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North Korea's desire to be a nuclear power under the rulership of former leader Kim Jong Il, who died December 17, has long been a source of tension between the reclusive country and the international community. Stop-and-start talks have been going on for decades.

Efforts to get North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons have created tensions not only with South Korea which they are still technically at war with, but also with Japan, the United States, China and Russia.

This VOA special report presents an audio retrospective of the history of North Korea and its nuclear ambitions, and a glimpse of daily life inside the Stalinist country.

History of North Korea

Daily Life


Due to the secretiveness of the Stalinist country, accurate statistics on various aspects of daily life are hard to determine.

With a population of approximately 23 million people, consisting of a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese, North Korea is one of the most racially homogenous countries in the world.

Chronic food shortages have made the country dependent on large amounts foreign aid, humanitarian and developmental since 2005.  Yet the country has consistently restricted access to non-governmental aid programs such as the World Food program.

VOA takes a look at some of the images from within the country.