Korea, Democratic People's Republic of

Located on the northern part of the Korean peninsula, the DPRK borders Russia, China and, separated by the Demilitarised Zone, South Korea. Divided from the Republic of Korea by the United Nations - contested during the 1950-1953 war - the DPRK is a secretive, repressive and brutal socialist regime, ruled by a small political-military elite and led by hereditary presidency. Accurate information on the internal situation of the DPRK is limited but the scale of human rights abuses is thought to be vast, with repression, detention and execution of dissidents sitting alongside the humanitarian effects of a massive shortfall in development resulting from failed state policies.