hermit kingdom

plural hermit kingdoms

1. Any country or organization that deliberately isolates itself from the wider world.

1. colloquialpoeticNorth Korea.

   Her name is Yeonmi Park, and she escaped from the “Hermit Kingdom” of North Korea at the age of 13.

   2022 May 10, Catherine Swift, “Lessons from North Korea”, in The Niagara Independent, archived from the original on 12 Oct 2024

   2 more examples

   Few international observers credit the Hermit Kingdom with behaving in a rational manner, yet its current behavior appears to be drifting out of its usual, if slightly illogical, pattern of threatening its neighbors when it finds itself isolated.

   2014 September 30, Clint Richards, “Why Isn’t North Korea Angry About Its Isolation?”, in The Diplomat, archived from the original on 06 Nov 2024

   The ministry pointed out that the envoys brought focus on North Korean workers as the Hermit Kingdom is expected to further reopen its international borders as the COVID-19 situation improves globally.

   2023 April 8, “Stay Away: Why US, Japan, South Korea want the world to strictly ban North Korean workers”, in Firstpost, archived from the original on 02 May 2023

2. historicalSynonym of Tibet (“a former country in East Asia that existed from 1912 until its annexation by China in 1951.”)

   Synonyms: Tibet