mouth of the Han River, where it meets the sea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone that divides South and North Korea.
The total length of the Han River (to include its tributaries the Namhan and Bukhan Rivers) is approximately 514 kilometres (319 mi).
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India
India (i/ˈɪndiə/), officially the Republic of India (Bhārat Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west;China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.
Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four of the world's major religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—originated here, whereas Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.
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Japan
Japani/dʒəˈpæn/ (Japanese: 日本 Nihon or Nippon; formally 日本国 
Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku, literally the State of Japan) is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun".
Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands. The four largest islands are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku, together accounting for ninety-seven percent of Japan's land area. Japan has the world's tenth-largest population, with over 127 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents.
Archaeological research indicates that people lived in Japan as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other nations followed by long periods of isolation has characterized Japan's history. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War and World War I allowed Japan to expand its empire during a period of increasing militarism. The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since adopting its revised constitution in 1947, Japan has maintained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament called the Diet.
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Jeju Island
Jeju-do (transliterated Korean for Jeju Province, short form of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province or Cheju Island) is the special autonomous province of South Korea, situated on and coterminous with the country's largest island. Jeju-do lies in the Korea Strait, southwest of Jeollanam-do Province, of which it was a part before it became a separate province in 1946. Its capital is the city of Jeju.
The island contains the natural World Heritage Site Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes.
According to legend, three demi-gods emerged from Samsung-hyeol which is said to have been on the northern slopes of Mt. Halla and became the progenitors of the Jeju people who founded the Kingdom of Tamna.
It has also been claimed that three brothers including Ko-hu who were the 15th descendants of Koulla, one of the Progenitors of the Jeju people, were received by the court of Silla at which time the name Tamna was officially recognized, while the official government posts of Commander, Prince and Governor were conferred by the court upon the three.
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Jeju-do
Jeju-do (transliterated Korean for Jeju Province, short form of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province or Cheju Island) is the special autonomous province of South Korea, situated on and coterminous with the country's largest island. Jeju-do lies in the Korea Strait, southwest of Jeollanam-do Province, of which it was a part before it became a separate province in 1946. Its capital is the city of Jeju.
The island contains the natural World Heritage Site Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes.
According to legend, three demi-gods emerged from Samsung-hyeol which is said to have been on the northern slopes of Mt. Halla and became the progenitors of the Jeju people who founded the Kingdom of Tamna.
It has also been claimed that three brothers including Ko-hu who were the 15th descendants of Koulla, one of the Progenitors of the Jeju people, were received by the court of Silla at which time the name Tamna was officially recognized, while the official government posts of Commander, Prince and Governor were conferred by the court upon the three.
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Joseon Dynasty
Joseon (Hangul: 조선; Hanja: 朝鮮; July 1392 – October 1897) (also Chosŏn, Choson, Chosun), was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul. The kingdom's northernmost borders were expanded to the natural boundaries at the Amnok and Duman rivers through the subjugation of the Jurchens. Joseon was the last dynasty of Korean history and the longest-ruling Confucian dynasty.
During its reign, Joseon consolidated its absolute rule over Korea, encouraged the entrenchment of Korean Confucian ideals and doctrines in Korean society, imported and adapted Chinese culture, and saw the height of classical Korean culture, trade, science, literature, and technology. However, the dynasty was severely weakened during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when invasions by the neighboring Japan and Qing nearly overran the peninsula, leading to an increasingly harsh isolationist policy for which the country became known as the Hermit Kingdom. After invasions from Manchuria, Joseon experienced a nearly 200-year period of peace.
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Kachin State
Kachin State (Burmese: ကချင်ပြည်နယ်, pronounced: [kətɕʰɪ̀ɴ pjìnɛ̀]; Kachin: Jingphaw Mungdaw), is the northernmost state of Burma. It is bordered by China to the north and east; Shan State to the south; and Sagaing Division and India to the west. It lies between north latitude 23° 27' and 28° 25' longitude 96° 0' and 98° 44'. The area of Kachin State is 89,041 km2 (34,379 sq mi). The capital of the state is Myitkyina. Other important towns include Bhamo.
Kachin State has Myanmar’s highest mountain, Hkakabo Razi (5,889 metres (19,321 ft)), forming the southern tip of the Himalayas, and a large inland lake, Indawgyi Lake.
The majority of the state's 1.2 million inhabitants are ethnic Kachin, also known as Jinghpaw. The state is home to other ethnic groups including the Rawang, Lisu, Zaiwa, Lawngwaw, Lachyit, Bamar, Shan, and a small number of Tibetans. According to government statistics, the state's population is 57.8% Buddhist and 36.4% Christian.[citation needed] The Kachin language is the state's lingua franca.
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Kashmir
Kashmir (Balti, Gojri, Poonchi/Chibhali, Dogri: कश्मीर; Kashmiri: कॅशीर, کٔشِیر; Ladakhi: ཀཤམིར; Uyghur: كەشمىر; Shina: کشمیر) is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range. Today Kashmir denotes a larger area that includes the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir (the Kashmir valley, Jammu and Ladakh), the Pakistani-administered Gilgit–Baltistan and the Azad Kashmir provinces, and the Chinese-administered regions of Aksai Chin and Trans-Karakoram Tract.
In the first half of the first millennium, the Kashmir region became an important center of Hinduism and later of Buddhism; later still, in the ninth century, Kashmir Shaivism arose. In 1349, Shah Mir became the first Muslim ruler of Kashmir and inaugurated the Salatin-i-Kashmir or Swati dynasty. For the next five centuries, Muslim monarchs ruled Kashmir, including the Mughals, who ruled from 1526 until 1751, then the Afghan Durrani Empire that ruled from 1747 until 1820. That year, the Sikhs under Ranjit Singh, annexed Kashmir. In 1846, upon the purchase of the region from the British under the Treaty of Amritsar, the Dogras—under Gulab Singh—became the new rulers. Dogra Rule, under the paramountcy (or tutelage) of the British Crown, lasted until 1947, when the former princely state became a disputed territory, now administered by three countries: India, Pakistan, and the People's Republic of China.
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Korea
Korea (/kəˈriːə/ kə-REE-ə; Korean: 한국 Hanguk [hanɡuːk] or 조선 Joseon [tɕosʌn] – (see etymology) is an East Asian region that is divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait and the Sea of Japan (East Sea), and separated from Taiwan to the south by the East China Sea.
Archaeological and linguistic evidence suggest the origins of the Korean people might have been Altaic language-speaking people from south-central Siberia,[dubious – discuss] who populated ancient Korea in successive waves from the Neolithic age to the Bronze Age. The adoption of the Chinese writing system ("Hanja" in Korean) in the 2nd century BC, and Buddhism in the 4th century AD, had profound effects on the Three Kingdoms of Korea.
The Three Kingdoms of Korea was first united during the Silla dynasty under the king Munmu of Silla. The united Silla dynasty fell to Goryeo Dynasty in 935 at the end of Later Three Kingdoms of Korea era. Goryeo was a highly cultural state and created the Jikji in the 14th century, using the world's first movable metal type printing press. The Mongol invasions in the 13th century, however, greatly weakened the nation which was forced to become a tributary state. After the Mongol Empire's collapse, severe political strife followed and Goryeo was replaced by the Joseon Dynasty in 1388.
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Korea Strait
The Korea Strait is a sea passage between Japan and South Korea, connecting the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The strait is split by the Tsushima Island into the western channel and the Tsushima Strait (eastern channel).
To the north it is bounded by the southern coast of the Korean peninsula, and to the south by the southwestern Japanese islands of Kyūshū and Honshū. It is about 200 km (120 mi) wide and averages about 90 to 100 meters (300 ft) deep.
Tsushima Island divides the Korea Strait into the western channel and the Tsushima Strait. The western channel is deeper (up to 227 meters) and narrower than the Tsushima Strait.
A branch of the Kuroshio Current passes through the strait. Its warm branch is sometimes called the Tsushima Current. Originating along the Japanese islands this current passes through the Sea of Japan then divides along either shore of Sakhalin Island, eventually flowing into the northern Pacific Ocean via the strait north of Hokkaidō and into the Sea of Okhotsk north of Sakhalin Island near Vladivostok. The water-mass characteristics vary widely because of the low-salinity waters of the southeast coasts of Korea and China.
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Korean Empire
The Korean Empire (Hangul: 대한제국; Hanja: 大韓帝國; Daehan Jeguk; literally Great Korean Empire) is the name of the state of Korea that existed from the Proclamation of the Korean Empire in October 1897 to the Annexation of Korea by Japan on August 20, 1910. It succeeded the Joseon Dynasty.
In October 1897, Emperor Gojong proclaimed the new entity at Gyeongungung Palace and oversaw the partially successful modernization of the military, economy, land system, education system, and various industries. Japan became terrified by the speed of the modernisation the Korean Empire was having and decided to speed up its plans for annexation. This was further speeded by the assassination of Ito Hirobumi. On August 22, 1910, Korea was annexed by Imperial Japan, which defeated the Russian Empire in 1905.
The Sino-Japanese War marked the rapid decline of any power the Joseon Dynasty of Korea had managed to hold against foreign interference, as the battles of the conflict itself had been fought on Korean soil and the surrounding seas. With its newfound preeminence over the waning and weak Qing Dynasty, Japan had delegates negotiate the Treaty of Shimonoseki with the Qing emissaries, through which Japan wrested control over the Liaodong Peninsula from the Qing (a move designed to prevent the southern expansion of Japan's new rival, Russia), and, more importantly over Korea. However, Russia recognized this agreement as an act against its interests in northeastern China and eventually brought France and Germany to its side in saying that the Liaodong Peninsula should be repatriated to the Qing China.
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Kori Creek
The Kori Creek is a tidal creek in the Rann of Kachchh region of the Indian state of Gujarat and the Pakistani province of Sindh. It lies in the Kutch marshland.
This region is known for the Atlantique Incident, in which a Pakistan Navy Naval Air Arm Breguet Atlantique patrol plane, carrying 16 people on board, was shot down by the Indian Air Force for an alleged airspace violation, which was disputed by Pakistan. The episode took place in the Rann of Kutch on August 10, 1999, just a month after the Kargil War, creating a tense atmosphere between India and Pakistan.
Coordinates: 23°35′N 68°22′E / 23.583°N 68.367°E / 23.583; 68.367
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Kumgangsan
Mount Kumgang (Korean pronunciation: [kɯmɡaŋsan]) is a 1,638 metres (5,374 ft)-high mountain in Kangwon-do, North Korea. Its name means "a firm heart in the face of truth".[citation needed] It is about 50 km away from South Korea's Sokcho in Gangwon-do. It is one of the best-known mountains in North Korea. It is located on the east coast of the country, in Mount Kumgang Tourist Region, formerly part of Kangwŏn Province (38.58N, 128.17E). Mount Kumgang is part of the Taebaek mountain range which runs along the east of the Korean peninsula. The name means Vajra (or Diamond) Mountain.
Mount Kumgang has been known for its scenic beauty since ancient times and is the subject of many different works of art. Including its spring name, Kŭmgang (Hangul: 금강산; Hanja: 金剛), it has many different names for each season, but it is most widely known today in the Korean language as Kŭmgangsan. In summer it is called Pongraesan (봉래산, 蓬萊山: the place where a Spirit dwells); in autumn, Phung'aksan (풍악산, 楓岳山: hill of colored leaves, or 楓骨山: great mountain of colored leaves); in winter, Kaegolsan (개골산, 皆骨山: stone bone mountain).
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Liancourt Rocks
The Liancourt Rocks, also known as Dokdo or Tokto (독도/獨島, literally "solitary island") in Korean or Takeshima (たけしま/竹島?, literally "bamboo island") in Japanese, are a group of small islets in the Sea of Japan (East Sea). Sovereignty over the islets is disputed between Japan and South Korea. South Korea currently has its Coast Guard stationed there.
The Franco-English name of the islets derives from Le Liancourt, the name of a French whaling ship which came close to being wrecked on the rocks in 1849. Both the Korean and Japanese names have changed over time, a testament to the historical confusion over the subject which led to today's heated dispute.
The Liancourt Rocks consist of two main islets and 35 smaller rocks. The total surface area of the islets is 0.18745 square kilometres (46.32 acres), with the highest elevation of 169 metres (554 ft) found at an unnamed location on the west islet. Two Korean citizens—an octopus fisherman and his wife—are permanent residents on the islets. A small Korean police detachment, administrative personnel, and lighthouse staff are stationed in non-permanent supporting positions on the islets.
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Liaoning
Coordinates: 41°06′N 122°18′E / 41.1°N 122.3°E / 41.1; 122.3
Liaoning (help·info) (simplified Chinese: 辽宁; traditional Chinese: 遼寧; pinyin: Liáoníng; Manchu: ᠯᡳᠶᠣᠣ ᠨᡳᠩ, Liyoo ning) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" (pinyin: liáo), a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace". The modern province was established in 1907 as Fengtian province (奉天 pinyin: Fèngtiān; Postal map spelling: Fengtien; Manchu: ᠠᠪᡴᠠᡳ ᡳᠮᡳᠶᠠᠩᡤᠠ, Abkai imiyangga) and the name was changed to Liaoning in 1929. Under the Japanese puppet Manchukuo regime, the province reverted to its 1907 name, but the name Liaoning was restored in 1945.
Liaoning is located in the southern part of the Northeast, and is often called "the Golden Triangle" because of its superior geographical location, with the Yellow Sea (Korea Bay) and the Bohai Sea in the south, North Korea in the southeast, Jilin province to the northeast, Hebei province to the west, and Inner Mongolia to the northwest. The Yalu River marks the border between North Korea and the province. It empties into the Korea Bay between Dandong, Liaoning and Sinŭiju, North Korea.
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Malaysia
Malaysia (i/məˈleɪʒə/ mə-LAY-zhə or i/məˈleɪsiə/ mə-LAY-see-ə) is a federal constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia. It consists of thirteen states and three federal territories and has a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometres (127,350 sq mi) separated by the South China Sea into two similarly sized regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo. Land borders are shared with Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei, and maritime borders exist with Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. In 2010 the population exceeded 27.5 million, with over 20 million living on the Peninsula.
Malaysia has its origins in the Malay Kingdoms present in the area which, from the 18th century, became subject to the British Empire. The first British territories were known as the Straits Settlements, whose establishment was followed by the Malay kingdoms becoming British protectorates. The territories on Peninsular Malaysia were first unified as the Malayan Union in 1946. Malaya was restructured as the Federation of Malaya in 1948, and achieved independence on 31 August 1957. Malaya united with Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore on 16 September 1963, with si being added to give the new country the name Malaysia. However, less than two years later in 1965, Singapore was expelled from the federation. Since independence, Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia, with GDP growing an average 6.5% for almost 50 years. The economy has traditionally been fuelled by its natural resources, but is expanding in the sectors of science, tourism, commerce and medical tourism.
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Matsu Islands
The Matsu Islands (simplified Chinese: 马祖列岛; traditional Chinese: 馬祖列島; pinyin: Mǎzǔ Lièdǎo; Fuzhou dialect: Mā-cū liĕk-dō̤ or less frequently, simplified Chinese: 马祖群岛; traditional Chinese: 馬祖群島; pinyin: Mǎzǔ Qúndǎo; Fuzhou dialect: 馬祖島 Mā-cū-dō̤) are a minor archipelago of 19 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait administered as Lienchiang County (連江縣; Lièng-gŏng-gâing) under Fujian Province of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Only a small area of what is historically Lienchiang County is under the control of the ROC. The People's Republic of China (AKA "China") controls the part of the county on mainland China and has a separate administration for that jurisdiction, Lianjiang County, which claims the entire archipelago to be its Mazu Township (馬祖鄉; Mā-cū-hiŏng).
They are named after the goddess Mazu. Kinmen is the other archipelago on the Fujian coast controlled by the ROC.
Fujianese Mainlanders started migrating to the islands during the Yuan Dynasty. Most people on Matsu came from Houguan (侯官) (today Changle County (長樂縣 Diòng-lŏ̤h-gâing), Fujian).
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Mongolia
Mongoliai/mɒŋˈɡoʊliə/ (Mongolian: Монгол улс (help·info), literally Mongol country/state) is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only 38 kilometres (24 mi) from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest city, is home to about 45% of the population. Mongolia's political system is a parliamentary republic.
The area of what is now Mongolia has been ruled by various nomadic empires, including the Xiongnu, the Xianbei, the Rouran, the Gökturks and others. The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan in 1206. After the collapse of the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols returned to their earlier pattern of constant internal conflict and occasional raids on the Chinese borderlands. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Mongolia came under the influence of Tibetan Buddhism. At the end of the 17th century, all of Mongolia had been incorporated into the area ruled by the Qing Dynasty. During the collapse of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, Mongolia declared independence, but had to struggle until 1921 to firmly establish de facto independence from the Republic of China, and until 1945 to gain international recognition.
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Nakdong River
The Nakdong River (Rakdong in North Korean) is the longest river in South Korea, and passes through major cities such as Daegu and Busan.
The Nakdong flows from the Taebaek Mountains to the South Sea or Korean Strait, that separates Korea from Japan. The river originates from the junction of the Cheolamcheon and Hwangjicheon streams in Dongjeom-dong, Taebaek city, Gangwon province. From there to its mouth it winds for about 506 kilometres (314 mi). The width of the river ranges from only a few metres in its upper reaches, to several hundred metres towards its estuary.
Major tributaries include the Yeong, Geumho, and Nam rivers. Together with its tributaries, the Nakdong drains most of North Gyeongsang and South Gyeongsang provinces, along with small portions of North Jeolla, South Jeolla, and Gangwon. The total watershed is 23,384 square kilometres (9,029 sq mi).
The Nakdong River has played an important role throughout Korean history. The river basin has been a favored dwelling-place for as long as people have inhabited the Korean peninsula. Numerous Neolithic remains have been found in the valley.
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North Korea
Coordinates: 40°00′N 127°00′E / 40°N 127°E / 40; 127 The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK; Chosŏn'gŭl: 조선민주주의인민공화국), commonly referred to as "North Korea" ( listen), is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea. The Amnok, or Yalu, and the Tumen rivers form the border between North Korea and China. A section of the Tumen River in the far northeast is the border with Russia.
The peninsula was governed by the Korean Empire until it was annexed by Japan after the Russo-Japanese War in 1910. It was divided into Soviet- and American-occupied zones in 1945, after the end of World War II. North Korea refused to participate in a United Nations–supervised election held in the south in 1948, which led to the creation of separate Korean governments for the two occupation zones. North and South Korea each claimed sovereignty over the whole Korean Peninsula, which led to the Korean War of 1950. The Armistice Agreement of 1953 ended the fighting; but the two countries are officially still at war against each other, for a peace treaty was never signed. Both states were accepted into the United Nations in 1991.
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Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.
At 165.2 million square kilometres (64.1 million square miles) in area, this largest division of the World Ocean – and, in turn, the hydrosphere – covers about 46% of the Earth's water surface and about one-third of its total surface area, making it larger than all of the Earth's land area combined. The equator subdivides it into the North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean, with two exceptions: the Galápagos and Gilbert Islands, while straddling the equator, are deemed wholly within the South Pacific. The Mariana Trench in the western North Pacific is the deepest point in the world, reaching a depth of 10,911 metres (35,797 ft).
The eastern Pacific Ocean was first sighted by Europeans early in the 16th century. Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama in 1513 and named it Mar del Sur (South Sea). The ocean's current name was given by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan during the Spanish expedition of world circumnavigation in 1521, who encountered favourable winds as he reached the ocean and called it Mar Pacifico in Portuguese, meaning "peaceful sea".
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Pakistan
Pakistan (i/ˈpækɨstæn/ or i/pɑːkiˈstɑːn/; Urdu: پاکستان) (Urdu pronunciation: [paːkɪˈst̪aːn] (
listen)), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاکستان), is a sovereign country in South Asia. It sits at the crossroads of the strategically important regions of South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046-kilometre (650 mi) coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west and north, Iran to the southwest and China in the far northeast. It is separated from Tajikistan by Afghanistan's narrow Wakhan Corridor in the north, and it shares a marine border with Oman.
The territory of modern Pakistan was the site of several ancient cultures, including the Neolithic Mehrgarh and the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilisation, and has undergone invasions or settlements by Hindu, Persian, Indo-Greek, Islamic, Turco-Mongol, Afghan and Sikh cultures. Thus the area has been ruled by numerous empires and dynasties, including the Indian Mauryan Empire, the Persian Achaemenid Empire, the Arab Umayyad Caliphate, the Mongol Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Durrani Empire, the Sikh Empire and the British Empire. As a result of the Pakistan Movement led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and India's struggle for independence, Pakistan was created in 1947 as an independent nation for Muslims from the regions in the east and west of India where there was a Muslim majority. Initially a dominion, Pakistan adopted a new constitution in 1956, becoming an Islamic republic. A civil war in 1971 resulted in the secession of East Pakistan as the new country of Bangladesh.
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Pamir Mountains
Coordinates: 39°N 72°E / 39°N 72°E / 39; 72
The Pamir Mountains are a mountain range in Central Asia formed by the junction or knot of the Himalayas, Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, and Hindu Kush ranges. They are among the world’s highest mountains and since Victorian times they have been known as the "Roof of the World" a probable translation from the Persian.
In other languages they are called: Kyrgyz Памир тоолору; Persian: رشته کوه های پامیر Reshte Kūh-hāye Pāmīr; Tajik: Кӯҳҳои Помир; Pashto: د پامير غرونه; Uyghur: پامىر ئېگىزلىكى; Urdu: پامیر کوهستان; Hindi: पामीर पर्वतमाला; Chinese: 帕米尔高原; pinyin: Pàmǐ'ěr Gāoyuán. Another Chinese name is Congling (cōnglǐng 葱嶺) (Wade-Giles: Ts'ung-ling) or "Onion Range" (after the wild onions growing in the region).
The precise extent of the Pamir Mountains is debatable. They lie mostly in Gorno-Badakhshan province, Tajikistan and Badakshan Province, Afghanistan. To the north they join the Tian Shan mountains along the Alay Valley of Kyrgyzstan. To the south they join the Hindu Kush mountains along the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan/Pakistan, and also Gilgit–Baltistan in Pakistan. To the east they may end on the Chinese border or extend to the range that includes Kongur Tagh which is sometimes included in the Kunlun Mountains.
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Pedra Branca dispute
The Pedra Branca dispute was a territorial dispute between Singapore and Malaysia over several islets at the eastern entrance to the Singapore Strait, namely Pedra Branca (previously called Pulau Batu Puteh and now Batu Puteh by Malaysia), Middle Rocks and South Ledge. The dispute began in 1979 and was largely resolved by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2008, which opined that Pedra Branca belonged to Singapore and Middle Rocks belonged to Malaysia.
In early 1980, Singapore lodged a formal protest with Malaysia in response to a map published by Malaysia in 1979 claiming Pedra Branca. In 1989 Singapore proposed submitting the dispute to the ICJ. Malaysia agreed to this in 1994. In 1993, Singapore also claimed the nearby islets Middle Rocks and South Ledge. In 1998 the two countries agreed on the text of a Special Agreement that was needed to submit the dispute to the ICJ. The Special Agreement was signed in February 2003, and the ICJ formally notified of the Agreement in July that year. The hearing before the ICJ was held over three weeks in November 2007 under the name Sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge (Malaysia v. Singapore).
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Penghu
The Penghu Islands, also known as Pescadores (from Portuguese: "fishermen") are an archipelago off the western coast of Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait consisting of 90 small islands and islets covering an area of 141 square kilometers. Though claimed by both the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China, they are administered by Taiwan.
The whole archipelago forms Penghu County of Taiwan, the archipelago along with the island of Taiwan, composed the former Japanese territory of Formosa.
Peng-hu was first recorded in unofficial historical records and regional logs in 1171 during the Southern Song Dynasty. From the middle of the 17th century to 1895, Taiwan and the archipelago were ruled by pirates, the colonial Dutch Empire (attempts at conquest from 1622 onward), the Koxinga kingdom (Tungning), and the Qing Dynasty, successively.
The Penghu archipelago was captured by the French in March 1885, in the closing weeks of the Sino-French War, and evacuated four months later. The Pescadores Campaign was the last campaign of Admiral Amédée Courbet, whose naval victories during the war had made him a national hero in France. Courbet was among several French soldiers and sailors who succumbed to cholera during the French occupation of Penghu. He died aboard his flagship Bayard in Makung harbour on 11 June 1885.
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Philippines
The Philippinesi/ˈfɪlɨpiːnz/ FI-lə-peenz (Filipino: Pilipinas [ˌpɪlɪˈpinɐs]), officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (Filipino: Republika ng Pilipinas) is a sovereign country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam. The Sulu Sea to the southwest lies between the country and the island of Borneo, and to the south the Celebes Sea separates it from other islands of Indonesia. It is bounded on the east by the Philippine Sea. Its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire and its tropical climate make the Philippines prone to earthquakes and typhoons but have also endowed the country with natural resources and made it one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world. An archipelago comprising 7,107 islands, the Philippines is categorized broadly into three main geographical divisions: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Its capital city is Manila.
With an estimated population of about 98 million people, the Philippines is the 7th most populated Asian country and the 12th most populated country in the world. An additional 12.5 million Filipinos live overseas. Multiple ethnicities and cultures are found throughout the islands. In prehistoric times, Negritos were some of the archipelago's earliest inhabitants. They were followed by successive waves of Austronesian peoples who brought with them influences from Malay, Hindu, and Islamic societies. Trade introduced Chinese cultural influences which remain to this day.
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Pyongyang
Pyongyang (평양, Korean pronunciation: [pʰjɔŋjaŋ], literally: "Flat Land") is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was split from the South P'yŏngan province in 1946. It is administered as a directly governed city (chikhalsi), on the same level as provincial governments, not a special city (teukbyeolsi) as Seoul is in South Korea.
One of Pyongyang's many historic names is Ryugyong (류경; 柳京), or "capital of willows", as willow trees have always been numerous throughout the city's history, and many poems have been written about these willows. Even today, the city has numerous willow trees, with many buildings and places having "Ryugyŏng" in their names. The most notable of these is the uncompleted Ryugyong Hotel. The city's other historic names include Kisong, Hwangsong, Rakrang, Sŏgyong, Sodo, Hogyong, and Changan.[citation needed] During the colonial period (1910–1945), Pyongyang was named Puto ".
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Republic of China
Taiwan (i/ˌtaɪˈwɑːn/ TY-WAHN; Chinese: 臺灣 or 台灣; pinyin: Táiwān; see below), officially the Republic of China (ROC; Chinese: 中華民國; pinyin: Zhōnghuá Mínguó), is a state in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China now governs the island of Taiwan (formerly known as Formosa), which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and other minor islands. Neighboring states include the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east and northeast, and the Philippines to the south. Taipei is the capital city and economic and cultural centre of the country, and New Taipei is the most populous city.
The earliest evidence of inhabitation of Taiwan dates back to the late Paleolithic era. The island of Taiwan was mainly inhabited by Taiwanese aborigines before being colonized in the 17th century by the Dutch and the Spanish Empire. The first Han Chinese polity on Taiwan began when Koxinga's troops defeated Dutch forces and established the Kingdom of Tungning. The island was subsequently ruled by the Qing Dynasty after the kingdom's defeat in the Battle of Penghu in 1683, a period that lasted for over 200 years. Following Japan's victory over the Qing Dynasty in the first Sino-Japanese war, Taiwan was ceded to Japan under the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895.
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Russia
Russiai/ˈrʌʃə/ or /ˈrʊʃə/ (Russian: Россия, tr. Rossiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijə] (
listen)), also officially known as the Russian Federation (Russian: Российская Федерация, tr. Rossiyskaya Federatsiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijskəjə fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨjə] ( listen)), is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects. From northwest to southeast, Russia shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both via Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk, and the US state of Alaska by the Bering Strait. At 17,075,400 square kilometres (6,592,800 sq mi), Russia is the largest country in the world, covering more than one eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area. Russia is also the eighth most populous nation with 143 million people. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning nine time zones and incorporating a wide range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources and is the largest producer of oil and natural gas globally. Russia has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's fresh water.
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Sabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia, and is its easternmost state. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south. In spite of its status as a Malaysian state, Sabah remains a disputed territory; the Philippines has a dormant claim over much of the eastern part of the territory. The capital of Sabah is Kota Kinabalu, formerly known as Jesselton. Sabah is often referred to as "Land Below The Wind", because of its location just south of the typhoon-prone region around the Philippines.
The origin of the name Sabah is uncertain, and there are many theories that have arisen. One theory is that during the time it was part of the Bruneian Sultanate, it was referred to as Saba because of the presence of pisang saba, a type of banana, found on the coasts of the region. Due to the location of Sabah in relation to Brunei, it has been suggested that Sabah was a Bruneian Malay word meaning upstream or the northern side of the river. Another theory suggests that it came from the Malay word sabak which means a place where palm sugar is extracted. Sabah is also an Arabic word which means sunrise. The presence of multiple theories makes it difficult to pinpoint the true origin of the name.
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Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific Ocean. This isolation also reflects in the fauna species and in the water salinity, which is lower than in the ocean. The sea has no large islands, bays or capes. Its water balance is mostly determined by the inflow and outflow through the straits connecting it to the neighboring seas and Pacific Ocean. Few rivers discharge into the sea and their total contribution to the water exchange is within 1%.
The seawater is characterized by the elevated concentration of dissolved oxygen that results in high biological productivity. Therefore, fishing is the dominant economic activity in the region. The intensity of shipments across the sea has been moderate owing to political issues, but it is steadily increasing as a result of the growth of East Asian economies. A controversy exists about the sea name, with South Korea promoting the appellation East Sea.
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Seoul
Seoul (Korean pronunciation: [sʌ.ul] ( listen), English /soʊl/), officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world. The Seoul National Capital Area is the world's second largest metropolitan area with over 25 million inhabitants, which includes the surrounding Incheon metropolis and Gyeonggi province. Almost a quarter of South Koreans live in Seoul, half of South Koreans live in the metropolitan area, along with over 275,000 international residents.
Located in the Han River, Seoul has been a major settlement for over 2,000 years, with its foundation dating back to 18 B.C. when Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, established its capital in what is now south-east Seoul. It continued as the capital of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty and the Korean Empire. The Seoul National Capital Area is home to four UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Changdeokgung, Hwaseong Fortress, Jongmyo Shrine and the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty.
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Silla
Silla (57 BC – 935 AD) (Korean pronunciation: [ɕilːa]) was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in Asian history. Although it was founded by King Park Hyeokgeose, who is also known to be the originator of the Korean family name Park (박, 朴), the dynasty was to see the Gyeongju Kim (김, 金) clan hold rule for most of its 992-year history. What began as a chiefdom in the Samhan confederacies, once allied with China, Silla eventually conquered the other two kingdoms, Baekje in 660 and Goguryeo in 668. Thereafter, Unified Silla or Later Silla, as it is often referred to, occupied most of the Korean Peninsula, while the northern part re-emerged as Balhae, a successor-state of Goguryeo. After nearly 1000 years of rule, Silla fragmented into the brief Later Three Kingdoms, handing over power to its successor dynasty Goryeo in 935.
From its founding until its growth into a full-fledged kingdom, Silla was recorded with various hanja phonetically approximating its native Korean name: 斯盧 (사로, Saro), 斯羅 (사라, Sara), 徐那(伐) (서나[벌], Seona[beol]), 徐耶(伐) (서야[벌], Seoya[beol]), 徐羅(伐) (서라[벌], Seora[beol]), and 徐伐 (서벌, Seobeol). In 503, King Jijeung standardized on the characters 新羅(신라), which in Modern Korean is pronounced "Shilla".
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Singapore
Singapore (i/ˈsɪŋəpɔər/ SI-ngə-pohr), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait to its south. Singapore is highly urbanised but almost half of the country is covered by greenery. More land is being created for development through land reclamation.
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South Korea
South Korea ( listen), officially the Republic of Korea (Hangul: 대한민국; Hanja: 大韓民國; Daehan Minguk listen), is a sovereign state in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The name "Korea" is derived from Goryeo, a dynasty which ruled in the Middle Ages (an initial "G" in Korean is pronounced like an English "K").
Its neighbors are China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the Korea Strait to the south. South Korea lies in the north temperate zone with a predominantly mountainous terrain. It covers a total area of 99,392 square kilometers and has a population of almost 50 million. The capital and largest city is Seoul, with a population of 9,794,304.
Archaeological findings show that the Korean Peninsula was occupied by the Lower Paleolithic period.Korean history begins with the founding of Gojoseon in 2333 BC by the legendary Dan-gun. Following the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea under Silla 668 AD, Korea went through the Goryeo Dynasty and Joseon Dynasty as one nation until the end of the Korean Empire in 1910, when it was annexed by Japan. After liberation and occupation by Soviet and U.S. forces at the end of World War II, the nation was divided into North and South Korea. The latter was established in 1948 as a democracy, though political turmoil and times of military rule and martial law characterized much of the period until the foundation of the Sixth Republic in 1987.
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Taiwan island
Taiwan (historically called "Formosa" especially prior to 1945, from Portuguese: Ilha Formosa, "Beautiful Island") is an island and an archipelago in East Asia, composed of Taiwan Island and several much smaller islands such as the Penghu Islands, Orchid Island, Green Island, and Hsiao Liuchiu. The main island is located some 180 kilometres (112 miles) off the southeastern coast of China across the Taiwan Strait. It has an area of 35,883 km2 (13,855 sq mi) and straddles the Tropic of Cancer. The archipelago makes up the majority of the territory of the Republic of China (ROC, commonly known as "Taiwan"), after the ROC lost its mainland China territory in the Chinese Civil War.
The East China Sea lies to the north, the Philippine Sea to the east, the Luzon Strait directly to the south and the South China Sea to the southwest. The island is characterized by the contrast between the eastern two-thirds, consisting mostly of rugged mountains running in five ranges from the northern to the southern tip of the island, and the flat to gently rolling Chianan Plains in the west that are also home to most of Taiwan's population. Taiwan's highest point is Yu Shan at 3,952 metres (12,966 ft), and there are five other peaks over 3500 meters. This makes it the world's fourth-highest island.
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Tajikistan
Tajikistan (i/tɑːˈdʒiːkɨstɑːn/, /təˈdʒiːkɨstæn/, or /tæˈdʒiːkiːstæn/; Тоҷикистон [ˈtɔjikɪsˈtɔn]), officially the Republic of Tajikistan (Tajik: Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Cumhuriyi Tocikiston; Persian: جمهوری تاجیکستان Jomhuri-ye Tajikestan; Russian: Республика Таджикистан, Respublika Tadzhikistan), is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. It borders Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east. Gilgit Baltistan as well as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan are separated from Tajikistan by the narrow Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan in the south.
Most of Tajikistan's population belongs to the Persian-speaking Tajik ethnic group, who share language, culture and history with Afghanistan and Iran. Once part of the Samanid Empire, Tajikistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic (Tajik SSR). Mountains cover over 90% of this Central Asian republic.
After independence, Tajikistan suffered from a devastating civil war which lasted from 1992 to 1997. Since the end of the war, newly established political stability and foreign aid have allowed the country's economy to grow. Trade in commodities such as cotton, aluminium and uranium has contributed greatly to this steady improvement.
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Tuva
The Tyva Republic (Russian: Респу́блика Тыва́, tr. Respublika Tyva; IPA: [rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə tɨˈva]; Tuvan: Тыва Республика, Tyva Respublika), or Tuva (Russian: Тува́), is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). It lies in the geographical center of Asia, in southern Siberia. The republic borders with the Altai Republic, the Republic of Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast, and the Republic of Buryatia in Russia and with Mongolia to the south. Its capital is the city of Kyzyl. Population: 307,930 (2010 Census).
Forests, mountains, and steppe make up a large part of the geography.
A majority of the people are Tuvans who speak the Tuvan language, but Russian is also spoken extensively. Tuva is governed by the Great Khural which elects a chairman for a four-year term. The current chairman is Sholban Kara-ool.
The republic is situated in the far south of Siberia. Its capital city of Kyzyl is located near the geographic "center of Asia". The eastern part of the republic is forested and elevated, and the west is a drier lowland.
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Vietnam
Vietnam ( listen), formally the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Cộng hòa xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam; listen), is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. With an estimated 91.5 million inhabitants as of 2012, it is the world's 13th-most-populous country, and the eighth-most-populous Asian country. The name Vietnam translates as "South Viet", and was officially adopted in 1945. The country is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east.
The Vietnamese became independent from Imperial China in 938 AD, following the Battle of Bạch Đằng River. Successive Vietnamese royal dynasties flourished as the nation expanded geographically and politically into Southeast Asia, until the Indochina Peninsula was colonized by the French in the mid-19th century. The First Indochina War eventually led to the expulsion of the French in 1954, leaving Vietnam divided politically into two states, North and South Vietnam. Conflict between the two sides intensified, with heavy foreign intervention, during the Vietnam War, which ended with a North Vietnamese victory in 1975.
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Yellow Sea
Coordinates: 35°0′N 123°0′E / 35°N 123°E / 35; 123
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden yellow.
The innermost bay of the Yellow Sea is called the Bohai Sea (previously Pechihli Bay or Chihli Bay). Into it flow both the Yellow River (through Shandong province and its capital Jinan) and Hai He (through Beijing and Tianjin). Deposits of sand and silt from those rivers contribute to the sea color.
The Yellow Sea is one of four seas named in English after common color terms — the others being the Black Sea, the Red Sea and the White Sea.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Yellow Sea (which it also names as "Hwang Hai") as follows:
On the South. The parallel of 33°17' North from Saisyu To (Quelpart) [now known as Jeju-do] to the mainland [of China].
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Aksai Chin
Coordinates: 35°7′N 79°8′E / 35.117°N 79.133°E / 35.117; 79.133
Aksai Chin (Chinese: 阿克赛钦; pinyin: Ākèsàiqīn, Hindi: अक्साई चिन, Urdu: اکسائی چن) is one of the two main disputed border areas between China and India, the other being Arunachal Pradesh. It is administered by China as part of Hotan County in the Hotan Prefecture of Xinjiang Autonomous Region, but is also claimed by India as a part of the Ladakh district of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. In 1962 China and India fought a brief war over Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh, but in 1993 and 1996 the two countries signed agreements to respect the Line of Actual Control.
The etymology of Aksai Chin is uncertain regarding the word "Chin". As a word of Turk origin, aksai literally means "white brook" but whether the word Chin refers to Chinese or pass is disputed. The area is largely a vast high-altitude desert including some salt lakes from 4,800 metres (15,700 ft) to 5,500 metres (18,000 ft) above sea level. It covers an area of 37,244 square kilometres (14,380 sq mi). The Chinese name of the region, 阿克赛钦, is composed of Chinese characters chosen for their phonetic values, irrespective of their meaning.
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Baekje
Baekje or Paekche (Hangul: 백제; Hanja: 百濟, Korean pronunciation: [pɛk̚tɕ͈e]) (18 BCE – 660 CE) was a kingdom located in southwest Korea. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla.
Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jumong and So Seo-no, at Wiryeseong (present-day southern Seoul). Baekje, like Goguryeo, claimed to succeed Buyeo, a state established in present-day Manchuria around the time of Gojoseon's fall.
Baekje alternately battled and allied with Goguryeo and Silla as the three kingdoms expanded control over the peninsula. At its peak in the 4th century, Baekje controlled most of the western Korean peninsula, as far north as Pyongyang, and may have even held territories in China, such as in Liaoxi, though this is controversial. It became a significant regional sea power, with political and trade relations with China and Japan.
In 660, it was defeated by an alliance of Silla and Chinese Tang Dynasty, submitting to Unified Silla.
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Buyeo kingdom
Buyeo or Puyŏ (Korean pronunciation: [pujʌ]), Fuyu in Chinese, was an ancient Korean kingdom located from today's Manchuria to northern North Korea, from around the 2nd century BC to 494. Its remnants were absorbed by the neighboring and brotherhood kingdom of Goguryeo in 494. Both Goguryeo and Baekje, two of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, considered themselves its successor nation.
Although records are sparse and contradictory, it is speculated that in 86 BCE, Dongbuyeo (Eastern Buyeo) branched out, after which the original Buyeo is sometimes referred to as Bukbuyeo (Northern Buyeo). Jolbon Buyeo was a small tribal state situated in north of the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. According to Samguk Sagi, in 504, the tribute emissary Yesilbu mentions that the gold of Buyeo can no longer be obtainable for tribute as Buyeo has been driven out by the Malgal and the Somna and absorbed into Baekje. It is also shown that the Emperor Shizong wished that Buyeo would regain its former glory. In 538, long after the fall of Buyeo, Baekje renamed itself Nambuyeo (Southern Buyeo).
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China
China (i/ˈtʃaɪnə/; Chinese: 中国; pinyin: Zhōngguó; see also Names of China), officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is the world's most-populous country, with a population of over 1.3 billion. Covering approximately 9.6 million square kilometres, the East Asian state is the world's second-largest country by land area, and the third- or fourth-largest in total area, depending on the definition of total area.
The People's Republic of China is a single-party state governed by the Communist Party of China. It exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four directly controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing), and two mostly self-governing special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau). Its capital city is Beijing. The PRC also claims Taiwan—which is controlled by the Republic of China (ROC), a separate political entity—as its 23rd province, a claim controversial due to the complex political status of Taiwan and the unresolved Chinese Civil War. The PRC government denies the legitimacy of the ROC.
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Crater lake
A crater lake is a lake that forms in a volcanic crater or caldera, such as a maar; less commonly and with lower association to the term a lake may form in an impact crater caused by a meteorite, or in an artificial explosion caused by humans. Sometimes lakes which form inside calderas are called caldera lakes, but often this distinction is not made. Crater lakes covering active (fumarolic) volcanic vents are sometimes known as volcanic lakes, and the water within them is often acidic, saturated with volcanic gases, and cloudy with a strong greenish color. Lakes located in dormant or extinct volcanoes tend to have fresh water, and the water clarity in such lakes can be exceptional due to the lack of inflowing streams and sediment.
Lava lakes, a rare phenomenon where a volcanic crater can sustainably contain a significant volume of molten lava, are discussed in a separate article.
Crater lakes form as precipitation within the rim fills the created depression. The water level rises until an equilibrium is reached between the rate of incoming and outgoing water. Sources of water loss singly or together, may include evaporation, subsurface seepage, and in places, surface leakage or overflow when the lake level reaches the lowest point on its rim. At such a saddle location, the upper portion of the lake is contained only by its adjacent natural volcanic dam; continued leakage through or surface outflow across the dam can erode its included material, thus lowering lake level until a new equilibrium of water flow, erosion and rock resistance is established. If the volcanic dam portion erodes rapidly or fails catastrophically, the occurrence produces a breakout or outburst flood. With changes in environmental conditions over time, the occurrence of such floods is common to all natural dam types.
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Dongye
Dongye, which means the Eastern Ye, was a Korean chiefdom which occupied portions of the northeastern Korean peninsula from roughly 3rd-century BCE to around early 5th-century. It bordered Goguryeo and Okjeo to the north, Jinhan to the south, and China's Lelang Commandery to the west. Today, this territory consists of the provinces of South Hamgyŏng and Kangwon in North Korea, and Gangwon in South Korea.
Dongye appears in history as a vassal state of Goguryeo. In early 5th-century, however, King Gwanggaeto the Great of Goguryeo annexed Dongye, leading to Goguryeo's domination of the entire northern portion of the Korean peninsula and most of Manchuria. A small part of Dongye in the south was absorbed into Silla.
Dongye considered itself the same people as Goguryeo, and shared the language and ethnic origins of the people of Okjeo and Goguryeo. This may indicate that Dongye also shared a common origin with Buyeo and Gojoseon. The population was recorded to be 20,000 families.
Very little information about Dongye has survived; most of the extant information comes from the discussion of the Eastern barbarians in the Chinese Records of Three Kingdoms. The custom of "Mucheon" (무천, 舞天), a festival of worshipping heaven through song and dance in the 10th month, is mentioned in some records. This appears to have been closely related to the Goguryeo festival of Dongmaeng, held at the same time of year, which also incorporated martial displays. The people worshiped the tiger as a deity.
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Korean War
The Korean War (Korean: 한국전쟁 or 조선전쟁, Hanja: 韓國戰爭 or 朝鮮戰爭; 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was a war between the Republic of Korea (supported primarily by the United States of America, with contributions from allied nations under the aegis of the United Nations) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (supported by the People's Republic of China, with military and material aid from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). The Korean War was primarily the result of the political division of Korea by an agreement of the victorious Allies at the conclusion of the Pacific War at the end of World War II. The Korean Peninsula was ruled by the Empire of Japan from 1910 until the end of World War II. Following the surrender of the Empire of Japan in September 1945, American administrators divided the peninsula along the 38th parallel, with U.S. military forces occupying the southern half and Soviet military forces occupying the northern half.
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Koreans
The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula.
South Koreans call Koreans Hanguk-in (한국인; 韓國人)—or simply 한인/Han-in for South Koreans living abroad—or informally Hanguk saram (한국 사람; 韓國 사람), while North Koreans call Koreans Chosŏnin (조선인; 朝鮮人) or Chosŏn saram (조선 사람; 朝鮮 사람). See Names of Korea, Korean romanization, Hangul (한글) and Hanja (한자).
Koreans are believed[by whom?] to be descendants of peoples of Manchuria, often said to be Altaic- or proto-Altaic-speaking tribes, linking them with Mongols, Turkic and Tungusic peoples. Archaeological evidence suggests proto-Koreans were migrants from south-central Siberia, who populated ancient Korea in successive waves from the Neolithic age to the Bronze Age. The same tomb style is an indication telling who lived there. The largest concentration of dolmen in the world is found on the Korean peninsula. In fact, with an estimated 35,000 dolmen Korea counts for nearly 40% of the world’s total. Similar dolmens can be found outside of Korea, in Manchuria, Shandong, and Kyushu. Yet it is unclear why this culture only flourished so extensively on the Korean peninsula in the area of Northeastern Asia.
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Liaoning
Coordinates: 41°06′N 122°18′E / 41.1°N 122.3°E / 41.1; 122.3
Liaoning (help·info) (simplified Chinese: 辽宁; traditional Chinese: 遼寧; pinyin: Liáoníng; Manchu: ᠯᡳᠶᠣᠣ ᠨᡳᠩ, Liyoo ning) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" (pinyin: liáo), a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace". The modern province was established in 1907 as Fengtian province (奉天 pinyin: Fèngtiān; Postal map spelling: Fengtien; Manchu: ᠠᠪᡴᠠᡳ ᡳᠮᡳᠶᠠᠩᡤᠠ, Abkai imiyangga) and the name was changed to Liaoning in 1929. Under the Japanese puppet Manchukuo regime, the province reverted to its 1907 name, but the name Liaoning was restored in 1945.
Liaoning is located in the southern part of the Northeast, and is often called "the Golden Triangle" because of its superior geographical location, with the Yellow Sea (Korea Bay) and the Bohai Sea in the south, North Korea in the southeast, Jilin province to the northeast, Hebei province to the west, and Inner Mongolia to the northwest. The Yalu River marks the border between North Korea and the province. It empties into the Korea Bay between Dandong, Liaoning and Sinŭiju, North Korea.
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Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The term generally excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
There are two terms in Chinese for "mainland". Namely, Dalu (simplified Chinese: 大陆; traditional Chinese: 大陸), which means "continent", and Neidi (内地 / 內地), literally "inner land". In the PRC, the usage of the two terms are generally interchangeable and there is no prescribed method of reference in any jurisdiction. To emphasize "equal footing" in cross-strait relations, the term is used in official contexts with reference to Taiwan, with the PRC referring to itself as "the mainland side" (as opposed to "the Taiwan side"). But in its relations with Hong Kong and Macau, the PRC government refers to itself as "the Central People's Government".
By 1949, the Communist Party of China's (CPC) People's Liberation Army had largely defeated the Kuomintang (KMT)'s National Revolutionary Army in the Chinese Civil War on the mainland. This forced the Kuomintang to relocate the Government and institutions of the Republic of China to the relative safety of Taiwan, an island which was placed under the control of the Republic of China after the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II in 1945. With the establishment of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, the CPC-controlled government saw itself as the sole legitimate government of China, competing with the claims of the Republic of China, whose authority is now limited to Taiwan and other islands. This has resulted in a situation in which two co-existing governments compete for international legitimacy and recognition as the "government of China".
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Matsu Islands
The Matsu Islands (simplified Chinese: 马祖列岛; traditional Chinese: 馬祖列島; pinyin: Mǎzǔ Lièdǎo; Fuzhou dialect: Mā-cū liĕk-dō̤ or less frequently, simplified Chinese: 马祖群岛; traditional Chinese: 馬祖群島; pinyin: Mǎzǔ Qúndǎo; Fuzhou dialect: 馬祖島 Mā-cū-dō̤) are a minor archipelago of 19 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait administered as Lienchiang County (連江縣; Lièng-gŏng-gâing) under Fujian Province of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Only a small area of what is historically Lienchiang County is under the control of the ROC. The People's Republic of China (AKA "China") controls the part of the county on mainland China and has a separate administration for that jurisdiction, Lianjiang County, which claims the entire archipelago to be its Mazu Township (馬祖鄉; Mā-cū-hiŏng).
They are named after the goddess Mazu. Kinmen is the other archipelago on the Fujian coast controlled by the ROC.
Fujianese Mainlanders started migrating to the islands during the Yuan Dynasty. Most people on Matsu came from Houguan (侯官) (today Changle County (長樂縣 Diòng-lŏ̤h-gâing), Fujian).
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Okjeo
Okjeo was Korean tribal state which arose in the northern Korean peninsula from perhaps 2nd century BCE to 5th century CE.
Dong-okjeo (Eastern Okjeo) occupied roughly the area of the Hamgyŏng provinces of North Korea, and Buk-okjeo (Northern Okjeo) occupied the Duman River region.
Dong-okjeo was often simply called Okjeo, while Buk-okjeo was also sometimes referred to as Chiguru (置溝婁, 치구루) or Guru (구루)[citation needed], the latter name being also applied to Goguryeo. Okjeo bordered the other minor state of Dongye on the south, and shared a similar fate.
Olgi means Mineral spring in Ewenki language.
In its early history, Okjeo oscillated between domination by the Chinese commanderies and by Goguryeo. From the 3rd century BCE to 108 BCE, it was controlled by Gojoseon due to the constant interference of its neighbors, Okjeo never grew into a fully centralized kingdom.
In the 1st or 2nd century CE, King Taejo of Goguryeo reduced Okjeo to a tributary, which delivered local products to Goguryeo. During the 244 Wei Invasion of Goguryeo, Goguryeo’s King Dongcheon briefly retreated to North Okjeo, and in 285, the Buyeo court also temporarily escaped to Okjeo under northern nomadic attacks.
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Paracel Islands
The Paracel Islands, also called Xisha Islands (Chinese: 西沙群岛) in Chinese and Hoàng Sa Islands (Quần đảo Hoàng Sa, 群島黃沙) in Vietnamese, is a group of islands under the administration of Hainan Province, the People's Republic of China. Vietnam and the Republic of China (Taiwan) also claim sovereignty of these islands. China and South Vietnam each occupied part of the Paracel Islands before 1974 when a brief conflict occurred. China took over and has controlled all of the Paracel Islands since then.
The Paracel Islands consist of over 30 islets, sandbanks or reefs, occupy about 15,000 km² of the ocean surface, and are located in the South China Sea. Turtles live on the islands, and seabirds have left nests and guano deposits, but there are no permanent human residents except for a small number of troops. The archipelago is approximately equidistant from the coastlines of Vietnam and China, 180 nautical miles SE of Hainan Island, and about one-third of the way from central Vietnam to the northern Philippines.
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Pratas Islands
The Pratas Islands, also called Dongsha Islands (simplified Chinese: 东沙群岛; traditional Chinese: 東沙群島; pinyin: Dōngshā Qúndǎo), consist of three islands forming from an atoll located in northeastern South China Sea, 340 km (211 mi) southeast of Hong Kong. The islands are governed by the Republic of China (Taiwan). The People's Republic of China claims sovereignty over these islands along with all other territories currently controlled by the Republic of China. It is the seventh national park of the Republic of China. The main island of the group, Dongsha Island, is the largest of the South China Sea Islands.
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Samhan
The Samhan period of Korean history (also Proto–Three Kingdoms Period) comprises confederacies of Mahan, Jinhan, and Byeonhan in central and southern Korean peninsula, during the final century BCE and the early centuries CE. These confederacies were eventually absorbed into two of the Three Kingdoms of Korea by the 4th century CE. The Samhan period is generally considered a subdivision of the Three Kingdoms Period.
Sam (三) means "three", and Han is a Korean word meaning "great" or "leader" (cognate with "khan" used in inner Asia for leaders). Han was transliterated into Chinese characters 韓, 幹, or 刊, but is unrelated with the Han in Han Chinese and the Chinese kingdoms and dynasties also called Han (漢, 韓). Ma means south, Byeon means shining and Jin means east. The names of these confederacies are reflected in the current name of South Korea, Daehan Minguk (literally, "Great Han People's Nation"). See Names of Korea.
The Samhan are thought to have formed around the time of the fall of Gojoseon in northern Korea in 108 BC, around when the state of Jin in southern Korea also disappears from written records. By the 4th century, Mahan was fully absorbed into the Baekje kingdom, Jinhan into the Silla kingdom, and Byeonhan into the Gaya confederacy, which was later annexed by Silla.
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Senkaku Islands
The Senkaku Islands (尖閣諸島, Senkaku Shotō?, variants: Senkaku-guntō and Senkaku-rettō), also known as the Diaoyu Islands or Diaoyutai Islands (simplified Chinese: 钓鱼岛及其附属岛屿; traditional Chinese: 釣魚台群島; pinyin: Diàoyútái Qúndǎo) or the Pinnacle Islands, are a group of uninhabited islands controlled by Japan in the East China Sea. They are located roughly due east of mainland China, northeast of Taiwan, west of Okinawa Island, and north of the southwestern end of the Ryukyu Islands.
Since the transfer of administration from United States to Japan in 1971, ownership of the islands by Japan has been disputed by the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan). The Chinese claim the discovery and control of the islands from the 14th century. Japan controlled the islands from 1895 until her surrender at the end of World War II. The United States administered them as part of the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands from 1945 until 1972, when the islands reverted to Japanese control under the Okinawa Reversion Treaty between the United States and Japan.
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Silla
Silla (57 BC – 935 AD) (Korean pronunciation: [ɕilːa]) was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in Asian history. Although it was founded by King Park Hyeokgeose, who is also known to be the originator of the Korean family name Park (박, 朴), the dynasty was to see the Gyeongju Kim (김, 金) clan hold rule for most of its 992-year history. What began as a chiefdom in the Samhan confederacies, once allied with China, Silla eventually conquered the other two kingdoms, Baekje in 660 and Goguryeo in 668. Thereafter, Unified Silla or Later Silla, as it is often referred to, occupied most of the Korean Peninsula, while the northern part re-emerged as Balhae, a successor-state of Goguryeo. After nearly 1000 years of rule, Silla fragmented into the brief Later Three Kingdoms, handing over power to its successor dynasty Goryeo in 935.
From its founding until its growth into a full-fledged kingdom, Silla was recorded with various hanja phonetically approximating its native Korean name: 斯盧 (사로, Saro), 斯羅 (사라, Sara), 徐那(伐) (서나[벌], Seona[beol]), 徐耶(伐) (서야[벌], Seoya[beol]), 徐羅(伐) (서라[벌], Seora[beol]), and 徐伐 (서벌, Seobeol). In 503, King Jijeung standardized on the characters 新羅(신라), which in Modern Korean is pronounced "Shilla".
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Socotra Rock
Socotra Rock Coordinates: 32°07′22.63″N 125°10′56.81″E / 32.1229528°N 125.1824472°E / 32.1229528; 125.1824472 is a submerged rock 4.6 meters (15 ft) below sea level (at low tide) located in the East China Sea. The rock is the subject of a territorial dispute between South Korea, which considers it to lie within its exclusive economic zone, referring to it as Ieodo (이어도/離於島; MR: Iŏdo) or Parangdo (파랑도/波浪島; MR: P'arangdo), and China, which considers it to lie within its exclusive economic zone and refers to it as Suyan Rock (苏岩礁). The rock currently serves as the foundation for the Korean Ieodo Ocean Research Station. A helipad is also located there to allow the research station to be serviced.
The rock is located 149 km (93 mi) southwest of Marado (just off Jeju island), Korea.
For Japan, Torishima (鳥島) Island, which is 275 kilometers (171 mi) away, is the closest territory to Socotra Rock; and for China, Yushandao (余山島) Island , 287 kilometers (178 mi) away, is nearest to Socotra Rock.
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Taiwan island
Taiwan (historically called "Formosa" especially prior to 1945, from Portuguese: Ilha Formosa, "Beautiful Island") is an island and an archipelago in East Asia, composed of Taiwan Island and several much smaller islands such as the Penghu Islands, Orchid Island, Green Island, and Hsiao Liuchiu. The main island is located some 180 kilometres (112 miles) off the southeastern coast of China across the Taiwan Strait. It has an area of 35,883 km2 (13,855 sq mi) and straddles the Tropic of Cancer. The archipelago makes up the majority of the territory of the Republic of China (ROC, commonly known as "Taiwan"), after the ROC lost its mainland China territory in the Chinese Civil War.
The East China Sea lies to the north, the Philippine Sea to the east, the Luzon Strait directly to the south and the South China Sea to the southwest. The island is characterized by the contrast between the eastern two-thirds, consisting mostly of rugged mountains running in five ranges from the northern to the southern tip of the island, and the flat to gently rolling Chianan Plains in the west that are also home to most of Taiwan's population. Taiwan's highest point is Yu Shan at 3,952 metres (12,966 ft), and there are five other peaks over 3500 meters. This makes it the world's fourth-highest island.
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Tannu Uriankhai
Tannu Uriankhai (Russian: Урянхайский край. Traditional Chinese: 唐努烏梁海; Simplified Chinese: 唐努乌梁海; Hanyu Pinyin: Tángnǔ Wūliánghǎi) is a historic region of the Mongol Empire and, later, the Qing Dynasty. The realms of Tannu Uriankhai largely correspond to the Tuva Republic of the Russian Federation, neighboring areas in Russia, and a part of the modern state of Mongolia.
After Outer Mongolia declared independence from the Qing Dynasty and Republic of China in the early 20th century, the region of Tannu Uriankhai increasingly came under Russian influence and finally became an independent communist state, the Tuvan People's Republic, which was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1944.
Sovereignty over the area has not been officially renounced by the Republic of China, based on the island of Taiwan since 1949.
With the fall of the Yuan Dynasty in China (1279-1368), Tannu Uriankhai was controlled by the Oirots (western Mongols, also known as Zungars[citation needed] until the end of the 16th and early 17th centuries. Thereafter, the history of western Mongolia, and by extension Tannu Uriankhai (more as a spectator than as a participant), is a story of the complex military relations between the Altan Khanate (Khotogoit tribe) and the Oirots, both competing for supremacy in western Mongolia.
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S Korea's Park vows more diplomacy with North
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:11
- Updated: 21 Dec 2012
South Korea's first female president-elect is promising a new era for the Korean peninsula. Conservative Park Geun-hye also says that North Korea's recent rocket launch shows the grave security situation in the area. Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reports from Seoul.
http://wn.com/S_Korea's_Park_vows_more_diplomacy_with_North
South Korea's first female president-elect is promising a new era for the Korean peninsula. Conservative Park Geun-hye also says that North Korea's recent rocket launch shows the grave security situation in the area. Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reports from Seoul.
S Korea's first female president-elect promising new era for Korean peninsula
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:11
- Updated: 20 Dec 2012
South Korea's first female president-elect is promising a new era for the Korean peninsula. Conservative Park Geun-hye also says that North Korea's recent rocket launch shows the grave security situation in the area. Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reports from Seoul. Source, credit to Aljazeera- www.aljazeera.com FAIR USE NOTICE: This video has been posted to further advance our understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, Technological, democratic, scientific, and social justice issues which constitutes a "fair use" of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 USC Section 107 for research and educational purposes.
http://wn.com/S_Korea's_first_female_president-elect_promising_new_era_for_Korean_peninsula
South Korea's first female president-elect is promising a new era for the Korean peninsula. Conservative Park Geun-hye also says that North Korea's recent rocket launch shows the grave security situation in the area. Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reports from Seoul. Source, credit to Aljazeera- www.aljazeera.com FAIR USE NOTICE: This video has been posted to further advance our understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, Technological, democratic, scientific, and social justice issues which constitutes a "fair use" of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 USC Section 107 for research and educational purposes.
- published: 20 Dec 2012
- views: 44
- author: AussieNews1
The Korean peninsula:Hanbando teaser [ 1.51 minute]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:51
- Updated: 04 Nov 2012
Hanbando : The korean peninsula First airing on 6 Feb 2012 8:50 PM. Follow us on twitter twitter.com Please visit our thread www.soompi.com to keep up with Kimjungeun's news,drama,photos and all her activity
http://wn.com/The_Korean_peninsulaHanbando_teaser_151_minute_
Hanbando : The korean peninsula First airing on 6 Feb 2012 8:50 PM. Follow us on twitter twitter.com Please visit our thread www.soompi.com to keep up with Kimjungeun's news,drama,photos and all her activity
- published: 21 Jan 2012
- views: 5275
- author: Kjefanclub
The Korean Peninsula's Stability (Agenda)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 11:19
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
Stratfor senior analysts Rodger Baker and Nate Hughes discuss the stability in Pyongyang and assess future prospects following the first talks between the United States and North Korea since the death of Kim Jong Il. For more, visit: www.stratfor.com
http://wn.com/The_Korean_Peninsula's_Stability_Agenda
Stratfor senior analysts Rodger Baker and Nate Hughes discuss the stability in Pyongyang and assess future prospects following the first talks between the United States and North Korea since the death of Kim Jong Il. For more, visit: www.stratfor.com
- published: 24 Feb 2012
- views: 4442
- author: STRATFORvideo
Toward Peace Settlement on Korean Peninsula & Building Community for Peace in North East Asia 01
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 34:10
- Updated: 24 Aug 2012
1. Brief History of Human Rights 2. Korea and her people(Brief History) 3. Human Rights situation of DPRK 4. Research Areas 5. Need for a peace studies university 6. Laureate Response
http://wn.com/Toward_Peace_Settlement_on_Korean_Peninsula_Building_Community_for_Peace_in_North_East_Asia_01
1. Brief History of Human Rights 2. Korea and her people(Brief History) 3. Human Rights situation of DPRK 4. Research Areas 5. Need for a peace studies university 6. Laureate Response
- published: 22 Aug 2012
- views: 112
- author: ewhauniv
Agenda on the Korean Peninsula with Rodger Baker
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:23
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
Stratfor Vice President of East Asia Analysis Rodger Baker examines the conflicting statements and rhetoric out of Pyongyang and Seoul in advance of US President Barack Obama's visit to the Demilitarized Zone and the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit. For more, visit www.stratfor.com
http://wn.com/Agenda_on_the_Korean_Peninsula_with_Rodger_Baker
Stratfor Vice President of East Asia Analysis Rodger Baker examines the conflicting statements and rhetoric out of Pyongyang and Seoul in advance of US President Barack Obama's visit to the Demilitarized Zone and the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit. For more, visit www.stratfor.com
- published: 23 Mar 2012
- views: 2181
- author: STRATFORvideo
Benjamin Fulford December 11 2012 - The Sunni Middle East and the Korean Peninsula
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:07
- Updated: 19 Dec 2012
As the center of world economic gravity continues to shift towards Asia, changing old Western political constructs aimed to "divide and conquer" has become a key topic of secret debate.
http://wn.com/Benjamin_Fulford_December_11_2012_The_Sunni_Middle_East_and_the_Korean_Peninsula
As the center of world economic gravity continues to shift towards Asia, changing old Western political constructs aimed to "divide and conquer" has become a key topic of secret debate.
- published: 10 Dec 2012
- views: 2586
- author: Timecrosser1
UN Pak Kil-Yon Warned of a Nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 14:36
- Updated: 15 Oct 2012
United Nations Broadcasting
http://wn.com/UN_Pak_Kil-Yon_Warned_of_a_Nuclear_war_on_the_Korean_Peninsula
Dispatch: Tensions on the Korean Peninsula
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:32
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
Stratfor Vice President of Strategic Intelligence Rodger Baker discusses tensions surrounding South Korea's ongoing military drills -- the first major exercises near the disputed Northern Limit Line. For more, visit www.stratfor.com
http://wn.com/Dispatch_Tensions_on_the_Korean_Peninsula
Stratfor Vice President of Strategic Intelligence Rodger Baker discusses tensions surrounding South Korea's ongoing military drills -- the first major exercises near the disputed Northern Limit Line. For more, visit www.stratfor.com
- published: 20 Feb 2012
- views: 2270
- author: STRATFORvideo
The Korean Peninsula After Kim Jong-il : Uncertainties, Challenges, and Opportunities
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 84:05
- Updated: 04 May 2012
Speakers: Ambassador Jack Pritchard, President, KEI Dr. Victor Cha, Korea Chair, CSIS Scott Snyder, Senior Fellow for Korea Studies and Director of the Program on US-Korea Policy, Council on Foreigns Relations Description: With the unexpected death of Kim Jong-Il, the political future of North Korea and regional security are uncertain. What is the prospect of Kim Jong-un securing control over the regime? What is the likelihood of instability on the Korean peninsula? What does this mean for the future of North Korea's denuclearization? Please join three leading experts to discuss these questions and others at this timely forum examining the current situation in and the future of North Korea.
http://wn.com/The_Korean_Peninsula_After_Kim_Jong-il_Uncertainties,_Challenges,_and_Opportunities
Speakers: Ambassador Jack Pritchard, President, KEI Dr. Victor Cha, Korea Chair, CSIS Scott Snyder, Senior Fellow for Korea Studies and Director of the Program on US-Korea Policy, Council on Foreigns Relations Description: With the unexpected death of Kim Jong-Il, the political future of North Korea and regional security are uncertain. What is the prospect of Kim Jong-un securing control over the regime? What is the likelihood of instability on the Korean peninsula? What does this mean for the future of North Korea's denuclearization? Please join three leading experts to discuss these questions and others at this timely forum examining the current situation in and the future of North Korea.
- published: 20 Dec 2011
- views: 1175
- author: KoreaEconomicInst
Democratization and the Korean Peninsula
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 58:17
- Updated: 15 May 2012
Charles K. Armstrong, PhD Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Studies in the Social Sciences Department of History Director, Center for Korean Research Columbia University Halle Speaker Series April 4, 2012 Emory University
http://wn.com/Democratization_and_the_Korean_Peninsula
Charles K. Armstrong, PhD Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Studies in the Social Sciences Department of History Director, Center for Korean Research Columbia University Halle Speaker Series April 4, 2012 Emory University
- published: 10 Apr 2012
- views: 137
- author: EmoryUniversity
Reflections on the South Korean and US Elections
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 72:23
- Updated: 04 Dec 2012
The Korean Peninsula Affairs Center of Syracuse University (KPAC) Presents a Donald P. and Margaret Curry Gregg Symposium
http://wn.com/Reflections_on_the_South_Korean_and_US_Elections
The Korean Peninsula Affairs Center of Syracuse University (KPAC) Presents a Donald P. and Margaret Curry Gregg Symposium
- published: 28 Nov 2012
- views: 76
- author: maxwellschool
Utah Service Members Conduct Joint Training on the Korean Peninsula (RAW Video)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 30:38
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
Raw video shots and interviews from Utah service members conducting joint training on the peninsula, South Korea. Produced by Staff Sgt. Junius Stone. Those are some BIG guns!! LOL. Watch your speaker of headphone volume!
http://wn.com/Utah_Service_Members_Conduct_Joint_Training_on_the_Korean_Peninsula_RAW_Video
Raw video shots and interviews from Utah service members conducting joint training on the peninsula, South Korea. Produced by Staff Sgt. Junius Stone. Those are some BIG guns!! LOL. Watch your speaker of headphone volume!
- published: 16 Mar 2012
- views: 2500
- author: 3rdID8487
Dollar rises while war brewing on Korean Peninsula
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:02
- Updated: 21 Sep 2012
Tensions are high on the Korean Peninsula after the North and South exchanged artillery barrages killing two people. Meanwhile, a possible war in the region drove up the value of the US dollar. RT's Contributor Wayne Madsen says that panicking markets are investing in the dollar due to the United State's strong military. And we may find more information about who's really interested in the recent tensions in Korea.
http://wn.com/Dollar_rises_while_war_brewing_on_Korean_Peninsula
Tensions are high on the Korean Peninsula after the North and South exchanged artillery barrages killing two people. Meanwhile, a possible war in the region drove up the value of the US dollar. RT's Contributor Wayne Madsen says that panicking markets are investing in the dollar due to the United State's strong military. And we may find more information about who's really interested in the recent tensions in Korea.
- published: 23 Nov 2010
- views: 6725
- author: RTAmerica
♥Entertainment in TV: The Korean peninsula press conference interview♥
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:09
- Updated: 13 Apr 2012
Hanbando : The korean peninsula First airing on 6 Feb 2012 8:50 PM. Please visit www.soompi.com Follow us on twitter twitter.com to keep up with Kimjungeun's news,drama,photos and all her activity
http://wn.com/♥Entertainment_in_TV_The_Korean_peninsula_press_conference_interview♥
Hanbando : The korean peninsula First airing on 6 Feb 2012 8:50 PM. Please visit www.soompi.com Follow us on twitter twitter.com to keep up with Kimjungeun's news,drama,photos and all her activity
- published: 27 Jan 2012
- views: 1434
- author: Kjefanclub
North Korea: Peninsula on 'Brink of War'
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:07
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
Fresh artillery blasts near a South Korean Island attacked earlier this week apparently came during drill today by North Korea. (Nov. 26)
http://wn.com/North_Korea_Peninsula_on_'Brink_of_War'
Fresh artillery blasts near a South Korean Island attacked earlier this week apparently came during drill today by North Korea. (Nov. 26)
- published: 26 Nov 2010
- views: 10800
- author: AssociatedPress
Riz Khan - Korean Peninsula crisis
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 22:34
- Updated: 01 Oct 2012
A four-day joint military exercise between the US and South Korea barely a few hundred kilometers from the North Korean coastline is adding to ongoing tensions in the region. Kim Jong-il's government has called the war games "serious provocation" and is threatening to retaliate. Could the latest developments trigger another armed confrontation between the two Koreas and how is the latest crisis affecting ties between their two allies - the US and China?
http://wn.com/Riz_Khan_Korean_Peninsula_crisis
A four-day joint military exercise between the US and South Korea barely a few hundred kilometers from the North Korean coastline is adding to ongoing tensions in the region. Kim Jong-il's government has called the war games "serious provocation" and is threatening to retaliate. Could the latest developments trigger another armed confrontation between the two Koreas and how is the latest crisis affecting ties between their two allies - the US and China?
- published: 29 Jul 2010
- views: 4091
- author: AlJazeeraEnglish
Korean Peninsula Relationship At All-Time Low
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:13
- Updated: 11 Jan 2012
Follow us on TWITTER: twitter.com Like us on FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com As North Korea's ruler Kim Jong-il's funeral ends, Pyongyang sends a strong New Year message to South Korea. North Korea will "never [have] contact with South Korea, Lee Myung-bak's government". They also threatened South Korea with revenge for "restrictions on private condolences to Kim Jong-il". South Korean Leader Lee Myung-bak stated that the Korean Peninsula's situation has crossed a turning point. He also stated that it presents a new opportunity. Lee Myung-bak gave a speech on Jan.2 saying his main goal is maintaining peace and stability across the Korea Peninsula. South Korea still opens the window widely towards North Korea. Lee Myung-bak said he hoped this year he can breakthrough the North Korean nuclear issue. As long as they stop all nuclear activity, there will be a hope of restarting six-party talks. Lee Myung-bak warned that if North Korea makes a challenge, South Korea will react with a strong response. North Korea state media sent a message, reinforcing leadership of only Kim Jong-un. It also stated that the army vows to defend Kim Jong-un "to the death". The message also stated US troops should be removed from South Korea, emphasising the issue of food shortages. The New Year message in 2011 had a soft tone of "dialogue and cooperation", but this year it had the opposite tone. It blamed South Korea for fighting with them and preventing it's people mourning Kim Jong-il. Pyongyang ...
http://wn.com/Korean_Peninsula_Relationship_At_All-Time_Low
Follow us on TWITTER: twitter.com Like us on FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com As North Korea's ruler Kim Jong-il's funeral ends, Pyongyang sends a strong New Year message to South Korea. North Korea will "never [have] contact with South Korea, Lee Myung-bak's government". They also threatened South Korea with revenge for "restrictions on private condolences to Kim Jong-il". South Korean Leader Lee Myung-bak stated that the Korean Peninsula's situation has crossed a turning point. He also stated that it presents a new opportunity. Lee Myung-bak gave a speech on Jan.2 saying his main goal is maintaining peace and stability across the Korea Peninsula. South Korea still opens the window widely towards North Korea. Lee Myung-bak said he hoped this year he can breakthrough the North Korean nuclear issue. As long as they stop all nuclear activity, there will be a hope of restarting six-party talks. Lee Myung-bak warned that if North Korea makes a challenge, South Korea will react with a strong response. North Korea state media sent a message, reinforcing leadership of only Kim Jong-un. It also stated that the army vows to defend Kim Jong-un "to the death". The message also stated US troops should be removed from South Korea, emphasising the issue of food shortages. The New Year message in 2011 had a soft tone of "dialogue and cooperation", but this year it had the opposite tone. It blamed South Korea for fighting with them and preventing it's people mourning Kim Jong-il. Pyongyang ...
- published: 04 Jan 2012
- views: 466
- author: ChinaForbiddenNews
(3/3) Truth of Japan's Annexation of Korean Peninsula
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:37
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
The Truth of Japan's annexation of the Korean Peninsula vol.1 www.youtube.com vol.2 www.youtube.com vol.3 www.youtube.com コピーペースト拡散用--------------------- The Truth of Japan's annexation of the Korean Peninsula (in three volumes) A KOREAN professor of Kaya University in South Korea, who speaks out about the Truth of Japan's annexation of the Korean Peninsula. He was born in Korea 1923 during the Japanese rule, so he knows Korea during the Japanese rule. vol.1 watch?v=wMl68yFHdg4 vol.2 watch?v=9YNWP5vwSXk vol.3 watch?v=VJTvubkJ9Os ------------------ ORIGINAL: www.youtube.com He is a KOREAN professor of kaya university in Korea, who speaks about the Truth of Japan's annexation of the Korean Peninsula. He was born in Korea 1923 during the Japanese rule, so he knows Korea during the Japanese rule.
http://wn.com/3_3_Truth_of_Japan's_Annexation_of_Korean_Peninsula
The Truth of Japan's annexation of the Korean Peninsula vol.1 www.youtube.com vol.2 www.youtube.com vol.3 www.youtube.com コピーペースト拡散用--------------------- The Truth of Japan's annexation of the Korean Peninsula (in three volumes) A KOREAN professor of Kaya University in South Korea, who speaks out about the Truth of Japan's annexation of the Korean Peninsula. He was born in Korea 1923 during the Japanese rule, so he knows Korea during the Japanese rule. vol.1 watch?v=wMl68yFHdg4 vol.2 watch?v=9YNWP5vwSXk vol.3 watch?v=VJTvubkJ9Os ------------------ ORIGINAL: www.youtube.com He is a KOREAN professor of kaya university in Korea, who speaks about the Truth of Japan's annexation of the Korean Peninsula. He was born in Korea 1923 during the Japanese rule, so he knows Korea during the Japanese rule.
- published: 07 Feb 2012
- views: 349
- author: JapanAsCool
USJI Week Event 3: North Korea in the Kim Jong Un Era
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 98:58
- Updated: 28 Nov 2012
Since former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died in December 2011, his third son, Kim Jong-un, has assumed the posts of Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and First Chairman of the National Defense Commission of North Korea. Kim Jong-un has recently been awarded the title of Marshal. The transfer of power appears to have been smooth. In April, North Korea launched a supposed "satellite", and international experts have warned North Korea against conducting a nuclear test. Meanwhile, politicians from the ruling and opposition parties in South Korea have discussed revision of their country's North Korea policy prior to the presidential election in December. The United States and China have strategically taken both cooperative and confrontational approaches toward North Korea. In this seminar, we will look closely at the situation on the Korean Peninsula under the new Kim Jong-un regime and examine the political implications for the neighboring countries. First, two researchers will provide their assessment and outlook for the new regime, and discuss the implications for the neighboring countries (the United States, South Korea, and other countries). Based on their presentations, panelists will exchange views on recent developments in the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Professor Zhao and Professor Nakato will provide Chinese and Japanese perspectives respectively. Although Japan still faces her own specific ...
http://wn.com/USJI_Week_Event_3_North_Korea_in_the_Kim_Jong_Un_Era
Since former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died in December 2011, his third son, Kim Jong-un, has assumed the posts of Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and First Chairman of the National Defense Commission of North Korea. Kim Jong-un has recently been awarded the title of Marshal. The transfer of power appears to have been smooth. In April, North Korea launched a supposed "satellite", and international experts have warned North Korea against conducting a nuclear test. Meanwhile, politicians from the ruling and opposition parties in South Korea have discussed revision of their country's North Korea policy prior to the presidential election in December. The United States and China have strategically taken both cooperative and confrontational approaches toward North Korea. In this seminar, we will look closely at the situation on the Korean Peninsula under the new Kim Jong-un regime and examine the political implications for the neighboring countries. First, two researchers will provide their assessment and outlook for the new regime, and discuss the implications for the neighboring countries (the United States, South Korea, and other countries). Based on their presentations, panelists will exchange views on recent developments in the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Professor Zhao and Professor Nakato will provide Chinese and Japanese perspectives respectively. Although Japan still faces her own specific ...
- published: 27 Sep 2012
- views: 63
- author: TheUSJI
Israel military vehicle hit by Syria gunfire - Will there be War?
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 14:26
- Updated: 11 Dec 2012
Israel military vehicle hit by Syria gunfire... Israel calls for UN action on Syria spillover into Golan... Israel warns Damascus against Syrian Golan overflights... 3 Soldiers Injured by Explosion on Gaza Border... Netanyahu:In my tenure Iran won't develop nuclear bomb... Korean peninsula teeters on brink of war -- Pyongyang... Russian attack sub discovered just 200 miles from US East Coast is given safe harbor during Hurricane Sandy... Israel military vehicle hit by Syria gunfire - Will there be War? www.google.com Israel calls for UN action on Syria spillover into Golan www.nowlebanon.com Israel warns Damascus against Syrian Golan overflights debka.com 3 Soldiers Injured by Explosion on Gaza Border www.timesofisrael.com Netanyahu:In my tenure Iran won't develop nuclear bomb www.jpost.com Korean peninsula teeters on brink of war -- Pyongyang rt.com Russian attack sub discovered just 200 miles from US East Coast is given safe harbor during Hurricane Sandy www.dailymail.co.uk PRAYER OF SALVATION - I WANT TO BE SAVED youtu.be The End Time News.org www.theendtimenews.org Sign up for NEWS ALERTS - No Ads, Just News! http Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com Follow us on Twitter twitter.com
http://wn.com/Israel_military_vehicle_hit_by_Syria_gunfire_Will_there_be_War?
Israel military vehicle hit by Syria gunfire... Israel calls for UN action on Syria spillover into Golan... Israel warns Damascus against Syrian Golan overflights... 3 Soldiers Injured by Explosion on Gaza Border... Netanyahu:In my tenure Iran won't develop nuclear bomb... Korean peninsula teeters on brink of war -- Pyongyang... Russian attack sub discovered just 200 miles from US East Coast is given safe harbor during Hurricane Sandy... Israel military vehicle hit by Syria gunfire - Will there be War? www.google.com Israel calls for UN action on Syria spillover into Golan www.nowlebanon.com Israel warns Damascus against Syrian Golan overflights debka.com 3 Soldiers Injured by Explosion on Gaza Border www.timesofisrael.com Netanyahu:In my tenure Iran won't develop nuclear bomb www.jpost.com Korean peninsula teeters on brink of war -- Pyongyang rt.com Russian attack sub discovered just 200 miles from US East Coast is given safe harbor during Hurricane Sandy www.dailymail.co.uk PRAYER OF SALVATION - I WANT TO BE SAVED youtu.be The End Time News.org www.theendtimenews.org Sign up for NEWS ALERTS - No Ads, Just News! http Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com Follow us on Twitter twitter.com
- published: 07 Nov 2012
- views: 1477
- author: RS Miller
'US missile systems ineffective, unnecessary'
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:17
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
The United States has planned to bolster its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region over the next decade, bringing in high-tech weapons, the US Defense Secretary said. Leon Panetta said in early June that the US plans to boost its military presence in the region over the next decade, a design to project American power. Beijing has tried to avoid outright confrontation with Washington, but the Chinese state papers have been reflecting persistent worries that the US is keen to stop the emergence of China as a major power. China, also considers the US joint military drills with its neighbors, including Japan and South Korea in waters near the Korean Peninsula as part of US attempts to contain Beijing's rise. Press TV has conducted an interview with Donald Hellmann, professor at the Jackson School of International Studies, from Seattle, to further discuss the issue.
http://wn.com/'US_missile_systems_ineffective,_unnecessary'
The United States has planned to bolster its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region over the next decade, bringing in high-tech weapons, the US Defense Secretary said. Leon Panetta said in early June that the US plans to boost its military presence in the region over the next decade, a design to project American power. Beijing has tried to avoid outright confrontation with Washington, but the Chinese state papers have been reflecting persistent worries that the US is keen to stop the emergence of China as a major power. China, also considers the US joint military drills with its neighbors, including Japan and South Korea in waters near the Korean Peninsula as part of US attempts to contain Beijing's rise. Press TV has conducted an interview with Donald Hellmann, professor at the Jackson School of International Studies, from Seattle, to further discuss the issue.
- published: 25 Aug 2012
- views: 940
- author: PressTVGlobalNews
Escalation on the Korean Peninsula
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 37:56
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
SEOUL, November 25, 2010 - Brian Myers and John Delury discuss the recent escalation of hostilities on the Korean Peninsula during a press briefing at the Asia Society Korea Center. Source: asiasociety.org
http://wn.com/Escalation_on_the_Korean_Peninsula
SEOUL, November 25, 2010 - Brian Myers and John Delury discuss the recent escalation of hostilities on the Korean Peninsula during a press briefing at the Asia Society Korea Center. Source: asiasociety.org
- published: 06 Dec 2010
- views: 415
- author: asiasociety
photo: AP / Carolyn Kaster
20 Dec 2012
Obama held a White House news conference on Wednesday to announce that Vice President Joe Biden will lead an interagency effort to craft new gun policies. The group is expected to offer its proposals in January. “We know this is a complex issue that stirs deeply held passions and political divides,” Obama said. “But the fact that this problem is complex can no longer be an excuse for doing nothing.” ... WAKE-UP CALL ... ....(size: 6.1Kb)
photo: AP / Charles Krupa
18 Dec 2012
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. "Most people reason dramatically, not quantitatively." -Oliver Wendell Holmes. On the same day that a 20-year-old, described as brilliant but remote, walked into an elementary school in Connecticut and massacred 26 children and adults, the school where I teach went on "lock-down." Four students with a handgun were arrested ... That morning before school, he had posted on Twitter and Facebook....(size: 14.0Kb)
photo: Creative Commons / Joachim Huber
18 Dec 2012
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. When a Stanford geneticist, Gerald Crabtree, published a provocative and controversial new view on evolutionary change, namely that humans are actually getting dumber, he should have also added that humans are still developing an extermination gene ... Paleontologist Tim Flannery would more than likely agree with Crabtree ... Strange strings of gravel also overlaid some bones ... (1) Kane, Alex ... 195....(size: 9.4Kb)
photo: AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais
19 Dec 2012
WASHINGTON. US President Barack Obama backs a new bill to revive an assault weapons ban and other new gun laws, the White House said Tuesday, fleshing out his nascent response to a shocking school massacre. Obama also called an ardently pro-gun senator who has shifted his position on firearms laws since Friday's carnage in Connecticut and has begun meeting top cabinet officials to consider his options, his spokesman Jay Carney said ... ....(size: 4.9Kb)
photo: AP / Mohammad Hannon
19 Dec 2012
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she accepts the findings of an independent panel that faulted the State Department over the deadly September attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya ... Clinton also ordered widespread changes to bolster US diplomatic security overseas ... "This incident obviously happened at a key moment in her tenure," Jordan said ... 390 Source. ... Share ... S Koreans vote in tight presidential election ... ....(size: 19.2Kb)
Jakarta Post
21 Dec 2012
But Park is different, as her already-extensive experience in politics will likely increase her capacity to persuade or even force North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to stop terrorizing the Korean Peninsula — and East Asia — militarily and return to the negotiation table ... To be fair, however, Kim’s constructive engagement did not result in any progress being made in the Korean Peninsula....(size: 2.5Kb)
noodls
21 Dec 2012
The 2010 grave tensions resulting from the sunken South Korean frigate and artillery attack against an offshore island served to reinforce the Obama administration's sudden inclination to "pivot to Asia." A rigid and dangerous bipolarity has prevailed ever since on the Korean Peninsula....(size: 4.7Kb)
Asia Times
21 Dec 2012
North Korea's ultimate goal remains the unification of the Korean Peninsula under its terms ... The cold-weather satellite launch allows Pyongyang to claim victory in the inter-Korean space race, even though Kwangmyongsong-3 is reportedly "tumbling" in a low-altitude orbit ... While animosities remain, Japan and South Korea must acknowledge shared concerns on the Korean Peninsula and formulate the means to synergize their capabilities....(size: 11.6Kb)
noodls
21 Dec 2012
On December 14, Vice Minister Kim Chun-sig attended a ceremony held to celebrate the launching of the Supporters of Korean Unification office in Gwang-ju, Jeolla ... He encouraged the audience that we must now turn our attention to realizing unification on the Korean peninsula....(size: 1.7Kb)
The Charlotte Observer
21 Dec 2012
North Korean media didn't mention Park's name in a short dispatch noting her party's victory ... She's open to conditional talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ... Washington could use a new thaw on the Korean Peninsula as a cover to pursue more nuclear disarmament talks, analysts say, but the Obama administration will also likely want a carefully coordinated approach with Seoul toward Pyongyang....(size: 6.0Kb)
Sacramento Bee
21 Dec 2012
North Korean media didn't mention Park's name in a short dispatch noting her party's victory ... She's open to conditional talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ... Washington could use a new thaw on the Korean Peninsula as a cover to pursue more nuclear disarmament talks, analysts say, but the Obama administration will also likely want a carefully coordinated approach with Seoul toward Pyongyang....(size: 5.9Kb)
Star Tribune
21 Dec 2012
"North Korea is good at applying pressure during South Korean transitions" after presidential elections, said Yoo Ho-yeol, a professor at Korea University in South Korea ... Washington could use a new thaw on the Korean Peninsula as a cover to pursue more nuclear disarmament talks, analysts say, but the Obama administration will also likely want a carefully coordinated approach with Seoul toward Pyongyang....(size: 6.2Kb)
Stars and Stripes
21 Dec 2012
SEOUL — South Korean’s new president is expected to be a strong ... “I will keep my promise to the people without fail that I will open up a new era of the Korean peninsula through strong national security and trust-based diplomacy.” ... “She believes the foundation of security is the U.S.-South Korean alliance,” he said....(size: 4.0Kb)
Al Jazeera
21 Dec 2012
The man, identified as Pae Jun-Ho, entered North Korea on November 3 as a tourist, and "committed a crime" against the country, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Friday ... The arrest was first reported earlier this month by a South Korean newspaper, Kookmin Ilbo, which had identified the detainee as a 44-year-old Korean-American tour operator ... Park promises 'new era' for Korean peninsula....(size: 18.4Kb)
Project Syndicate
21 Dec 2012
Only China – no surprise – opposed new sanctions, stressing that “actions that heighten tension on the Korean Peninsula should not be taken.” China has agreed to Security Council resolutions against Iran on several occasions, but it has backed sanctions against North Korea on only two, both coming after the North conducted nuclear tests (in 2006 and 2009)....(size: 5.1Kb)
noodls
21 Dec 2012
(Source. Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Canada) ... "Canada will continue to stand with South Korea and other international partners with a view to securing peace and prosperity on the entire Korean Peninsula ... distributed by ... The issuer is solely responsible for the accuracy of the information contained therein.. (noodl. 17035329) ....(size: 2.1Kb)
The New York Times
21 Dec 2012
South Korean President-Elect Calls for Reconciliation After Tight Race (December 21, 2012) ... But the neighbors remain hamstrung by history, and even a relatively small deal on intelligence sharing unraveled this summer amid a dispute over how to view Japan’s harsh colonization of the Korean Peninsula before World War II....(size: 10.8Kb)
Asia Times
21 Dec 2012
The PRC spent a lot of 2012 wrestling with contentious neighbors emboldened by the US policy, like Vietnam and the Philippines; combating American efforts to nibble away at the corners of China's spheres of influence on the Korean peninsula and Southeast Asia; and engaging in a test of strength and will with the primary US proxy in the region, Japan....(size: 16.4Kb)
| Korean Peninsula | |
| Chosŏn Pando (조선반도; 朝鮮半島) (in N. Korea), Han Bando (한반도; 韓半島) (in S. Korea) | |
| Peninsulas of Asia | |
| Countries | North Korea, South Korea |
|---|---|
| Borders on | China, Sea of Japan, East China Sea, Yellow Sea, Korea Strait |
| Length | 1,100 km (684 mi), north to south |
| Area | 220,847 km2 (85,270 sq mi) |
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This article contains Korean text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Hangul or Hanja. |
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles (1,100 km) from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the east, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.
Until the end of World War II, Korea was a single political entity whose territory roughly coincided with the Korean Peninsula. Since the Armistice Agreement ended the Korean War in 1953, the northern division of the peninsula has been governed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, while the southern portion has been governed by the Republic of Korea.
The northern boundaries for the Korean Peninsula are commonly (and tacitly) taken to coincide with today's political borders between North Korea and her northern neighbors, China (1,416 km (880 mi) along the provinces of Jilin and Liaoning) and Russia (19 km (12 mi)). These borders are formed naturally by the rivers Yalu/Amnok and Tumen/Tuman/Duman. Taking this definition, the Korean Peninsula (including its islands) has an area of 220,847 km2 (85,270 sq mi).
The peninsula is called Chosŏn Pando (조선반도; 朝鮮半島) in North Korea and Han Bando (한반도; 韓半島) in South Korea based on the respective names of the two countries. They both use "Korea" as part of their official English names.
Contents |
Physical geography[link]
Main articles: Geography of North Korea and Geography of South Korea
Mountains cover 70 percent of the Korean Peninsula and arable plains are generally small and far in between the successive mountain ranges. The peninsula becomes more mountainous towards the north and the east, with the highest mountains (including Baekdu Mountain which stands at 2,744 m (9,003 ft)) found in the north.
The peninsula has 8,460 km (5,260 mi) of coastline, and the south and west coasts are highly irregular in particular; most of the 3,579 islands off the peninsula are found along the south and the west coasts.
Climate[link]
The climate of the Korean Peninsula differs dramatically from north to south. The southern regions experience a relatively warm and wet climate similar to that of Japan, affected by warm ocean waters including the East Korea Warm Current. The northern regions experience a colder and to some extent more inland climate, in common with Manchuria. For example, the annual precipitation of the Yalu River valley (600 mm (24 in)) is less than half of that on the south coast (1,500 mm (59 in)).[1] Likewise, there is a 20 °C (68 °F) difference in January temperature between the peninsula's southern and northern tips.
The entire peninsula, however, is affected by similar general patterns, including the East Asian monsoon in midsummer and the frequent incidence of typhoons in autumn. The majority of rainfall takes place during the summer months, with nearly half during the monsoon alone. Winters are cold, with January temperatures typically below freezing outside of Jeju Island. Winter precipitation is minimal, with little snow accumulation outside of mountainous areas.
Biology[link]
Surveys of Korean flora have identified more than 3,000 species on the peninsula, of which more than 500 are endemic. The peninsula's floristic provinces are commonly divided between warm-temperate, temperate, and cold-temperate zones. The warm-temperate zone prevails over the southern coast and islands, including Jeju-do. It is largely typified by broad-leaved evergreens.
The temperate zone covers the great majority of the peninsula, away from the southern coast and high mountains. It is dominated by the Korean pine and various broad-leaved deciduous trees. Cold-temperate vegetation is found along the peninsula's northern fringe and in the high mountains, including the upper reaches of Hallasan on Jeju. Evergreens in this area include larch and juniper. Much of this vegetation is shared with Manchuria.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Korean Peninsula consists of several ecoregions. The Southern Korea evergreen forests occupy the southernmost portion of the peninsula, as well as the island of Jeju. The Central Korea deciduous forests occupy the more temperate central portion of the peninsula. The Manchurian mixed forests occupy the northern lowlands and low hills of the peninsula, and extend north into Manchuria as far as the Amur River on the Russia-China border. The Changbai Mountains mixed forests include the higher elevation mountain region along the North Korea-China border, where forests are dominated by conifers, with alpine meadows and rock slopes on the highest peaks.[2] games
Geology[link]
The terrain of the Korean Peninsula is rumpled, covered with low mountains. Most rocks are of Precambrian origin, although isolated pockets of Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic rock can also be found.
There are no active volcanoes on the peninsula. However, Baekdu Mountain in the north and Hallasan in the south have crater lakes, indicating that they were active not long ago. Furthermore, hot springs indicative of low-level volcanic activity are widespread throughout the peninsula. Roughly two earthquakes are recorded per year, but few have any major impact.
See also[link]
- Korea
- North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)
- South Korea (Republic of Korea)
- List of Korea-related topics
- Geography of North Korea
- Geography of South Korea
- Maps of Korea at the American Geographical Society Library Digital Map Collection
Notes[link]
References[link]
- KOIS (Korea Overseas Information Service) (2003). Handbook of Korea, 11th ed. Seoul: Hollym. ISBN 1-56591-212-8.
- Lithuanian lake similar to the Korean Peninsula kaibab gordian
External links[link]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Korean Peninsula |
- Location of The Korean Peninsula—The Official Korea Tourism Guide Site
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| Territorial disputes in East, South, and Southeast Asia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Territory | Currently administered by | Claimants |
| Land: | Aksai Chin | People's Republic of China | People's Republic of China, Republic of China1, India |
| Baekdu/Changbai Mountain | North Korea, People's Republic of China | North Korea, South Korea, People's Republic of China, Republic of China | |
| Heixiazi / Bolshoy Ussuriysky (Eastern part)1 | People's Republic of China, Russia | Republic of China1 | |
| Indo-Bangladesh enclaves2 | Bangladesh, India | Bangladesh, India | |
| Kachin State | Burma, | Burma, Republic of China1 | |
| Kashmir2 | India, Pakistan | India, Pakistan | |
| Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands | South Korea, North Korea | South Korea, North Korea | |
| Mainland China1 | People's Republic of China | People's Republic of China, Republic of China | |
| North Borneo (Sabah)1 | Malaysia | Malaysia, Philippines | |
| Outer Mongolia1 | Mongolia | Republic of China, Mongolia | |
| Pamir Mountains2 | Afghanistan, Tajikistan | Afghanistan, Republic of China1, Tajikistan | |
| Sixty-Four Villages East of the River1 | Russia | Republic of China1, Russia | |
| South Tibet | India | People's Republic of China, Republic of China1, India | |
| Tannu Uriankhai (now Tuva Republic of Russia)1 | Russia | Republic of China1, Russia | |
| Trans-Karakoram Tract | People's Republic of China | People's Republic of China, Republic of China1, India | |
| Islands and waters: | Senkaku Islands / Diaoyutai | Japan | People's Republic of China, Republic of China, Japan |
| Quemoy | Republic of China | People's Republic of China, Republic of China | |
| Kori Creek1 | India, Pakistan | India, Pakistan | |
| Liancourt Rocks | South Korea | South Korea, North Korea1, Japan | |
| Macclesfield Bank | People's Republic of China, Republic of China, Philippines | ||
| Matsu | Republic of China | People's Republic of China, Republic of China | |
| Paracel Islands | People's Republic of China | People's Republic of China, Republic of China, Vietnam | |
| Pedra Branca, Middle Rocks, and South Ledge | Singapore | Malaysia, Singapore | |
| Pratas Islands | Republic of China | People's Republic of China, Republic of China | |
| Scarborough Shoal | People's Republic of China | People's Republic of China, Republic of China, Philippines | |
| Socotra Rock | South Korea | South Korea, People's Republic of China1 | |
| Southern Kuril Islands | Russia | Russia, Japan | |
| Spratly Islands2 | People's Republic of China, Republic of China, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam | Brunei, People's Republic of China, Republic of China, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam | |
| Taiwan and Penghu1 | Republic of China | People's Republic of China, Republic of China | |
| Notes: | 1Inactive dispute. 2Divided among multiple claimants. |
||
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http://ru.wn.com/Корейский полуостров
http://nl.wn.com/Koreaans Schiereiland
http://pt.wn.com/Península da Coreia
http://pl.wn.com/Półwysep Koreański
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Peninsula
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 |
This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (March 2011) |
Benjamin Fulford (古歩道ベンジャミン 1961–) is a Canadian journalist living in Japan.
He is the great-grandson of George Taylor Fulford.[1]
In the early 1980s he went to Japan to study at Sophia University. After receiving a B.A. from the University of British Columbia, he returned to Japan in the mid-1980s to pursue a career in journalism.
On July 14, 2009 the Tokyo District Court awarded American broadcast journalist Steven L. Herman more than Yen 1,700,000 (17K euro) in the civil libel case brought against Fulford and his publisher (Herman vs. Fulford, Fusosha & M. Katagiri).[2]
After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Fulford claimed on Japanese television that "[t]he American government in cooperation with [the] Federal Reserve, the Rockefellers, and other powerful groups, they are planning the eruption of Mt. Fuji Volcano. The earthquake and the tsunami was March 11th, 2011, 03.11.11. The Mt. Fuji Eruption they are planning is for April 11th, 2011." Fulford attributed the earthquake, tsunami and his predicted eruption of Mt. Fuji to HAARP, a scientific facility used by physicists to research the upper atmosphere. There has been no such eruption of Mt. Fuji since 1708.[3][4][5]
Publications[link]
- 9.11テロ捏造 -日本と世界を騙し続ける独裁国家アメリカ (9.11 fake terrorism -Dictatorial America cheating Japan and the world) ISBN 4-19-862195-0
- 暴かれた9.11疑惑の真相 (Exposed truth of 9.11 suspicion) ISBN 978-4-594-05228-7
- ヤクザ・リセッション: さらに失われる10年 (Yakuza recession: Another lost decade) ISBN 4-334-93323-8
- 泥棒国家の完成 (Completion of Kleptocracy) ISBN 4-334-93332-7
- 日本マスコミ「臆病」の構造 (Japan's chicken journalism) ISBN 4-7966-4375-3
- 石井紘基議員刺殺事件について (About the assassination of Koki Ishii)
- ドル消滅の仕組み (The mechanism of dollar collapse)
etc.
References[link]
- ^ Benjamin Fulford: Interview with Project Camelot. Tokyo, Japan, February 2008. projectcamelot.org
- ^ (A scanned document in Japanese) from 2009-7-14. tvtokyo.com
- ^ Eruption of Mt. Fuji- April 11th, 2011 announced by Benjamin Fulford. YouTube. Retrieved on 2012-03-20.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Spôsobuje zemetrasenia tajná superzbraň HAARP?". Azet.sk. 11 March 2011. http://www.aktuality.sk/clanok/183981/sposobuje-zemetrasenia-tajna-superzbran-haarp/.
External links[link]
- benjaminfulford.net
- benjaminfulford.com (Japanese)
- benjaminfulford.com (English)
- Benjamin Fulford's Blog (Japanese/English)
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Fulford, Benjamin |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | 1961 |
| Place of birth | |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Benjamin_Fulford
Related pages:
http://fr.wn.com/Benjamin Fulford
http://it.wn.com/Benjamin Fulford
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
| Pak Kil-yon | |
|---|---|
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 박길연 |
| Hancha | 朴吉淵 |
| McCune–Reischauer | Pak Kiryŏn |
| Revised Romanization | Bak Gil-yeon |
Pak Kil-yon (born 1943, Chagang) is a North Korean diplomat. He has served as Permanent Representative to the United Nations since 2001, and also as ambassador to Canada since 2002.
Contents |
Early life and career[link]
Pak is a graduate of Pyongyang University of International Affairs. He has served in the North Korean diplomatic corps since 1969, when he was Consul to the embassy in Myanmar. He subsequently served in Singapore, and then domestically as the director-general of the American Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Thereafter he was named chief representative for the North Korean UN mission in 1985. He subsequently served as ambassador to countries including Colombia and Cambodia, before taking his present post. Pak has been a delegate to the 8th, 9th and 11th sessions of the Supreme People's Assembly. He was awarded the Order of Kim Il-sung in 1992.[1]
Representative to the United Nations[link]
Pak has been the ambassador to the United Nations for North Korea since 2001. During this time, he has called for the UN to prevent Japan from obtaining a permanent seat on the Security Council.[2] On May 13, 2005, he met with Joseph DeTrani, a special envoy for the United States, to discuss a North Korean return to the "six-party talks" on North Korean nuclear proliferation. This meeting was the first between US and North Korean officials in six months.
He is known sarcastically by diplomats as 'Dr. Chuckles' because of his rhetoric.[3] Following the 2006 North Korean nuclear test, Pak made headlines when he said that the United Nations should "congratulate" his country's scientists and researchers on their achievement, instead of issuing what he called "notorious, useless and reckless resolutions."[4] Following the United Nations Security Council's imposition of sanctions on North Korea, Pak called the Council's actions "gangster-like" and stormed out of the chamber.[5] This led to then-U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations John R. Bolton replying that that action was the equivalent of Nikita Khrushchev pounding his shoe at the United Nations in 1960.[6]
See also[link]
References[link]
- ^ Yonhap News Agency, Ki-sop, Shin. (2004). Korea Annual 2004.: A Comprehensive Handbook on Korea. Yonhap News Agency. ISBN 978-89-7433-070-5
- ^ DPRK envoy objects Japan's bid for permanent council membership. People's Daily. March 9, 2005
- ^ 'Dr Chuckles' calls for world's congratulations. The Daily Telegraph. October 12, 2006.
- ^ U.N. to resume North Korea debate. TianYou. October 10, 2006.
- ^ U.N. slaps trade, travel sanctions on North Korea. CNN. October 15, 2006.
- ^ North Korea Claims International Community has Declared War. Kommersant. October 16, 2006.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Pak Kil-yon |
| Alternative names | Pak Gil Yon, 박길연, 朴吉淵 |
| Short description | North Korean diplomat |
| Date of birth | Chagang, North Korea |
| Place of birth | 1943 |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Pak_Kil-yon
Related pages:
http://de.wn.com/Pak Kir-yŏn
http://fr.wn.com/Pak Gil Yon
http://es.wn.com/Pak Gil-yon
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pak_Kil-yon
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
| Kim Jong-il 김정일 |
|
|---|---|
| File:Portrait of Kim Jong Il released by state media.jpg | |
| Official portrait | |
| Supreme Leader of North Korea | |
| In office 8 July 1994 – 17 December 2011[1] |
|
| Premier | Hong Song-nam Pak Pong-ju Kim Yong-il Choe Yong-rim |
| Preceded by | Kim Il-sung (as President) |
| Succeeded by | Kim Jong-un |
| General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea | |
| In office 8 July 1994 – 17 December 2011 (Eternal General Secretary since 11 April 2012) |
|
| Deputy | Kim Yong-nam Choe Yong-rim Jo Myong-rok Ri Yong-ho |
| Preceded by | Kim Il-sung |
| Succeeded by | Kim Jong-un (as First Secretary) (Position abolished as Kim Jong-il was declared as the Eternal General Secretary on 11 April 2012.) |
| Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea | |
| In office 9 April 1993 – 17 December 2011 (Eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission since 13 April 2012) |
|
| Deputy | Jo Myong-rok |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Kim Jong-un (as First Chairman) (Position abolished as Kim Jong-il was declared as the Eternal Chairman on 13 April 2012) |
| Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army | |
| In office 24 December 1991 – 17 December 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Kim Il-sung |
| Succeeded by | Kim Jong-un[2] |
| Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party | |
| In office 8 October 1997 – 17 December 2011 |
|
| Deputy | Kim Jong-un Ri Yong-ho |
| Preceded by | Kim Il-sung |
| Succeeded by | Kim Jong-un |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Yuri Irsenovich Kim (1941-02-16)16 February 1941 Vyatskoye, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (Soviet records) (1942-02-16)16 February 1942 Baekdu Mountain, Japanese Korea (North Korean biography) Disputed, see section Birth. |
| Died | 17 December 2011(2011-12-17) (aged 70) (suspected heart attack) Democratic People's Republic of Korea |
| Resting place | Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea |
| Political party | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Spouse(s) | Kim Young-sook (1974–2011) |
| Domestic partner | Song Hye-rim (1968–2002) Ko Young-hee (1977–2004) Kim Ok (2004–2011) |
| Children | Kim Sul-song Kim Jong-nam Kim Jong-chul Kim Jong-un |
| Alma mater | Kim Il-sung University |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  North Korea |
| Service/branch | Korean People's Army |
| Years of service | 1991–2011 |
| Rank | Wonsu (Marshal) |
| Commands | Supreme Commander |
|
This article contains Korean text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Hangul or Hanja. |
| Kim Jong-il | |
|---|---|
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 김정일 |
| Hancha | 金正日 |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kim Chŏngil |
| Revised Romanization | Gim Jeong(-)il |
Kim Jong-il (born Yuri Irsenovich Kim;[3] 16 February 1941; official biography claims 1942[4] – 17 December 2011[5]) was the supreme leader of North Korea (DPRK) from 1994 to 2011. He succeeded his father and founder of the DPRK Kim Il-sung following the elder Kim's death in 1994. Kim Jong-il was the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea, and the supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, the fourth-largest standing army in the world.
In April 2009, North Korea's constitution was amended to refer to him as the "supreme leader".[6] He was also referred to as the "Dear Leader", "our Father", and "the General", among others.[7] His son Kim Jong-un was promoted to a senior position in the ruling Workers' Party and is his successor.[8] In 2010, he was ranked 31st in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's Most Powerful People.[9] The North Korean government announced his death on 19 December 2011.[5]
Following his demise, he was succeeded by his third son Kim Jong-un. He was proclaimed the Eternal General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission in 2012. His birthday is a public holiday in the country.
Contents |
Childhood[link]
Birth[link]
Soviet records show that Kim was born in the village of Vyatskoye, near Khabarovsk, in 1941,[10] where his father, Kim Il-sung, commanded the 1st Battalion of the Soviet 88th Brigade, made up of Chinese and Korean exiles. Kim Jong-il's mother, Kim Jong-suk, was Kim Il-sung's first wife.
However, Kim Jong-il's official biography[11] states he was born in a secret military camp on Baekdu Mountain (Korean: 백두산밀영고향집) in Japanese-occupied Korea on 16 February 1942.[12] Official biographers claim that his birth at Baekdu Mountain was foretold by a swallow, and heralded by the appearance of a double rainbow across the sky over the mountain and a new star in the heavens.[13]
In 1945, Kim was four years old when World War II ended and Korea regained independence from Japan. His father returned to Pyongyang that September, and in late November Kim returned to Korea via a Soviet ship, landing at Sonbong (선봉군, also Unggi). The family moved into a former Japanese officer's mansion in Pyongyang, with a garden and pool. Kim Jong-il's brother, "Shura" Kim (the first Kim Pyong-il, but known by his Russian nickname), drowned there in 1948. Unconfirmed reports suggest that five-year-old Kim Jong-il might have caused the accident.[14]
In 1949, his mother died in childbirth.[15] Unconfirmed reports suggest that his mother might have been shot and left to bleed to death.[14]
Education[link]
According to his official biography, Kim completed the course of general education between September 1950 and August 1960. He attended Primary School No. 4 and Middle School No. 1 (Namsan Higher Middle School) in Pyongyang.[citation needed] This is contested by foreign academics, who believe he is more likely to have received his early education in the People's Republic of China as a precaution to ensure his safety during the Korean War.[16]
Throughout his schooling, Kim was involved in politics. He was active in the Children's Union[17] and the Democratic Youth League (DYL), taking part in study groups of Marxist political theory and other literature. In September 1957 he became vice-chairman of his middle school's DYL branch. He pursued a programme of anti-factionalism and attempted to encourage greater ideological education among his classmates.
Kim is also said to have received English language education at the University of Malta in the early 1970s,[18] on his infrequent holidays in Malta as guest of Prime Minister Dom Mintoff.[19]
The elder Kim had meanwhile remarried and had another son, Kim Pyong-il (named after Kim Jong-il's drowned brother). Since 1988, Kim Pyong-il has served in a series of North Korean embassies in Europe and is the North Korean ambassador to Poland. Foreign commentators suspect that Kim Pyong-il was sent to these distant posts by his father in order to avoid a power struggle between his two sons.[20]
Presidium member and party secretary (1980–1994)[link]
By the time of the Sixth Party Congress in October 1980, Kim Jong-il's control of the Party operation was complete. He was given senior posts in the Politburo, the Military Commission and the party Secretariat. When he was made a member of the Seventh Supreme People's Assembly in February 1982, international observers deemed him the heir apparent of North Korea.
At this time Kim assumed the title "Dear Leader" (친애하는 지도자, ch'inaehanŭn jidoja)[21] the government began building a personality cult around him patterned after that of his father, the "Great Leader". Kim Jong-il was regularly hailed by the media as the "fearless leader" and "the great successor to the revolutionary cause". He emerged as the most powerful figure behind his father in North Korea.
On 24 December 1991, Kim was also named supreme commander of the North Korean armed forces. Since the Army is the real foundation of power in North Korea, this was a vital step. Defence Minister Oh Jin-wu, one of Kim Il-sung's most loyal subordinates, engineered Kim Jong-il's acceptance by the Army as the next leader of North Korea, despite his lack of military service. The only other possible leadership candidate, Prime Minister Kim Il (no relation), was removed from his posts in 1976. In 1992, Kim Il-sung publicly stated that his son was in charge of all internal affairs in the Democratic People's Republic.
In 1992, radio broadcasts started referring to him as the "Dear Father", instead of the "Dear Leader", suggesting a promotion. His 50th birthday in February was the occasion for massive celebrations, exceeded only by those for the 80th birthday of Kim Il Sung himself on 15 April that same year.
According to defector Hwang Jang-yop, the North Korean government system became even more centralized and autocratic during the 1980s and 1990s under Kim Jong-il than it had been under his father. In one example explained by Hwang, although Kim Il-sung required his ministers to be loyal to him, he nonetheless and frequently sought their advice during decision-making. In contrast, Kim Jong-il demanded absolute obedience and agreement from his ministers and party officials with no advice or compromise, and he viewed any slight deviation from his thinking as a sign of disloyalty. According to Hwang, Kim Jong-il personally directed even minor details of state affairs, such as the size of houses for party secretaries and the delivery of gifts to his subordinates.[22]
By the 1980s, North Korea began to experience severe economic stagnation. Kim Il-sung's policy of juche (self-reliance) cut the country off from almost all external trade, even with its traditional partners, the Soviet Union and China.
South Korea accused Kim of ordering the 1983 bombing in Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar), which killed 17 visiting South Korean officials, including four cabinet members, and another in 1987 which killed all 115 on board Korean Air Flight 858.[23] A North Korean agent, Kim Hyon Hui, confessed to planting a bomb in the case of the second, saying the operation was ordered by Kim Jong-il personally.[24]
In 1992, Kim Jong-il's voice was broadcast within North Korea for the first time during a military parade for the KPA's 60th year anniversary in Pyongyang's Kim Il-sung Square, in which Kim Il-sung attended with Kim Jong-il by his side. After Kim Il-sung's speech, and the parade inspection his son approached the microphone at the grandstand in response to the report of the parade inspector and simply said: "Glory to the heroic soldiers of the Korean People's Army!" Everyone in the audience applauded and the parade participants at the square grounds (which included veteran soldiers and officers of the KPA) shouted "ten thousand years" three times after that.
Ruler of North Korea[link]
On 8 July 1994, Kim Jong-il's father, Kim Il-sung, died at the age of 82 from a heart attack. However, it took three years for Kim Jong-il to consolidate his power. On 1 January 1995, Kim Jong Il inspected a unit of the Korean People’s Army, which was his first official action as the supreme leader of the DPRK in the first year after the President died. It was also an official act done amid various conjectures on the future of the DPRK and his political direction.[25] On 10 Oct Kim reviewed a massive military parade and a procession of 1 million people in Pyongyang, marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of the country's ruling Workers' Party of Korea in what was his first major public appearance after his father's death.
He officially took the titles of General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea on 8 October 1997 and Chairman of the National Defence Commission on 9 April 1993. In 1998, his Defence Commission chairmanship was declared to be "the highest post of the state", so Kim may be regarded as North Korea's head of state from that date. Also in 1998, the Supreme People's Assembly wrote the president's post out of the constitution in memory of Kim Il-Sung, who was designated the country's "Eternal President". It can be argued, though, that he became the country's leader when he became leader of the Workers' Party; in most Communist countries the party leader is the most powerful person in the country.
Officially, Kim was part of a triumvirate heading the executive branch of the North Korean government along with Premier Choe Yong-rim and parliament chairman Kim Yong-nam (no relations). Each nominally held powers equivalent to a third of a president's powers in most other presidential systems. Kim Jong-il was commander of the armed forces, Choe Yong-rim headed the government and Kim Yong-nam handled foreign relations. In practice, however, Kim Jong-il exercised absolute control over the government and the country. Although not required to stand for popular election to his key offices, he was unanimously elected to the Supreme People's Assembly every five years, representing a military constituency, due to his concurrent capacities as KPA Supreme Commander and Chairman of the DPRK NDC.[citation needed]
Economic policies[link]
The state-controlled economy of North Korea struggled throughout the 1990s, primarily due to mismanagement. In addition, North Korea experienced severe floods in the mid-1990s, exacerbated by poor land management.[26][27][28] This, compounded with only 18% arable land[29] and an inability to import the goods necessary to sustain industry,[30] led to an immense famine and left North Korea in economic shambles. Faced with a country in decay, Kim adopted a "Military-First" policy (선군정치, Sŏn'gun chŏngch'i) to strengthen the country and reinforce the regime.[31] On the national scale, a North Korean spokesman has claimed that this has resulted in a positive growth rate for the country since 1996, with the implementation of "landmark socialist-type market economic practices" in 2002 keeping the North afloat despite a continued dependency on foreign aid for food.[32]
In the wake of the devastation of the 1990s, the government began formally approving some activity of small-scale bartering and trade. As observed by Daniel Sneider, associate director for research at the Stanford University Asia-Pacific Research Center, this flirtation with capitalism was "fairly limited, but — especially compared to the past — there are now remarkable markets that create the semblance of a free market system."[33]
In 2002, Kim Jong-il declared that "money should be capable of measuring the worth of all commodities."[34] These gestures toward economic reform mirror similar actions taken by China's Deng Xiaoping in the late 1980s and early 90s. During a rare visit in 2006, Kim expressed admiration for China's rapid economic progress.[35]
Foreign relations[link]
In 1998, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung implemented the "Sunshine Policy" to improve North-South relations and to allow South Korean companies to start projects in the North. Kim Jong-il announced plans to import and develop new technologies to develop North Korea's fledgling software industry. As a result of the new policy, the Kaesong Industrial Park was constructed in 2003 just north of the de-militarized zone, with the planned participation of 250 South Korean companies, employing 100,000 North Koreans, by 2007.[36] However, by March 2007, the Park contained only 21 companies — employing 12,000 North Korean workers.[37] As of May 2010 the park employs over 40,000 North Korean workers.[38]
In 1994, North Korea and the United States signed an Agreed Framework which was designed to freeze and eventually dismantle the North's nuclear weapons program in exchange for aid in producing two power-generating nuclear reactors.[39] In 2002, Kim Jong-il's government admitted to having produced nuclear weapons since the 1994 agreement. Kim's regime argued the secret production was necessary for security purposes — citing the presence of United States-owned nuclear weapons in South Korea and the new tensions with the United States under President George W. Bush.[40] On 9 October 2006, North Korea's Korean Central News Agency announced that it had successfully conducted an underground nuclear test.
Cult of personality[link]
Kim Jong-il was the centre of an elaborate personality cult inherited from his father and founder of the DPRK, Kim Il-sung. Defectors have been quoted as saying that North Korean schools deify both father and son.[41][page needed] He was often the centre of attention throughout ordinary life in the DPRK. On his 60th birthday (based on his official date of birth), mass celebrations occurred throughout the country on the occasion of his Hwangab.[42] Many North Koreans believed that he had the "magical" ability to "control the weather" based on his mood.[41] In 2010, the North Korean media reported that Kim's distinctive clothing had set worldwide fashion trends.[43]
One point of view is that Kim Jong Il's cult of personality was solely out of respect for Kim Il-sung or out of fear of punishment for failure to pay homage.[44] Media and government sources from outside of North Korea generally support this view,[45][46][47][48][49] while North Korean government sources aver it was a genuine hero worship.[50] The song "No Motherland Without You", sung by the KPA State Merited Choir, was created especially for Kim in 1992 and is frequently broadcast on the radio and from loudspeakers on the streets of Pyongyang.[51]
Human rights record[link]
See also: Human rights in North Korea
According to a 2004 Human Rights Watch report, the North Korean government under Kim was "among the world's most repressive governments", having up to 200,000 political prisoners according to U.S. and South Korean officials,[52] and no freedom of the press or religion, political opposition or equal education:[53] "Virtually every aspect of political, social, and economic life is controlled by the government."
2008 health and waning power rumors[link]
In an August 2008 issue of the Japanese newsweekly Shūkan Gendai, Waseda University professor Toshimitsu Shigemura, an authority on the Korean Peninsula,[54] claimed that Kim Jong-il died of diabetes in late 2003 and had been replaced in public appearances by one or more stand-ins previously employed to protect him from assassination attempts.[55] In a subsequent best-selling book, The True Character of Kim Jong-il, Shigemura cited apparently unnamed people close to Kim's family along with Japanese and South Korean intelligence sources, claiming they confirmed Kim's diabetes took a turn for the worse early in 2000 and from then until his supposed death three and a half years later he was using a wheelchair. Shigemura moreover claimed a voiceprint analysis of Kim speaking in 2004 did not match a known earlier recording. It was also noted that Kim Jong-il did not appear in public for the Olympic torch relay in Pyongyang on 28 April 2008. The question had reportedly "baffled foreign intelligence agencies for years."[56]
On 9 September 2008, various sources reported that after he did not show up that day for a military parade celebrating North Korea's 60th anniversary, United States intelligence agencies believed Kim might be "gravely ill" after having suffered a stroke. He had last been seen in public a month earlier.[57]
A former CIA official said earlier reports of a health crisis were likely accurate. North Korean media remained silent on the issue. An Associated Press report said analysts believed Kim had been supporting moderates in the foreign ministry, while North Korea's powerful military was against so-called "Six-Party" negotiations with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States aimed towards ridding North Korea of nuclear weapons. Some United States officials noted that soon after rumours about Kim's health were publicized a month before, North Korea had taken a "tougher line in nuclear negotiations." In late August North Korea's official news agency reported the government would "consider soon a step to restore the nuclear facilities in Nyongbyon to their original state as strongly requested by its relevant institutions." Analysts said this meant "the military may have taken the upper hand and that Kim might no longer be wielding absolute authority." By 10 September, there were conflicting reports. Unidentified South Korean government officials said Kim had undergone surgery after suffering a minor stroke and had apparently "intended to attend 9 September event in the afternoon but decided not to because of the aftermath of the surgery." High ranking North Korean official Kim Yong-nam said, "While we wanted to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the country with General Secretary Kim Jong-Il, we celebrated on our own." Song Il-Ho, North Korea's ambassador said, "We see such reports as not only worthless, but rather as a conspiracy plot." Seoul's Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that "the South Korean embassy in Beijing had received an intelligence report that Kim collapsed on 22 August."[58] The New York Times reported Kim was "very ill and most likely suffered a stroke a few weeks ago,[when?] but United States intelligence authorities do not think his death is imminent."[59] The BBC noted that the North Korean government denied these reports, stating that Kim's health problems were "not serious enough to threaten his life",[60][61] although they did confirm that he had suffered a stroke on 15 August.[62]
Japan's Kyodo News agency reported on 14 September, that "Kim collapsed on 14 August due to stroke or a cerebral hemorrhage, and that Beijing dispatched five military doctors at the request of Pyongyang. Kim will require a long period of rest and rehabilitation before he fully recovers and has complete command of his limbs again, as with typical stroke victims." Japan's Mainichi Shimbun claimed Kim had occasionally lost consciousness since April.[63] Japan's Tokyo Shimbun on 15 September, added that Kim was staying at the Bongwha State Guest House. He was apparently conscious "but he needs some time to recuperate from the recent stroke, with some parts of his hands and feet paralyzed". It cited Chinese sources which claimed that one cause for the stroke could have been stress brought about by the United States delay to remove North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.[64]
On 19 October, North Korea reportedly ordered its diplomats to stay near their embassies to await "an important message", according to Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun,[65] setting off renewed speculation about the health of the ailing leader.
By 29 October 2008, reports stated Kim suffered a serious setback and had been taken back to hospital.[66] The New York Times reported that Taro Aso, on 28 October 2008, stated in a parliamentary session that Kim had been hospitalized: "His condition is not so good. However, I don't think he is totally incapable of making decisions." Aso further said a French neurosurgeon was aboard a plane for Beijing, en route to North Korea. Further, Kim Sung-ho, director of South Korea's National Intelligence Service, told lawmakers in a closed parliamentary session in Seoul that "Kim appeared to be recovering quickly enough to start performing his daily duties."[67] The Dong-a Ilbo newspaper reported "a serious problem" with Kim's health. Japan's Fuji Television network reported that Kim's eldest son, Kim Jong-nam, traveled to Paris to hire a neurosurgeon for his father, and showed footage where the surgeon boarded flight CA121 bound for Pyongyang from Beijing on 24 October. The French weekly Le Point identified him as Francois-Xavier Roux, neurosurgery director of Paris' Sainte-Anne Hospital, but Roux himself stated he was in Beijing for several days and not North Korea.[68] On 19 December 2011 Roux confirmed that Kim suffered a debilitating stroke in 2008 and was treated by himself and other French doctors at Pyongyang's Red Cross Hospital. Roux said Kim suffered few lasting effects.[69]
On 5 November 2008, the North's Korean Central News Agency published 2 photos showing Kim posing with dozens of Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers on a visit to military Unit 2200 and sub-unit of Unit 534. Shown with his usual bouffant hairstyle, with his trademark sunglasses and a white winter parka, Kim stood in front of trees with autumn foliage and a red-and-white banner.[70][71][72][73][74] The Times questioned the authenticity of at least one of these photos.[75]
In November 2008, Japan's TBS TV network reported that Kim had suffered a second stroke in October, which "affected the movement of his left arm and leg and also his ability to speak."[76][77] However, South Korea's intelligence agency rejected this report.[77]
In response to the rumors regarding Kim's health and supposed loss of power, in April 2009, North Korea released a video showing Kim visiting factories and other places around the country between November and December 2008.[78] In 2010, documents released by WikiLeaks purportedly attested that Kim suffered from epilepsy.[79]
According to The Daily Telegraph, Kim was a chain-smoker.[80]
Successor[link]
Kim's three sons and his brother-in-law, along with O Kuk-ryol, an army general, had been noted as possible successors, but the North Korean government had for a time been wholly silent on this matter.[81]
Kim Yong Hyun, a political expert at the Institute for North Korean Studies at Seoul's Dongguk University, has said, "Even the North Korean establishment would not advocate a continuation of the family dynasty at this point."[82] Kim's eldest son Kim Jong-nam was earlier believed to be the designated heir but he appears to have fallen out of favor after being arrested at Narita International Airport near Tokyo in 2001 while traveling on a forged passport.[83]
On 2 June 2009, it was reported that Kim Jong-il's youngest son, Kim Jong-un, was to be North Korea's next leader.[84] Like his father and grandfather, he has also been given an official sobriquet, The Brilliant Comrade.[85] Prior to his death, it had been reported that Kim Jong Il was expected to officially designate the son as his successor in 2012. However, there are reports that if leadership passes to one of the sons, Kim Jong Il's brother-in-law, Jang Sung-taek, could attempt to seize power.[citation needed]
Re-election as DPRK leader[link]
On 9 April 2009, Kim was re-elected as chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission,[86] and made an appearance at the Supreme People's Assembly. This was the first time Kim was seen in public since August 2008. He was unanimously re-elected and given a standing ovation.[87]
On 28 September 2010, Kim was re-elected as General secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea.
2010 and 2011 foreign visits[link]
Kim reportedly visited the People's Republic of China in May 2010. He entered the country via his personal train on 3 May, and stayed in a hotel in Dalian.[88] In May 2010, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell told South Korean officials that Kim had only three years to live.[89] Kim travelled to China again in August 2010, this time with his son, fueling speculation that he is ready to hand over power to his son, Kim Jong-un.[90]
He returned to China again in May 2011, marking the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between China and the DPRK.[91] In late August 2011, he traveled by train to the Russian Far East to meet with President Dmitry Medvedev for unspecified talks.[92]
Personal life[link]
Family[link]
There is no official information available about Kim Jong-il's marital history, but he is believed to have been officially married once and to have had three mistresses.[93] He has four known children:
- Kim Jong-nam (son)
- Kim Sul-song (daughter)
- Kim Jong-chul (son)
- Kim Jong-un (son)[94]
Kim's first mistress, Song Hye-rim, was a star of North Korean films. She was already married to another man and with a child when they met;[95] Kim is reported to have forced her husband to divorce her. This relationship, started in 1970, was not officially recognized. They had one son, Kim Jong-nam (born 1971) who is Kim Jong-il's eldest son. Kim kept both the relationship and the child a secret (even from his father Kim Il Sung) until Kim ascended to power in 1994.[95][96] However, after years of estrangement, Song is believed to have died in Moscow in the Central Clinical Hospital in 2002.[97]
Kim's official wife, Kim Young-sook, was the daughter of a high-ranking military official. His father Kim Il-Sung handpicked her to marry his son.[93] The two have been estranged for some years. Kim has a daughter from this marriage, Kim Sul-song (born 1974).[94]
His second mistress, Ko Young-hee, was a Japanese-born ethnic Korean and a dancer. She had taken over the role of First Lady until her death — reportedly of cancer — in 2004. They had two sons, Kim Jong-chul, in 1981, and Kim Jong-un (also "Jong Woon" or "Jong Woong"), in 1983.[96][98]
After Ko's death, Kim lived with Kim Ok, his third mistress, who had served as his personal secretary since the 1980s. She "virtually acts as North Korea's first lady" and frequently accompanied Kim on his visits to military bases and in meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries. She traveled with Kim Jong Il on a secretive trip to China in January 2006, where she was received by Chinese officials as Kim's wife.[99]
He reportedly had a younger sister, Kim Kyong-hui (김경희).[100]
| Kim Bo-hyon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kim Hyŏng-jik | Kang Pan-sŏk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kim Jong-suk | Kim Il-sung | Kim Sŏng-ae | Kim Yong-ju | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kim Young-sook | Song Hye-rim | Kim Jong-il | Ko Young-hee | Kim Ok | Kim Kyong-hui | Chang Sung-taek | Kim Pyong-il | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kim Sul-song | Kim Jong-nam | Kim Jong-chul | Kim Jong-un | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kim Han-sol | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personality[link]
Like his father, Kim had a pteromerhanophobia (fear of flying),[101] and always traveled by private armored train for state visits to Russia and China. The BBC reported that Konstantin Pulikovsky, a Russian emissary who traveled with Kim across Russia by train, told reporters that Kim had live lobsters air-lifted to the train every day.[102]
Kim was said to be a huge film fan, owning a collection of more than 20,000 video tapes and DVDs.[103] His reported favorite movie franchises included Friday the 13th, Rambo, Godzilla, and Hong Kong action cinema,[104] and any movie starring Elizabeth Taylor.[105] He authored On the Art of the Cinema. In 1978, on Kim's orders, South Korean film director Shin Sang-ok and his actress wife Choi Eun-hee were kidnapped in order to build a North Korean film industry.[106] In 2006 he was involved in the production of the Juche-based movie, Diary of a Girl Student, which depicted the life of a young girl whose parents are scientists, with a KCNA news report stating that Kim "improved its script and guided its production".[107]
In a 2011 news story, The Sun reported, "Kim Jong-il was obsessed with Elvis Presley. His mansion was crammed with his idol's records and his collection of 20,000 Hollywood movies included Presley's titles — along with Rambo and Godzilla. He even copied the King's Vegas-era look of giant shades, jumpsuits and bouffant hairstyle. It was reported in 2003 that Kim Jong-il had a huge porn film collection."[108]
Although Kim enjoyed many foreign forms of entertainment, according to former bodyguard Lee Young Kuk, he refused to consume any food or drink not produced in North Korea, with the exception of wine from France.[109] His former chef Kenji Fujimoto, however, has stated that Kim sometimes sent him around the world to purchase a variety of foreign delicacies.[110]
Kim reportedly enjoyed basketball. Former United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright ended her summit with Kim by presenting him with a basketball signed by NBA legend Michael Jordan.[111] Also an apparent golfer, North Korean state media reports that Kim routinely shot three or four holes-in-one per round.[112] His official biography also claims that Kim composed six operas and enjoys staging elaborate musicals.[113] Kim referred to himself as an Internet expert.[114]
United States Special Envoy for the Korean Peace Talks, Charles Kartman, who was involved in the 2000 Madeleine Albright summit with Kim, characterised Kim as a reasonable man in negotiations, to the point, but with a sense of humor and personally attentive to the people he was hosting.[115] However, psychological evaluations conclude that Kim Jong-il's antisocial features, such as his fearlessness in the face of sanctions and punishment, served to make negotiations extraordinarily difficult.[116]
The field of psychology has long been fascinated with the personality assessment of dictators, a notion that resulted in an extensive personality evaluation of Kim Jong-il. The report, compiled by Frederick L. Coolidge and Daniel L. Segal (with the assistance of a South Korean psychiatrist considered an expert on Kim Jong-il's behavior), concluded that the "big six" group of personality disorders shared by dictators Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Saddam Hussein (sadistic, paranoid, antisocial, narcissistic, schizoid and schizotypal) were also shared by Kim Jong-il — coinciding primarily with the profile of Saddam Hussein.[116]
The evaluation found Kim Jong-il appeared to pride himself on North Korea's independence, despite the extreme hardships it appears to place on the North Korean people — an attribute appearing to emanate from his antisocial personality pattern.[116] This notion also encourages other cognitive issues, such as self-deception, as subsidiary components to Kim Jong-il's personality.
Defectors claimed that Kim had 17 different palaces and residences all over North Korea, including a private resort near Baekdu Mountain, a seaside lodge in the city of Wonsan, and a palace complex northeast of Pyongyang surrounded with multiple fence lines, bunkers and anti-aircraft batteries.[117]
Finances[link]
According to the Sunday Telegraph, Kim had US$4 billion on deposit in European banks in case he ever needed to flee North Korea. The Sunday Telegraph reported that most of the money was in banks in Luxembourg.[118]
Death[link]
Main article: Death and funeral of Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il died of a suspected heart attack on 17 December 2011 at 08:30 while travelling by train to an area outside Pyongyang.[5][119] He was succeeded by his youngest son Kim Jong-un, who was hailed by the Korean Central News Agency as the "Great Successor".[120][121][122][123] The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) report that during his death, a fierce snowstorm paused and the sky glowed red above the sacred Mount Paektu. The ice on a famous lake also cracked so loud, it seemed to shake the Heavens and the Earth.[124]
Kim Jong-il's funeral took place on 28 December in Pyongyang, with a mourning period lasting until the following day. South Korea's military was immediately put on alert after the announcement and its National Security Council convened for an emergency meeting, out of concern that political jockeying in North Korea could destabilise the region. Asian stock markets fell soon after the announcement, due to similar concerns.[5]
On 12 January 2012 North Korea called Kim Jong-il the "eternal leader" and announced that his body will be preserved and displayed at Pyongyang's Kumsusan Memorial Palace. Officials will also install statues, portraits, and "towers to his immortality" across the country.[125][126] His birthday of 16 February has been declared "the greatest auspicious holiday of the nation", and has been named the Day of the Shining Star.[127]
Official titles[link]
Main article: List of Kim Jong-il's titles
- Party Center of the WPK and Member, Central Committee of the WPK (1970s)
- Dear Leader (Chinaehaneun Jidoja) (late 1970s–1994)
- Member, Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK
- Secretary, Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (1974–1997)
- Presidium Member of the Politburo, WPK Central Committee (1980–2011)
- Supreme Commander, Korean People's Army (25 December 1991 – 17 December 2011)
- Marshal of the DPRK (1993–2011)
- Chairman, National Defence Commission of North Korea (1993–2011)
- Great Leader (Widehan Ryongdoja) (July 1994 – December 2011)
- General Secretary, Workers' Party of Korea (October 1997 – December 2011)
- Chairman, Central Military Commission (DPRK) (October 1997 – December 2011)
- Eternal Leader (posthumous) (January 2012 – present)
- Grand Marshal of the DPRK (posthumous) (January 2012 – present)
- Eternal General Secretary, Worker's Party of Korea (posthumous) (11 April 2012 – present)
- Eternal Chairman of the National Defence of Commission (posthumous) (13 April 2012 - present)
See also[link]
Notes and references[link]
- ^ "North Korea backs son after Kim Jong-Il death". Agence France-Presse. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ggTRbHnVT9qA8_cbG0p5dkbChBvA?docId=CNG.f422d650d5b8ced9ed3fbdc8e3558b87.e1. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ^ "North Korea: Kim Jong-un hailed 'supreme commander'". BBC News. 24 December 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16325390. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
- ^ Chung, Byoung-sun (22 August 2002). "Sergeyevna Remembers Kim Jong Il". The Chosun Ilbo. http://nk.chosun.com/english/news/news.html?ACT=detail&res_id=7283. Retrieved 19 February 2007.
Sheets, Lawrence (12 February 2004). "A Visit to Kim Jong Il's Russian Birthplace". National Public Radio. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1671983. Retrieved 19 February 2007.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0607/05/i_ins.01.html
"Kim Jong-Il, Kim Il-Sung – In the Family Business – North Korea: Secrets and Lies – Photo Gallery". LIFE. http://www.life.com/gallery/26532/image/51407067/north-korea-secrets-and-lies#index/7. Retrieved 19 December 2011. - ^ North Korean biographies give his birth as 16 February 1942, but are generally not considered to be factually reliable. See http://slide.news.sina.com.cn/w/slide_1_27293_20570.html#p=8 with Kim Jong-il lying in state, where the podium reads 1942–2011
- ^ a b c d "N Korean leader Kim Jong-il dies". BBC News. 19 December 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16239693. Retrieved 19 December 2011. "died on Saturday"
- ^ McGivering, Jill (29 September 2009). "N Korea constitution bolsters Kim". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8279830.stm. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ^ A State of Mind at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ "NKorea prints photos of heir apparent Kim Jong Un". AP News. 30 September 2010. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_NKOREA_SUCCESSION?SITE=CAVEN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
- ^ The 100 Most Powerful People in the World, Forbes Magazine
- ^ "Profile: Kim Jong-il". BBC News. 16 January 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1907197.stm. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ "Biography of the Dear Leader Kim Jong Il". Korea-dpr.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080612161628/http://www.korea-dpr.com/articles-ng/biography-kimjongil.htm. Retrieved 5 December 2008.
- ^ Kim Jong Il – Short Biography. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Press, 1998, p. 1.
- ^ Korea North General Secretary Kim Jong Il. USA International Business Publications. 2002. p. 37. ISBN 0-7397-1197-0.
- ^ a b Post, Jerrold M.; Alexander George (2004). Leaders and their followers in a dangerous world: the psychology of political behavior. Cornell University Press. pp. 243–244. ISBN 978-0-8014-4169-1.
- ^ "The Kims' North Korea". Atimes.com. 4 June 2005. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/GF04Dg03.html. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ Martin, Bradley K. (2004). Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader, New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-32221-6.
- ^ Kim Jong Il – Short Biography. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Press, 1998, p. 4.
- ^ Calleja, Stephen (7 February 2010). "1982 Labour government "secret" agreement with North Korea – 'Times change' – Alex Sceberras Trigona". The Malta Independent. http://www.independent.com.mt/news2.asp?artid=101298. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
- ^ Preston, Peter (30 December 2002). "Kim is a baby rattling the sides of a cot". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,866479,00.html. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ "Happy Birthday, Dear Leader – who's next in line?". Atimes.com. 14 February 2004. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/FB14Dg04.html. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ "North Korea's dear leader less dear", Fairfax Digital, 19 November 2004.
- ^ "Testimony of Hwang Jang-yop". http://www.fas.org/irp/world/rok/nis-docs/hwang2.htm.
- ^ "North Korea: Nuclear Standoff", The Online NewsHour, PBS, 19 October 2006.
- ^ Fake ashes, very real North Korean sanctions, Asia Times Online, 16 December 2004.
- ^ http://ndfsk.dyndns.org/kuguk8/pym/Nr0904/Nr0904-1/def.htm
- ^ Noland, Marcus (2004). "Famine and Reform in North Korea". Asian Economic Papers 3 (2): 1–40. DOI:10.1162/1535351044193411?journalCode=asep.
- ^ Haggard, Nolan, Sen (2009). Famine in North Korea: Markets, Aid, and Reform. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-231-14001-0. "This tragedy was the result of a misguided strategy of self-reliance that only served to increase the country's vulnerability to both economic and natural shocks ... The state's culpability in this vast misery elevates the North Korean famine to a crime against humanity"
- ^ "North Korea: A terrible truth". The Economist. 17 April 1997. http://www.economist.com/node/147613. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
- ^ "North Korea Agriculture", Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. Retrieved 11 March 2007.
- ^ "Other Industry – North Korean Targets" Federation of American Scientists, 15 June 2000.
- ^ "North Korea's Military Strategy", Parameters, U.S. Army War College Quarterly, 2003.
- ^ "Kim Jong-il's military-first policy a silver bullet", Asia Times Online, 4 January 2007.
- ^ "North Korea's Capitalist Experiment", Council on Foreign Relations, 8 June 2006.
- ^ "On North Korea's streets, pink and tangerine buses", Christian Science Monitor, 2 June 2005.
- ^ "Inside North Korea: A Joint U.S.-Chinese Dialogue", United States Institute of Peace, January 2007.
- ^ "Asan, KOLAND Permitted to Develop Kaesong Complex", The Korea Times, 23 April 2004.
- ^ "S. Korea denies U.S. trade pact will exclude N. Korean industrial park", Yonhap News, 7 March 2007.
- ^ "South Korea dials back tough talk over Cheonan sinking", Christian Science Monitor, 31 May 2010.
- ^ "History of the 'Agreed Framework' and how it was broken", About: U.S. Gov Info/Resources, 12 March 2007.
- ^ "Motivation Behind North Korea's Nuclear Confession", GLOCOM Platform, 28 October 2002.
- ^ a b Chol-hwan Kang and Pierre Rigoulot (2005). The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag, Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-01104-7.
- ^ "North Korea marks leader's birthday". BBC. 16 February 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1823713.stm. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
- ^ "N.Korea leader sets world fashion trend: Pyongyang". FRANCE 24. 7 April 2010. http://www.france24.com/en/20100407-nkorea-leader-sets-world-fashion-trend-pyongyang. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ^ Mansourov, Alexandre. ""Korean Monarch Kim Jong Il: Technocrat Ruler of the Hermit Kingdom Facing the Challenge of Modernity", The Nautilus Institute". Archived from the original on 16 August 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070816180527/http://nautilus.org/DPRKbriefingbook/negotiating/issue.html. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
- ^ Scanlon, Charles (16 February 2007). "Nuclear deal fuels Kim's celebrations". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6368203.stm. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
- ^ Coonan, Clifford (21 October 2006). "Kim Jong Il, the tyrant with a passion for wine, women and the bomb". The Independent (London). http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article1916374.ece. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
- ^ Richard Lloyd Parry. "'Dear Leader' clings to power while his people pay the price", The Times. 10 October 2006. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
- ^ "North Korea's 'Dear Leader' flaunts nuclear prowess". The New Zealand Herald. Reuters. 10 October 2006. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=340&ObjectID=10405224. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
- ^ Compiled by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices" United States Department of State. 25 February 2004. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
- ^ Jason LaBouyer "When friends become enemies — Understanding left-wing hostility to the DPRK" Lodestar. May/June 2005: pp. 7–9. Korea-DPR.com. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
- ^ Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2007). World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia. Marshall Cavendish. p. 929. ISBN 978-0-7614-7631-3. http://books.google.com/books?id=YG2AFyFppJQC&pg=PA929.
- ^ McDonald, Mark. "North Korean Prison Camps Massive and Growing" The New York Times. 4 May 2011
- ^ "Human Rights in North Korea". Human Rights Watch. July 2004. http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/07/08/nkorea9040.htm. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^ Sheridan, Michael (7 September 2008). "North Korea 'uses doubles to hide death of Kim'". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4692472.ece. Retrieved 5 December 2008.
- ^ "N Korea's Kim died in 2003; replaced by lookalike, says Waseda professor", Japan Today, 24 August 2008.
- ^ Sheridan, Michael, "North Korea 'uses doubles to hide death of Kim'", Sunday Times, 7 September 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
- ^ Pamela Hess and Matthew Lee (10 September 2008). "North Korea's Kim Jong Il may be gravely ill, jeopardizing progress on halting nukes". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 11 September 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080911223358/http://www.startribune.com/nation/28048604.html?. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ^ "NKorean leader suffered stroke: Seoul intelligence". Agence France-Presse. 9 September 2008. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5j2zReXndGtxbEQ9gsY3SWxImKHHw.
- ^ http://english.kbs.co.kr/news/newsview_sub.php?menu=8&key=2008091021
- ^ "Mystery has surrounded Kim Jong Il". CNN. 10 September 2008. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/09/09/nkorea.kim. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ^ "N Korea insists Kim is not unwell". BBC News. 10 September 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7607513.stm. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
- ^ Jae-Soon Chang (11 September 2008). "N Korea: Kim Had Brain Surgery". Time. Associated Press. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1840419,00.html. Retrieved 11 September 2008.
- ^ "N. Korean Kim Having Trouble Using Limbs". The Seoul Times. http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=7245. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_NORTH_KOREA_ASOL-?SITE=YOMIURI&SECTION=HOSTED_ASIA&TEMPLATE=ap_national.html
- ^ "Report sparks more speculation on Kim Jong Il's health". http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/world/asia/report-sparks-more-speculation-on-kim-jong-ils-health-14018927.html.
- ^ Onishi, Norimitsu (29 October 2008). "Kim Jong-Il Hospitalized but at Helm, Japan Says". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/world/asia/29kim.html. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ^ "LCI, Corée du Nord: Le chirurgien français dément toute visite à Kim Jong II". http://tf1.lci.fr/infos/monde/asie/0,,4141229,00-le-chirurgien-francais-dement-tout-visite-a-kim-jong-ii-.html.
- ^ French doctor confirms Kim had stroke in 2008 (Associated Press, 19 December 2011)
- ^ http://afp.google.com/media/ALeqM5ikrDW2BrCj5Y3MTang70ZE_smGwQ?size=s
- ^ "French brain surgeon admits visiting Pyongyang: report". Agence France-Presse. Google. 4 November 2008. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gBLJIU2BX0waPQyOREz9HYBInH8g. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/04/nkorea.kim.ap/art.korea.ap.jpg
- ^ "Kim Jong Il watches army training". News.xinhuanet.com. 5 November 2008. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/05/content_10310320.htm. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ Hamilton, Fiona (7 November 2008). "Kim Jong Il: digital trickery or an amazing recovery from a stroke?". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5101905.ece. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ^ Shears, Richard (11 November 2008). "North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il 'suffers second stroke'". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1084685/North-Korean-leader-Kim-Jong-Il-suffers-second-stroke.html.
- ^ a b "Kim Jong-il had possible second stroke". Reuters. 11 November 2008. http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4AA0GS20081111.
- ^ "Video of Kim Jong-il". BBC News. 7 April 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7988096.stm. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ^ Hutchison, Peter (28 November 2010). "WikiLeaks: US referred to Ahmadinejad as 'Hitler'". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/8166248/WikiLeaks-US-referred-to-Mahmoud-Ahmadinejad-as-Hitler.html. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- ^ Fife-Yeomans, Janet (20 December 2011). "Kim Jong-il – the high life of an evil dictator". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/kim-jong-il-the-high-life-of-an-evil-dictator/story-e6freuy9-1226226187550. Retrieved 20 December 2011. "When North Korea's Dear Leader, the chain-smoking Kim Jong-il, 69, died on Saturday"
- ^ "Possible successors to North Korea's Kim". Reuters. 10 September 2008. http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSSEO30011320080910.
- ^ "North Korea silent over Kim Jong Il successor". Indiaenews.com. 14 February 2007. http://www.indiaenews.com/asia/20070214/39480.htm. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ "Japan deports man claiming to be Kim Jong-Nam", ABC News: The World Today, 4 May 2001 (see Family tree)
- ^ Associated Press (2 June 2009). "North Korean leader Kim Jong-il 'names youngest son as successor'". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/02/kim-jong-il-names-son-successor. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ "North Korea: A 'Brilliant Comrade'". The New York Times. 12 June 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/13/world/asia/13briefs-NKOREAKIM.html. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
- ^ "KCNA.co.jp". KCNA.co.jp. 9 April 2009. http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2009/200904/news09/20090409-04ee.html. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ "N. Korea leader appears in public". BBC News. 9 April 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7991151.stm. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ "North Korea's Kim 'visits China'". BBC News. 3 May 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8657688.stm. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ^ "Kim Jong-il 'Has 3 Years to Live'", Chosun Ilbo, 17 March 2010.
- ^ McCurry, Justin; Watts, Jonathan (26 August 2010). "North Korean leader Kim Jong-il 'visiting China with his son'". London: BBC News. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/26/north-korean-leader-china. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
- ^ 颜筱箐 (27 May 2011). "DPRK leader Kim Jong-Il visits China". China.org.cn. http://www.china.org.cn/video/2011-05/27/content_22651894.htm. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ^ Schwirtz, M. "Kim Il-Jong Visits Russia to Meet with President Medvedev", The New York Times. 21 August 2011
- ^ a b The Women in Kim's Life[dead link]
- ^ a b "Kim Jong-Il's Daughter Serves as His Secretary". Theseoultimes.com. http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=3052. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ a b "North Korean defector says Kim Jong Il stole her life", Los Angeles Times, 21 December 2011.
- ^ a b "Kim's Secret Family", Time Asia, 23 June 2003 (archive).
- ^ Martin, Bradley K. (2004). Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty. New York, NY: Thomas Dunne Books. pp. 693–694. ISBN 0-312-32322-0. "Although a flurry of press dispatches at the time her sister defected claimed that Hye-rim had gone with Hye-rang, in fact, [Hye-rim] continued to live in Moscow until she died in May 2002."
- ^ "N. Korea Heir Apparent 'Given More Auspicious Birthday". The Chosun Ilbo. 11 December 2009.
- ^ "Report: Kim Jong Il Living With Former Secretary". Fox News. 24 July 2006. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,205287,00.html. Retrieved 28 December 2011. [dead link]
- ^ "Dictator Kim Jong-il's younger sister makes comeback to power in North Korea". Daily Mail (London). 19 February 2010. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1251955/Dictator-Kim-Jong-ils-younger-sister-makes-comeback-power-North-Korea.html. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
- ^ Swift, Andrew (4 May 2010). "Profiles in Phobia". Foreign Policy. The Washington Post Company. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/05/04/profiles_in_phobia. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
- ^ "Profile: Kim Jong-il". BBC News. 16 January 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1907197.stm. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ "North Korean leader loves Hennessey, Bond movies", CNN Washington, 8 January 2003.
- ^ Gourevitch, Philip (2 November 2003). "The madness of Kim Jong Il". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2003/nov/02/features.magazine37. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ^ "Movie-buff Kim Jong-Il seeks joint foreign film ventures". Worldtribune.com. http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/05/front2453662.077777778.html. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ Thomson, Mike (5 March 2003). "Kidnapped by North Korea". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2821221.stm. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ "Film 'Diary of a Girl Student', Close Companion of Life", Korea News Service, 10 August 2006.
- ^ "Kim Jong-il's body on display as nation 'mourns'". The Sun. December 20, 2011
- ^ Macintyre, Donald (18 February 2002). "The Supremo in His Labyrinth". Time Magazine. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,201976-1,00.html. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
- ^ "Kim Jong-il Satisfies his Gourmet Appetite while his People Starve". The Chosun Ilbo. 27 June 2004.
- ^ "The oddest fan", San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 October 2006.
- ^ "Move over Tiger: N. Korea's Kim shot 38 under par his 1st time out", World Tribune, 16 June 2004.
- ^ "ASIA-PACIFIC | Profile: Kim Jong-il". BBC News. 9 June 2000. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/783967.stm. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ "North Korea Kim Jong Il an Internet Expert", FOX News, 5 October 2007.
- ^ "Interview: Charles Kartman". Frontline (Public Broadcasting Service). 20 February 2003. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/kim/interviews/kartman.html. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
- ^ a b c "Is Kim Jong-il like Saddam Hussein and Adolf Hitler? A personality disorder evaluation" by Frederick L. Coolidge and Daniel L. Segal, 2008.
- ^ "Kim Jong Il, Where He Sleeps and Where He Works", Daily NK, 15 March 2005.
- ^ Arlow, Oliver, "Kim Jong-il keeps $4bn 'emergency fund' in European banks", Sunday Telegraph, 14 March 2010.
- ^ "North Korean leader Kim Jong-il dead". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 19 December 2011. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-19/north-korean-leader-kim-jong-il-dead/3738526?WT.svl=news0. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ^ "Kim Jong Il's youngest son dubbed 'great successor'". msnbc.com. 19 December 2011
- ^ Thomas Durante; Jennifer Madison; Lee Moran (20 December 2011). "U.S. senator says the world is better off without Kim Jong Il, North Korea's Dear Leader, who 'is joining Gaddafi, Bin Laden and Hitler in hell'". Mail Online. Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2075987/Kim-Jong-Il-dead-North-Korea-mourn-West-fear-rogue-nuclear-state.html. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
- ^ "Kim Jong-il's son Kim Jong-un poised to lead North Korea". National Post (Canada). 10 October 2010. http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/18/kim-jong-ils-son-kim-jong-un-poised-to-lead-north-korea. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
- ^ Demick, Barbara (19 December 2011). "Kim Jong Il death: Powerful uncle could overshadow Kim's son". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011/12/kim-jong-un-overshadow-uncle-kim-jong-il-dead.html.
- ^ "Kim Jong-il death: 'Nature mourns' N Korea leader". BBC. 22 December 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16297811. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ Kim Jong Il to be enshrined as "eternal leader" (CBS News, 12 January 2012)
- ^ North Korea to Display Dead Leader’s Body (New York Times, 12 January 2012)
- ^ "Kim Jong-il to be put on display". ABC Sydney. 13 January 2012. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-13/north-korea-to-embalm-kim-jong-il/3770662/?site=sydney. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
Further reading[link]
- Jasper Becker, "Rogue Regime: Kim John Il and the Looming Threat of North Korea", Oxford University Press (October 2006), Softcover, 328 pages, ISBN 0-19-530891-3
- Michael Breen, Kim Jong-il: North Korea's Dear Leader, John Wiley and Sons (January 2004), hardcover, 228 pages, ISBN 0-470-82131-0
- Bradley Martin, Under The Loving Care Of The Fatherly Leader: North Korea And The Kim Dynasty, St. Martins (October 2004), hardcover, 868 pages, ISBN 0-312-32221-6
- Kim Chol U, Army-Centred Politics Of Kim Jong Il, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 2002, Softcover, 98 pages
- Kim Jong Il Brief History, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 1998, Hardcover, 149 pages
- Kim Jong Il Short Biography, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 2001, Hardcover, 215 pages
- Pae Kyong Su, Kim Jong Il The Individual Thoughts And Leadership Vol. 1, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 1993, Softcover, 225 pages
- Pae Kyong Su, Kim Jong Il The Individual Thoughts And Leadership Vol. 2, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 1995, Softcover, 164 pages
- Nada Takashi, Korea In Kim Jong Il's Era, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 2000, Softcover, 163 pages
- Li Il Bok, The Great Man Kim Jong Il, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 1989, Softcover, 167 pages
- Ri Il Bok, The Great Man Kim Jong Il Vol. 2, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 1995, Softcover, 84 pages
- Jo Song Baek, The Leadership Philosophy Of Kim Jong Il, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 1999, Softcover, 261 pages
- Guiding Light General Kim Jong Il, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 1997, Softcover, 357 pages
External links[link]
| Find more about Kim Jong-il on Wikipedia's sister projects: | |
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News stories from Wikinews |
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Textbooks from Wikibooks |
- Kim Jong-il collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- Works by or about Kim Jong-il in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
- Kim Jong Il: Brief HistoryPDF (893 KB) – Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang DPR Korea (1998)
- Born in the USSR – Kim Jong-il's childhood.
- The many family secrets of Kim Jong Il
- "Hidden Daughter" Visits Kim Jong-il Every Year (also includes photos of Kim during his youth)
- Kim's family tree (Korean)
- BBC, North Korea's secretive 'first family'
- Obituary: Kim Jong-il, BBC News, 19 December 2011
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kim Yong-ju |
Head of the Organisation and Guidance Department 1974–2011 |
Succeeded by TBD |
| Vacant
Title last held by
Kim Il-sung |
General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (Eternal General Secretary since 11 April 2012) 1997–2011 |
Succeeded by Kim Jong-un as First Secretary |
| Chairman of the WPK Central Military Commission 1997–2011 |
Succeeded by Kim Jong-un |
|
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by |
First Vice Chairman of the National Defence Commission 1990–1993 |
Vacant
Title next held by
Jo Myong-rok |
| New office | Chairman of the National Defence Commission (Eternal Chairman since 13 April 2012) 1993–2011 |
Succeeded by Kim Jong-un as First Chairman |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by Kim Il-sung |
Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army 1991–2011 |
Succeeded by Kim Jong-un |
|
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kim Jong-il |
| Alternative names | Yuri Irsenovich Kim |
| Short description | Leader of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) |
| Date of birth | 16 February 1941 (or 1942) |
| Place of birth | Vyatskoye, Khabarovsk Krai, Soviet Union (present-day Vyatskoye, Khabarovsk, Russia) |
| Date of death | 2011-12-17 |
| Place of death | near Pyongyang, North Korea |
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Rizwan "Riz" Khan (Urdu: ريز خان; born April 1962) is a British[1] television news reporter and interviewer who until April 2011 hosted his own eponymous television show on Al Jazeera English. He first rose to prominence while working for the BBC and CNN.
Life and career[link]
Khan was born in Aden, South Yemen,[1] to a Punjabi father[2] and Gujarati mother. His father's roots are in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, while his mother's roots go back to Kutch, Gujarat. He considers himself a British Pakistani. Khan moved with his family to London, at the age of four. He attended both Springwell Junior and Hounslow Manor Comprehensive Schools and joined the Air Training Corps, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Medical Physiology from the University of Wales, and then completed a postgraduate course in Radio Journalism at the University of Portsmouth.
In 1987 he was selected for the BBC News Trainee scheme - a two-year BBC training system, usually taking only 6 people per course. Khan progressed to jobs as a BBC reporter, producer, and writer, working in both television and radio, and would later become one of the founding News Presenters on BBC World Service Television News. He hosted the news bulletin that launched BBC World Service Television News in 1991. In 1993, he moved to CNN International, where he became a senior anchor for the network's global news shows. Events he covered included the 1996 and 1999 coverage of elections in India; the 1997 historic election in Britain; and in April 1998 the unprecedented live coverage from the Muslim pilgrimage, the Hajj.
In 1996 he launched his interactive interview show CNN: Q&A with Riz Khan, and he has conducted interviews with guests including former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former US Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela, and genomic scientist J. Craig Venter. Khan also secured the world exclusive with Pakistan's General Pervez Musharraf following his coup in October 1999. Khan also hosted Q&A-Asia with Riz Khan. These interactive shows put world newsmakers and celebrities up for viewer questions live by phone, e-mail, video-mail and fax, along with questions and comments taken from the real-time chatroom that opens half-an-hour before each show.
Until April 2011, Khan had his own show, Riz Khan, on Al Jazeera English, in which he interviewed analysts and policy-makers and invited viewers to interact with them via phone, email, SMS messages or fax.[3]
Khan speaks Urdu and Hindi[4] and also understands other South Asian languages such as Punjabi and Kutchi. He has studied French, and can understand some other European languages, including Swedish and Norwegian.[citation needed]
In 2005 he authored his first book, Al-Waleed: Businessman Billionaire Prince, published by Harper Collins.
In 2011 he authored a preface for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) annual report "Attacks on the Press 2010",[5] which examined working conditions for journalists in more than 100 countries.[6]
References[link]
- ^ a b "Facts about Rizwan Khan". True Knowledge. http://www.trueknowledge.com/q/facts_about__rizwan_khan. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
- ^ AlJazeeraEnglish (2009-11-23). "One on One - Lord Swraj Paul - 21 Nov 09 - Part 2". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2yQUBkCiak&NR=1. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
- ^ "Riz Khan - Profile". Al Jazeera English. 2011-10-04. http://english.aljazeera.net/profile/riz-khan.html. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
- ^ "Riz Khan". Global Experts. http://www.theglobalexperts.org/experts/expert-location/north-america-expert-location/riz-khan. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
- ^ "Attacks on the Press 2010: Preface". CPJ.
- ^ "52 journalists attacked in Egypt - CPJ".
- "Why I'm Joining Al Jazeera", op-ed by Riz Khan, The Wall Street Journal, 13 June 2005, p. A1
- "Q&A CNN Anchor: Riz Khan". India Today. February 19, 2001.
External links[link]
- Riz Khan's official website
- Profile at Al Jazeera English[dead link]
- MySpace Profile
- Interview with Baron Dave Romm of KFAI-FM at the Republican National Convention Sept. 2, 2008 and picture
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Khan, Rizwan |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | 1962 |
| Place of birth | Aden, South Yemen |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
 |
This article about a journalist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
http://wn.com/Rizwan_Khan
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rizwan_Khan
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
Wiki Summary
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles (1,100 km) from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the east, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.
Until the end of World War II, Korea was a single political entity whose territory roughly coincided with the Korean Peninsula. Since the Armistice Agreement ended the Korean War in 1953, the northern division of the peninsula has been governed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, while the southern portion has been governed by the Republic of Korea.
The northern boundaries for the Korean Peninsula are commonly (and tacitly) taken to coincide with today's political borders between North Korea and her northern neighbors, China (1,416 km (880 mi) along the provinces of Jilin and Liaoning) and Russia (19 km (12 mi)). These borders are formed naturally by the rivers Yalu/Amnok and Tumen/Tuman/Duman. Taking this definition, the Korean Peninsula (including its islands) has an area of 220,847 km2 (85,270 sq mi).
