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Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroras ©Nial Moores Website
Birding North Korea

North Korea, officially the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The border between North Korea and South Korea is called the Korean Demilitarized Zone. The Amnok River is the border between North Korea and China. The Tumen River in the extreme north-east is the border with Russia.The peninsula was governed by the Korean Empire until it was occupied by Japan following the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. It was divided into Russian and U.S. occupied zones in 1945, following World War II. North Korea refused to participate in a United Nations-supervised election held in the south in 1948. This led to the creation of separate Korean governments for the two occupation zones. Both North and South Korea claim sovereignty over the entire peninsula and both were accepted as members of the UN in 1991.

North Korea occupies the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula, covering an area of 120,540 square kilometres (46,541 sq mi) (roughly the size of the American state Pennsylvania). North Korea shares land borders with People’s Republic of China and Russia to the north, and borders South Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone. To its west are the Yellow Sea and Korea Bay, and to its east lies Japan across the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea). The highest point in North Korea is Paektu-san Mountain at 2,744 metres (9,003 ft). The longest river is the Amnok River which flows for 790 kilometres (491 mi).North Korea’s climate is relatively temperate, with precipitation heavier in summer during a short rainy season called changma, and winters that can be bitterly cold. On August 7, 2007, the most devastating floods in 40 years caused the North Korean Government to ask for international help. NGOs, such as the Red Cross, asked people to raise funds because they feared a humanitarian catastrophe.The capital and largest city is Pyongyang; other major cities include Kaesong in the south, Sinuiju in the northwest, Wonsan and Hamhung in the east and Chongjin in the north.

Contributors
Number of Species

  • Number of bird species: 318

    (As at January 2019)

    National Bird - Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis

Checklist

  • iGoTerra Checklist

    iGoTerra Checklist
    Fatbirder Associate iGoTerra offers the most comprehensive and up to date birds lists on the web
Useful Reading

  • A Field Guide to the Birds of Korea

    by Woo-Shin Lee, Tae-Hoe Koo & Jin-Young Park | LG Evergreen Foundation | 2015 | Edition 2 | Paperback | 395 pages, 120 plates with colour illustrations; b/w illustrations, colour distribution maps | ISBN: 9788995141533 Buy this book from NHBS.com

  • Birds of East Asia Eastern China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Eastern Russia

    | By Mark Brazil | Helm | 2009 | Paperback | 528 Pages, 234 Colour Plates, maps et al | ISBN: 9780713670400 Buy this book from NHBS.com
Reserves

Abbreviations Key

  • NP IBA Chilbosan (North Hamgyong)

    InformationSatellite View
    Major part of the mountain is covered by mixed broadleaf and coniferous forest and protected in a 30,000 ha national park. It has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports populations of Oriental storks and critically endangered Baer's pochards.

  • NP IBA Kuwolsan

    InformationSatellite View
    The highest peak of the mountain - the highest point in the short Kuwol range - is 954 m above sea level. There are several scenic routes through the mountain area. Natural attractions include rock formations, waterfalls and natural pools. Much of the mountain is covered by mixed broadleaf and coniferous forest and protected in an 18,000 ha national park. Some 1100 ha has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA).

  • NP IBA Lake Bujon

    InformationSatellite View
    It has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports a significant population of vulnerable great bustards

  • NP IBA Mount Kumgang

    InformationSatellite View
    It is located on the east coast of the country, in Mount Kumgang Tourist Region, formerly part of Kangwŏn Province (38.58°N 128.17°E). Mount Kumgang is part of the Taebaek mountain range which runs along the east of the Korean Peninsula. Much of the mountain is covered by mixed broadleaf and coniferous forest and protected in a 60,000 ha national park. Some 25,000 ha has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports endangered red-crowned cranes

  • NP IBA Myohyangsan

    InformationSatellite View
    Much of the mountain is covered by mixed broadleaf and coniferous forest and protected in a 16,000 hectares (62 sq mi) national park. Some 7,000 hectares (27 sq mi) has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA)

  • NR IBA Ogasan

    InformationSatellite View
    The Ogasan Nature Reserve is a national park located in North Korea. It is situated around Mount Oga, which straddles the borders of Hwap'yŏng county in Chagang Province and Kimhyŏngjik county in Ryanggang. Rising to 1204 m above sea level, the park covers 6000 ha, including 800 ha of some of the oldest old-growth forest in North Korea, and more than 1330 species of plants and animals. The mountain hosts a diverse variety of plant and animal life, including both boreal and temperate species, which are divided into different zones of broadleaved, mixed and coniferous forests as one ascends the mountain. The site has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA)
Guides & Tour Operators

  • Young Pioneer Tours

    Tour Operator
    Korean Mountains are an important sceneic and cultural element to both sides of the Korean divide. Officially there are 5 sacred mountains on the Korean Peninsula (although Kim Jong Il kind of added a 6th). Of the five, three are located in the DPRK and 2 are in the Republic of Korea (South Korea). The 6th is also located in the DPRK.
Other Links

  • Birds without borders: Bird watching in North Korea

    Article
    ...What we find is astonishing, the bird utopia the Miranda birders had been hoping to find. A beautiful pristine habitat for tens of thousands of hungry godwits that the rest of the world knew nothing about...

  • List of birds of North Korea

    Website
    This is a list of the bird species recorded in North Korea. The avifauna of North Korea includes a total of 318 species, none of which are introduced, accidental or endemic. 1 species listed is extirpated in North Korea and is not included in the species count…

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