Annotated translation of two papers on Mesostigmata from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Background: Ambient particulate matter is a public health concern in East Asia as it contributes to a growing number of all-cause and cancer deaths. This study aimed to estimate lung cancer death attributable to ambient particulate matter (PM) < 2.5 μm (PM2.5) in East Asia countries.Methods: The attributable death rates of lung cancer were estimated based on the calculation of population attributable fraction. We performed joinpoint regression analysis and age-period-cohort (APC) model to estimate temporal trends of the attributable death to PM2.5.Results: In 2019, PM2.5 was estimated to have caused 42.2% (nearly 0.13 million) of lung cancer deaths in East Asia men. During 1990–2019, the increase in age-standardized death rates of lung cancer attributable to PM2.5 was highest in China, which increased by 3.50% in males and 3.71% in females. The death rate caused by PM2.5 also significantly increased in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (2.16% in males; 3.06% in females). Joinpoint analysis showed that the rates generally increased in younger and older people in both the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Mongolia, while it only increased in elderly people in other countries'. Age effect from APC analysis demonstrated the risk of lung cancer death attributable to PM2.5 generally increased from young to old age. Period effect indicated that from 1994–1998 to 2019–2023 period risk continuously increased by 1.77, 1.68, and 1.72 times in China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and Japan, respectively. The period risk decreased from 1999 to 2009 and subsequently increased from 2009 to 2019 in both the Republic of Korea and Mongolia.Conclusions: The death rate of lung cancer attributable to PM2.5 is increasing in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Mongolia, and China. In East Asia, China is facing the highest attributable death rate in recent decades. The period effect suggested a remarkably increased risk of lung cancer death caused by PM2.5 in China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and Japan during the long-term period. It is recommended that the governments of these countries should continuously concentrate on particulate matter pollution governance and improvement.

The prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is a priority for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Mortality due to NCDs in people aged over 30 years was 1239 per 100 000 in 2009 and the 2014-2020 national strategy includes population-level goals for health promotion and disease prevention. This paper reports a pilot study on the feasibility of implementing components of the World Health Organization (WHO) Package of essential noncommunicable disease (PEN) interventions for primary health care in low-resource settings (WHO PEN) to enable early detection and management of cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus at the level of primary care. WHO PEN protocols were adapted for local use by household doctors, who provide ambulatory care in polyclinics in the mornings and household visits in the afternoons. The pilot project was implemented in two polyclinics in Pyongyang, covering a population of 32 000. After training, and during routine household visits in June 2014, 70 household doctors screened all adults aged over 35 years (18 340) for cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus, and their risk factors. A total of 2319 patients with cardiovascular disease or diabetes, and those with high-risk factors, were referred to the polyclinics for three quarterly visits for testing and management. Final household screening of the population was done in June 2015. This pilot project demonstrated the feasibility of integrating screening and management into the standard primary health-care system in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The household doctors were able to detect and manage risks for cardiovascular disease and diabetes by using the protocols based on WHO PEN. Among 18 340 individuals aged over 35 years, implementation of WHO PEN interventions led to a significant reduction in the number of people with a 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease ≥20% (from 1748 [9.5%] to 543 [3.0%]) over a 1-year period. Involvement of household doctors can increase access to services for prevention and control of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The purpose of this research is to elucidate Pakistan's relations with North and South Korea. A number of intrinsic restrictions need to be taken into consideration while comparing Pakistan's diplomatic ties with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK). First of all, because of concerns over politics and information control in both the DPRK and the ROK, obtaining thorough and up-to-date information from diplomatic sources is extremely difficult. Pakistan with South Korea and North Korea have historical relations when they established mutual respect and trust. A strong economic alliance has been paved with years of trade and investment cooperation. By recognizing the complexity of diplomatic relations between Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and aiming for thorough and perceptive research, addressing these constraints has improved the subject matter.

Four mite species (Acari: Scutacaridae: Scutacarus acarorum (Goeze, 1780), Chaetodactylidae: Sennertia alfkeni (Oudemans, 1900); Ascidae: Proctolaelaps longanalis (Westerboer, 1963), Laelapidae: Hypoaspis ( Pneumolaelaps ) marginepilosa (Sellnick, 1938) are found on the body of bees deposited in the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest. The host bee species were collect in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; the found four species are collected at first time in Democratic People’ s Republic of Korea.

This chapter focuses on the recent development of both the internet and the telecommunications system in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). By identifying and reviewing the reasons and trends involved in this process, it analyses the political, economic and social consequences of the information revolution in one of the world's most isolated countries. The DPRK is not only a focus of the international community through the nuclear debate, but its computer industry also alarms the intelligence services. According to Samsung electronics, development of the internet in North Korea could have a future. North Korean computer and communication technology has a future, if it is cheap and competitive. The regime may use it for its own purposes in order to enhance propaganda. But the more the DPRK is linked to and integrated with the world, the more outside influence will challenge the stability of the regime. Keywords: Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK); North Korea; Samsung electronics; telecommunications system

Long-read sequencing is a valuable technique for high-precision genome analysis. Despite the widespread use of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv genome sequence as a reference for genetic variation analysis, its suitability for comparing clinical strains is limited. Therefore, we constructed the first known whole genome of a clinical M. tuberculosis strain, PSNK363, isolated from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, using high-quality high-fidelity (HiFi) read sequencing and compared its genetic variations to those of H37Rv. PSNK363 was cultured to obtain genomic DNA, which was subjected to de novo whole-genome assembly using PacBio Sequel II with long-read HiFi sequencing. The sequences were compared to the reference genome H37Rv. HiFi long-read sequencing of M. tuberculosis PSNK363, with an accuracy of 99.99%, revealed a single circular chromosome of 4,422,110 bp, which is 10,578 bp longer than the H37Rv chromosome. The assembly had an average G + C content of 65.6%, 4079 protein-coding sequences, 53 tRNA genes, and 3 rRNA genes. Most genes (72.7%) were assigned as putative functions, whereas the remaining 27.3% were annotated as hypothetical. Comparison with H37Rv revealed a large inversion in the PSNK363 genome, which contains most of the deletion and insertion variants. M. tuberculosis PSNK363 had a longer genome sequence, more protein-coding genes, and a larger inversion region than H37Rv. High-accuracy whole-genome sequencing of PSNK363 holds the potential for enriching virulence databases and identifying informative loci for drug resistance analysis in M. tuberculosis isolates in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The circular economy is emerging as an economic form to solve economic, environmental, and social problems around the world. In this regard, various countries and regions of the world are making every effort to establish and implement circular economy strategies and action plans. This paper discusses the Recycling Law adopted in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and its characteristics. To this end, this paper examines the cases of legalization in various countries and regions around the world related to the circular economy and recycling and explains the contents and characteristics of the Recycling Law in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea concerning it. The findings are that (a) the more science and technology develop and the more complete the economic structure becomes, the more complete the legal environment related to the circular economy should become and (b) if the transition to the circular economy is to be implemented with strong obligations, the planning lever must be regulated as a legal obligation, and the state needs to use the planning lever to thoroughly implement circular economy-related goals and strategies. These findings can be used as a reference to prepare a legal environment for promoting the circular economy in countries pursuing the realization of a circular economy in a top-down way, and it will also help fill the gap in research on the legal environment for promoting the circular economy.

Feasibility, efficacy, safety, and acceptability of mifepristone–misoprostol for medical abortion in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Development of an efficient callus proliferation system for Rheum coreanum Nakai, a rare medicinal plant growing in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

BackgroundVivax malaria reemerged in the Korean peninsula in 1990s beginning from the western border area and spread across both Koreas rapidly with its peak incidences reported on the early 2000s. There have been few reports on the malaria incidence in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) that provides detailed epidemiological features. The purpose of this study was to describe the time trends and spatial distribution of malaria in North Korea with comparison to those in South Korean regions across the border.MethodsThe incidence of malaria in each province of North Korea from 2004 to 2016 was estimated based on data from domestic and international health authorities. Consistency of the data was evaluated by calculating the ratio of malaria cases in each province to the total cases each year. We also compared the changes in malaria incidence over time in South and North Korea adjacent to the demilitarized zone.ResultsIn North Korea, the incidence of malaria in the three provinces adjacent to the demilitarized zone was the highest (52.1−315.3 per 100,000), followed by Pyeonganbuk-do (14.7−113.5 per 100,000), where railways and road networks were connected to northern China. The incidence of malaria in each province of North Korea reported after 2011 was more consistent than when compared with previous annual data, and there was also a positive correlation between changes in incidence over time when compared with malaria incidence in South Korea (r = 0.855, r = 0.596).ConclusionThe malaria report of North Korea was relatively consistent in its spatiotemporal tendency since 2011, suggesting improvement of the quality of the surveillance data. The strong correlation between North and South Korean malaria incidence at regional level suggests that collaboration between both sides are essential for the successful elimination of malaria in the Korean peninsula.

In 2009, relations between the Republic of Korea (ROK - South Korea) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK - North Korea) continued to be frosty. The Lee administration reaffirmed that it would uphold its policy position based on denuclearisation, reform and human rights, while emphasising that it would be flexible in persuading the North to accept these goals. Hopes that the pragmatic and result-oriented policy of the Lee administration would lead to a shift in the DPRK's position on denuclearisation quickly faded away. In addition to strong rhetoric denouncing the South Korean leadership, military provocations by the DPRK continued. Problems at the last remaining joint inter-Korean economic project, the Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC), intensified in the first half of 2009 but were eventually resolved, at least for the time being. Among the rare positive developments was the 17th round of family reunions held at Mt Kumgang during the Ch'usok holidays. Keywords:Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK); denuclearization; Kaesŏng Industrial Complex (KIC); Korea; Lee Myung-bak; military provocations; Republic of Korea (ROK)

In 2012, relations between the Republic of Korea (ROK-South Korea) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK-North Korea) were marked by continuous flexing of rhetorical muscles and military provocations. The DPRK leadership seemed confident that time would play into their hands: the South Korean president Lee Myung-bak had already entered the lame-duck period of his term and progressive political forces were gaining ground in the polls. After the death of DPRK leader Kim Jong Il, some observers in the ROK saw an opportunity to 'reset' the policy towards the North. The ROK's military defence capabilities and joint military drills with the United States (US) were expanded, both in quantity and quality. Nevertheless, in anticipation of improved inter-Korean ties the National Assembly approved the presidential transition team's increase in the inter-Korean co-operation fund and the ministry of unification's (MOU) budget by about 10 and 5 percent respectively. Keywords: Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK); Kim Jong Il; Lee Myung-bak; military; Republic of Korea (ROK); United States (US)

The change of president in the Republic of Korea (ROK) brought a new approach towards some foreign policy matters. President Lee Myung-bak set out to restore what he claimed were damaged relations with the United States (US) and Japan, while hoping to avoid offending other countries such as the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Russia. Negotiations with the European Union on a free trade agreement (FTA) continued, with little result. Throughout the year, the PRC continued to play a leading role in keeping the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) engaged on the nuclear issue. The abduction issue dominate DPRK-Japan relations. Russia continued to call for moderation in dealing with the DPRK, and to play its part in supplying fuel oil. It also gave some food aid and signed agreements relating to railway rehabilitation in the Rajin area, the site of the DPRK's first special economic zone. Keywords: Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK); DPRK-Japan relation; foreign policy matters; free trade agreement (FTA); Republic of China (PRC); Republic of Korea (ROK)

Although in 2008 the Olympic flame did pass through the two Koreas, there was no joint entry by the two countries' athletes at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. In the World Cup, qualifying matches between the two Korean teams in 2008 were played in neutral venues because of disputes over flags and anthems. Set against the background of the importance attached to sporting prowess and national image by both Koreas and the faltering attempts since the 1990s to create inter-Korean sporting linkages, the controversies during 2008 show that political posturing in the sporting arena has not disappeared. Despite the ideal that sporting contacts are a way to overcome or at least ameliorate political differences between states and their peoples, in the context of the inter-Korean relationship, it is politics that have been both driving and obstructing sporting exchanges.

Agricultural systems in low-income food-deficit countries face considerable risks from climate extremes and geopolitical tensions. Here, using remote sensing and meteorological observations, we show that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea exhibits lower agricultural drought resistance than the Republic of Korea under meteorological droughts of similar severity. Energy shortages, exacerbated by trade sanctions, have limited the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's irrigation capacity, further impairing its drought resistance and food security.