North KoreaNorth Korea A country of northeast Asia on the Korean Peninsula. Inhabited since ancient times, the region was occupied by Japan from 1910 until the end of World War II in 1945. After the war the peninsula was divided into a Soviet occupation zone in the north and an American zone in the south. The territory attained its present-day boundaries after the cease-fire ending the Korean War (1950-1953). Under Kim Il Sung (ruled 1948-1994) North Korea became increasingly isolated, especially after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Pyongyang is the capital and the largest city.North Korean adj. & n.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.North Korea n (Placename) a republic in NE Asia, on the Sea of Japan (East Sea) and the Yellow Sea: established in 1948 as a people’s republic; mostly rugged and mountainous, with fertile lowlands in the west Language: Korean. Currency: won. Capital: Pyongyang. Pop: 24 720 407 (2013 est). Area: 122 313 sq km (47 225 sq miles). Official name: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Korean name: Chos?n Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014North? Kore?a n. a country in E Asia: formed 1948 after the division of the former country of Korea at 38° N. 21,386,109; 50,000 sq. mi. (129,500 sq. km). Cap.: Pyongyang. Compare Korea. Official name, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. North? Kore?an, n., adj. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.