Electronic Resources

The resources on this page include tools licensed by the Library of Congress as well as freely accessible databases for researching North Korean publications and related materials.

Subscription Databases and E-Resources
Free Databases and E-Resources

The following subscription database are recommended for researching the subject of North Korean Studies. Additional assistance is available in the Asian Reading Room. Subscription databases marked with a padlock are available to researchers on-site at the Library of Congress. If you are unable to visit the Library, you may be able to access these resources through your local public or academic library.

NK Pro External This link opens in a new window
This site aims to be a one-stop-shop on North Korea, bringing together news, opinion & analysis, research tools, data, and subject specialists in one convenient place. Built by North Korea specialists for professionals working on or with the subject, NK Pro brings together North Korea related news and analysis in the world and provides them in real-time from over 100 hand-selected sources daily. Users also have access to a range of regularly updated directories of organizations, companies, experts and practitioners working in this specialist field.
KPM: North Korea's Newspaper & Journals Database External This link opens in a new window
KPM (Chosŏn ŏllon chŏngbo kiji) is a full text of journals and newspapers published North Korea, including the English edition of the Pyongyang Times. Searchable by keywords, and browsable by subject areas or journal/newspaper titles.

Free databases and electronic resources are freely accessible online. While this list is not exhaustive of all free resources, it highlights the breadth and depth of what is available today.

Daily NK External

Launched in 2004 and now part of a consortium headed by the Unification Media Group (UMG), Daily NK is a non-profit organization based in Seoul, South Korea, and a provider of news about North Korea from a wide range of sources based inside and outside the country. Daily NK’s sources in North Korea provide an unparalleled glimpse into the lives of North Koreans. This page provides a glimpse of important milestones in the history of Daily NK.
NK Chosun External

Provides various information on North Korea, including expert columns, analysis of research institutes, and daily life of North Korean defectors, North Korea's nuclear weapons development, inter-Korean exchanges, human rights of North Koreans, and preparation for possible military provocations by North Korea.
North Korea Information Portal External

The North Korea Information Portal website was established in 2014 by the Ministry of Unification in 2014 to provide information on North Korea. The site constitutes North Korean society through North Korean politics, military, economics, society, education, and culture, etc. In the North Korean character search, you can find a total of 544 major figures, including their names, place of birth, career, date of birth, education, affiliation and position, and family relations. [search in Korean]. 통일부 북한 정보 포털. 인물 검색
North Korea International Documentation Project (NKIDP)External

Developed by Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Disseminates newly declassified documents on the DPRK from its former communist allies that provide valuable insight into the actions and nature of the North Korean state.
North Korean Serials Index

This powerful online article index database is a tool that North Korean researchers can easily use to access specific articles and topics of interest included in the North Korean serials collection. At present, a total of 44,242 index records have been created, which covers 21 serial titles in North Korean collection. Researchers can search by keyword, title, subject, name, publication date, and publisher as well as browse article by title, authors, and subject.
T'onggyech'ŏng Pukhan T'onggye P'ot'ŏl External

Site for key statistics in North Korea, including population structure, major urban population, industry, health, inter-Korean trade, education, foreign trade, and so on.
Taehan Min'guk Sinmun Ak'aibŭ External

It is an integrated article search service platform that allows the researchers to quickly and easily find and read a total of 6.2 million articles and 18 million indexes for newspapers from 1883 to 1960, which has important historical value in the study of politics, economy, society, and culture in modern and contemporary Korean history.
Tʻongilbu Pukhan Charyo Sentʻŏ External

The site brings information together on North Korea related news, North Korea's primary materials, publications from the Ministry of Unification, and academic DBs to the public and researchers. Fully searchable of North Korean dictionary, inter-Korean language comparison, IT term comparison, English comparison of the organization of the North Korean Party and Government, knowledge dictionary of Inter-Korean Relations.
T’ongilbu Pukhan Chŏngbo P'ot'ŏl. Pukhan T'ema External

Provides fully searchable of North Korean dictionary, inter-Korean language comparison, IT term comparison, English comparison of the organization of the North Korean Party and Government, and knowledge dictionary of Inter-Korean Relations.
T’ongilbu Pukhan Chŏngbo P'ot'ŏl External

This is a site created by the Ministry of Unification to make it easy to search for information on North Korea. You can find information for 290 key North Korean figures. Searchable by person's name, date of birth, place of birth, school, career, and position.

North Korean Collection: Asian Collections at the Library of Congress

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Electronic Resources