<em>North Korea is a country on the Korean Peninsula of East Asia that is run by an authoritarian government, meaning it has strong central power that limits political freedoms. Today’s North and South Korea were once treated as one political unit, annexed by the Empire of Japan from 1910 until the end of World War II. Following World War II, the USSR occupied North Korea and the United States occupied South Korea with the goal of reuniting them, a goal that failed in 1948 when the regions became two separate states. These two states went to war from 1950 to 1953 before reaching a ceasefire. The Kim dynasty has led North Korea from 1948 until today, with three successive supreme leaders: Kim Il-sung (1948-1994), Kim Jong-il (1994-2011), and Kim Jong-un (2011-present). As you read, note the ways in which North Korea controls its citizens’ everyday lives.
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<em>Picture this: a society where the government is in charge of designing everyone’s clothes. Sound a little crazy? Not to the government of North Korea, which has its own Apparel Research Center and Clothing Industry Department. These government agencies design most of the clothing North Koreans wear, and they are just one example of how the North Korean government works tirelessly to control every aspect of its citizens’ lives.</em>
