Central Bureau of Statistics (North Korea)
Moranbong District, Pyongyang, North Korea | |
Employees | Not known |
---|---|
Bureau executive |
|
Parent department | Cabinet of North Korea |
Korean name | |
Chosŏn'gŭl | 조선 중앙 통계국 |
Hancha | 朝鮮 中央 統計局 |
Revised Romanization | Joseon Jung-ang Tong-gyeguk |
McCune–Reischauer | Chosŏn Chung'ang Tonggye Kuk |
Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS;
Recent
Very little is known about the bureau or its staff, and even its ability to compose accurate statistics is in dispute. Their accuracy has been disputed by various
History
The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) was founded in 1952 under the
CBS held the first North Korean census in 1989. Before that, the most up-to-date population figures were available from 1963.[2]
Usually, statistical affairs in
The newest
Organization
CBS is the national statistical office of North Korea.
The Bureau is part of the
Criticism
The abilities of the Bureau to compile accurate statistics are "an open question".
Nicholas Eberstadt illustrates the Bureau's problem with low-quality statistics based on his exchange with its officials in 1990: "In trying to ascertain the definition of an 'urban area' in the DPRK, it soon became clear that there was, in fact, no standard specification demarcating 'urban' and 'rural' communities". Instead, populated places are classified as rural or urban on an ad hoc basis. According to Eberstadt, while CBS officials recognized the shortcomings of their methods, one official resorted to joking about his organization being tasked with mere "rubber statistics".[19]
In 1989 it sent population data to the
According to Aidan Foster-Carter, a fellow at
Normal countries publish figures. Even less than normal countries manage a few. The numbers may be lousy, or indeed lies, but this is what states do; for their own self-respect, because the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) insist upon it and above all, because without numbers no one can be sure what is really going on, and so how can investors or other economic actors commit themselves and make meaningful market decisions? Therefore, when the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) Central Statistics Bureau starts doing its job in public, then (and only then) will we know that reform in North Korea is for real and irreversible.[23]
See also
- 1993 North Korea Census
- 2008 North Korea Census
- Demographics of North Korea
- Economy of North Korea
- Energy in North Korea
- International rankings of North Korea
- Jangmadang
- Songbun
References
- ^ a b c d Eberstadt 2009, p. 17.
- ISBN 978-1-78308-341-1.
- ^ Ho Il Moon (29 September 2011). "Examining North Korean Statistical Information". Hi-Stat Vox (20). Research Unit for Statistical and Empirical Analysis in Social Sciences, Hitotsubashi University. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ISSN 1228-517X.
- ^ "How Statistics About N.Korea Are Compiled". The Chosun Ilbo. 12 January 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ Choe Yong-nam (21 March 2017). "Census set to be held in 2018". The Pyongyang Times. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-7656-1962-4.
- ISBN 978-1-349-67278-3.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4522-9937-2.
- ^ Country Profile: South Korea, North Korea. The Unit. 1996. p. 84.
- ^ "State leadership bodies elected". The Pyongyang Times. 12 April 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
- ^ Yonhap 2002, p. 827.
- ^ Yonhap 2002, p. 916.
- ISBN 978-1-84064-623-8.
- ^ Yonhap 2002, p. 150.
- ISBN 978-89-8031-188-0.
- ^ Eberstadt 2009, p. 19.
- ^ Eberstadt 2009, p. 44.
- ISBN 978-0-8447-4274-8.
- ISBN 0-8444-0794-1.
- ^ Haggard & Noland 2013, p. 31.
- ^ Haggard & Noland 2013, p. 198.
- ^ Foster-Carter, Aidan (21 November 2003). "Seoul's Secret Success". The Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainable Development. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
Works cited
- Eberstadt, Nicholas (2009). The North Korean Economy: Between Crisis and Catastrophe. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4128-0947-4.
- Haggard, Stephan; Noland, Marcus (2013). Famine in North Korea: Markets, Aid, and Reform. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-51152-0.
- Yonhap (2002). North Korea Handbook. Seoul: M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 978-0-7656-3523-5.
Further reading
- Eberstadt, Nicholas (2016). Korea Approaches Reunification. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-315-48207-1.
- Eberstadt, Nicholas; Banister, Judith (1992). The Population of North Korea (PDF). Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California-Berkeley, Center for Korean Studies. ISBN 978-1-55729-030-4.