Hermit kingdom is a pejorative term applied to any country or society which willfully walls itself off (metaphorically or physically) from the rest of the world. Korea was frequently described as a hermit kingdom during the latter part of the Joseon Dynasty.
Today, the term is often applied to North Korea in news media. Other countries like Bhutan, the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen, and Tibet have also been described as hermit kingdoms due to their government's reluctance to engage in dialogue with the outside world .The early African civilization of Axum, modernly known as Ethiopia, was identified by the Europeans as the "hermit Kingdom".