NewsTracker Answers for week of Oct. 13, 2008

Q: The United States removed North Korea from its list of countries sponsoring terrorism. Where in the world is North Korea?

Circle the area on this map

Q: U.S. officials said the decision was made after North Korea agreed to provide full access to its controversial nuclear program. Which one of North Korea's neighbors had objected to the move?

A. South Korea

B. China

C. Japan

D. Russia

C. Tokyo had raised objections because North Korea has not resolved issues related to its abduction of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s.

Q: North Korea agreed to the deal because of its desperate need for economic aid. Despite a fierce war that killed thousands, South Korea has supplied much aid to the north. When did the Korean War end?

A. 1945

B. 1953

C. 1974

D. Never

D. Fighting was halted in 1953 by a ceasefire, but both Koreas are still technically at war.

Q: What is the capital of North Korea?

A. Seoul

B. Pyongyang

C. Panmunjom

D. Hanoi

B. Seoul is the capital of South Korea, and Hanoi is the capital of North Korea's ally Vietnam. Panmunjom is a village on the de facto border between North and South Korea, where the 1953 armistice that halted the Korean War was signed.

Q: North Korea and South Korea are divided roughly at the 38th parallel north. Which major American city is on the same latitude?

A. Washington

B. New York

C. Seattle

D. San Diego

A. The 38th parallel north also passes Iran, another nation with a nuclear program that worries leaders in Washington.