You’ve probably seen the viral clips of North Korean news anchors—the ones where Ri Chun-hee, the "pink lady," announces missile tests with enough gusto to shake a mountain. But if you look past her, or wander into a primary school in Pyongyang, you’ll see something arguably more fascinating. A world map. Not the one hanging in your old geography classroom, though. The world map in North Korea is a masterpiece of cartographic propaganda, a silent witness to how a hermit kingdom justifies its own existence by literally reshaping the continents.
It’s weird.
Most of us take maps for granted. They’re objective, right? GPS tells us where to go, and Google Maps doesn't care about your politics. But in North Korea, geography is an extension of ideology. When you look at a world map in North Korea, the first thing that hits you isn't what’s there, but what isn't.
One Peninsula, No Borders
If you’re looking at a map of the Korean peninsula inside the DPRK, don't go looking for the DMZ. It doesn't exist. To the Kim regime, there is no "South Korea." There is only a "temporarily occupied" southern half of the Republic. On every official world map in North Korea, the entire peninsula is colored in a single, solid block. Usually, it's a vibrant red or a standout shade that suggests unity where there is none.
The 38th parallel? Gone. Seoul? Just another city in a unified nation that happens to be under the thumb of "U.S. imperialists" for the moment. This isn't just a design choice; it’s a legal requirement. According to the North Korean constitution, the entire peninsula belongs to them. Consequently, their maps must reflect that reality, even if the actual border is the most fortified strip of land on the planet.
Why the World Map in North Korea Looks Different
Standard Western maps usually use the Mercator projection or the Robinson projection. We center on the Atlantic or the Pacific depending on where we live. In Pyongyang, the center of the universe is, unsurprisingly, Pyongyang.
But the distortions go deeper than just centering.
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In many North Korean classrooms, the world map is used as a tool for "class education." It’s about highlighting the "Juche" idea—the concept of self-reliance. You’ll notice that while the DPRK is depicted with vivid clarity, the surrounding "enemy" nations are often framed in ways that emphasize their proximity and their threat. Japan is frequently referred to in historical contexts on these maps with derogatory nuances, reflecting the deep-seated resentment from the colonial era.
Honest talk: if you’re a kid in a North Korean school, that map is your only window to a world you will likely never see. It’s a curated window. The scale of the United States might be rendered accurately, but its cultural and economic influence is scrubbed. You won't see "New York" or "Los Angeles" highlighted as centers of global trade. Instead, if there are markers at all, they might point to sites of historical "struggle."
The Mystery of the Missing Nations
Sometimes, countries just... disappear. Or their names change.
Back in the day, when the Soviet Union collapsed, North Korean mapmakers had a bit of a crisis. They had to update the world map in North Korea to reflect the new reality of "revisionist" Russia and the various stans, but they did so with a heavy dose of skepticism. Even today, the way they label certain territories depends entirely on the current diplomatic temperature.
Take Israel, for example. North Korea doesn't recognize it. On many of their official maps, the territory is either left blank or labeled as Palestine. It's a blunt instrument of foreign policy printed on paper.
The Paper and the Print Quality
Let's talk about the physical maps. If you've ever held a piece of North Korean propaganda, you know the paper quality is often hit or miss. The high-end maps in the Grand People’s Study House are beautiful, printed on heavy, glossy stock with vibrant inks. But the ones in rural schools? They're often faded, printed on thin, grayish paper that reflects the country’s chronic resource shortages.
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It’s a bizarre contrast.
You have these grand, sweeping claims of global relevance and "Kimilsungism" spreading across the world, printed on paper that feels like it might tear if you breathe on it too hard.
Cartography as a Weapon
Maps are weapons in Pyongyang. They are used to reinforce the "encirclement" narrative. By showing the tiny DPRK standing strong against the massive blue expanse of the Pacific (where the "imperialist" fleets lurk) and the looming presence of the U.S., the map justifies the "Military First" (Songun) policy.
- Proportion: The peninsula often looks slightly larger or more central than it actually is.
- Coloring: Enemy states are often muted; friendly or "non-aligned" states are brighter.
- Typography: The names of the Great Leaders are always printed in a special, larger, and bolder font than any other word on the map—even the names of entire continents.
What Travellers See vs. What Locals See
If you visit North Korea as a tourist, you’ll see the "official" world map in North Korea at places like the DMZ museum or the Pyongyang Metro. These are meant to impress. They show the DPRK as a hub of international friendship.
But locals? They see a world map that tells a story of a world in chaos, a world that needs the "light of Juche." It’s a psychological landscape as much as a physical one.
Researchers like Curtis Melvin from the 38 North project have spent years analyzing North Korean satellite imagery and official documents to piece together how the regime views geography. They’ve found that even internal maps of their own country are often riddled with "strategic inaccuracies." If they don't want you to know where a political prison camp or a secret missile silo is, it simply doesn't exist on the map. It’s a forest. Or a blank mountain.
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The Digital Map Gap
In a world where we have Google Earth, North Korea remains a "black hole." While Google has made strides in mapping the country using crowd-sourced data and satellite imagery, the internal North Korean version of the "internet" (the Kwangmyong) offers a very different digital world map.
It’s a closed loop.
There is no "street view" in Pyongyang for the average citizen. The digital world map in North Korea is a static, controlled image. It’s the ultimate gatekeeping of reality.
The Global Context
Interestingly, North Korea’s mapping of the world has a weirdly colonial echo. Because they were so influenced by Soviet cartography in the 1950s, many of their technical standards for mapping were lifted directly from Moscow. Over the decades, they’ve "Koreanized" these maps, but the DNA of old-school, Eastern Bloc cartography is still there in the grid lines and the color palettes.
It's a mix of 1950s Soviet science and 21st-century personality cult.
Actionable Insights for Researchers and Enthusiasts
If you’re trying to understand the DPRK through its geography, you have to look at the silences. What is missing? What is oversized?
- Analyze the "Unity" Graphic: Whenever you see a world map in North Korea, look at the Korean peninsula first. The lack of a border is the single most important political statement in the entire document.
- Compare Font Sizes: The hierarchy of power is written in the typography. If the name "Kim Jong Un" appears (usually in a quote at the top), it will be the most prominent text on the page.
- Check the "Palestine/Israel" Labeling: This is a quick litmus test for their current ideological alignment.
- Look for "Liancourt Rocks": The islands disputed with Japan (Dokdo/Takeshima) will always be shown as Korean, often with exaggerated size to emphasize sovereignty.
Understanding the world map in North Korea isn't about learning where the mountains are. It’s about learning where the regime wants its people’s minds to be. It’s a map of an alternate reality, one where a single family stands at the center of a world that is both hostile and, in their eyes, destined to follow their lead.
When you look at their map, you aren't looking at the world. You’re looking at a mirror of the regime’s own ambitions and fears. It’s a paper-thin projection of power in a world that, for the most part, has moved on from the Cold War lines that Pyongyang still draws with such deliberate, desperate care.