Backgrounder: Democratic People´s Republic of Korea WATCH VIDEO Source: CCTV.com 06-17-2008 19:11 The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is located in the northern half of the Korean Peninsula in eastern Asia. The country borders China, South Korea and Russia. The DPRK has a total landmass of over 120,000 square kilometers and a population of about 23.5 million. There are nine provinces and four municipalities including the country's capital, Pyongyang. DPRK's economy relies mainly on military products, machine building, electric power, chemicals, mining and textiles. China and the DPRK established diplomatic relations in October 1949, the year that the new China was founded. In the period following the Korean War in the 1950s, the two countries signed an agreement on economic and cultural cooperation, and the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance. China and the DPRK have always maintained frequent contact between party and state leaders....