North Korea have played in only 2 World Cups, 1966 and 2010.
In 1966, they caused one of the biggest upsets ever after beating Italy 1-0 in their debut World Cup and qualifying for the quarter-finals. They lost 5-3 to Portugal in the quarter-finals despite leading 3-0 in the first 30 minutes and were the first Asian team to advance past the group stages.
In 2010, they faced Brazil in their opening match and narrowly lost 2-1, this was followed by a 7-0 thumping at the hands of Portugal and 3-0 loss to Ivory Coast which meant they were eliminated at the group stages once again. They have failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup.