According to the new CIA Factbook: “Men live 69.18 years and women 74.8 [ave. 71.92]. . . North Korea’s population grew 0.79 percent compared to 23,113,019 last year. . . The average life span has also inched up from 70.79 years in 2003. Infant morality decreased from 25.66 deaths out of 1,000 infants in 2003 to 22.56. North Korean women had on average 2.05 children.”
A bit dated, but Yoelchae's write up on his trip to Kaesong in October is well worth the read.
- #New additions are: Andrei Lankov's blog (translated version via DPRK Forum); Saber Fencer; The Grand Narrative; Korea in Focus; KoreaArticle, and; Information Dissemination.
- #Via CNN: "An Iranian woman, blinded by a jilted stalker who threw acid in her face, has persuaded a court to sentence him to be blinded with acid himself under Islamic law demanding an eye for an eye... Her attacker... admitted throwing acid in her face in November 2004."
- #In an article at the Asia Times, Riddles and enigmas from North Korea, Andrei Lankov speculates on how governments get intelligence from inside North Korea, and lists some of the other valuable sources of information from the country.
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