December 06, 2023
Analysis

Why is North Korea called the DPRK?

Name dates back to series of 'people's republics' dubbed by the Soviet Union

North Koreans dislike when outsiders refer to their country as "North Korea."

They prefer the official title, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), as it represents Pyongyang as the true, legitimate Korean government. Yet, according to Western standards, North Korea is neither “democratic” nor a “republic.” So how did this totalitarian state and hereditary dictatorship acquire this contradictory title?