Energy Profile
North Korea's economy, which remains under tight state control (collectivized agriculture and state-owned companies account for about 90 percent of all economic activity) grew by 2.2 percent in 2004, according to estimates by South Korea's central bank. Increases in output from utilities, agriculture, and mining contributed to this growth. The modest growth in real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over the last seven years followed a steady economic contraction from 1990 through 1998. North Korea's communist ideology has been based on the concept of "juche," or self-reliance. Severe economic problems have, however, forced the country to accept international food aid and embark on a series of limited market reforms. Famine in North Korea has reportedly killed hundreds of thousands of people over the last decade. Several governments, including the United States, have provided funding to the United Nations' World Food Program (WFP) for emergency food aid to North Korea.
