North Korea, officially Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), country in north-eastern Asia that occupies the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula. North Korea is bordered on the north by China, on the north-east by Russia, on the east by the Sea of Japan (known as the East Sea in Korea), on the south by South Korea, and on the west by the Yellow Sea. It has an area of 120,538 sq km (46,540 sq mi). The North Korean name for Korea is Choson. The state of North Korea was established in 1948 as a result of the post-World War II Soviet military occupation of the northern portion of the peninsula. The capital and largest city of North Korea is P'yongyang.