North Korea still . . . . . . . . a vast police state that . . . . . . . . a network of concentration camps spanning the country.

Solution (By Examveda Team)

The sentence "North Korea still maintains a vast police state that includes a network of concentration camps spanning the country." describes a continuing and ongoing situation.

1. The first blank requires the present simple tense, "maintains," to indicate the current and continuous action of North Korea in keeping the vast police state.
2. The second blank requires the present simple tense, "includes," to indicate the current and continuous state of the network of concentration camps.

Option D: maintains/includes accurately conveys the ongoing nature of the actions and the current situation as described in the sentence.

In Option A, "was maintaining" (past continuous) is not suitable for the first blank because it does not convey the present and ongoing action. "Has included" (present perfect) is not appropriate for the second blank because it does not convey the current state of the concentration camps.
In Option B, "had maintained" (past perfect) is not suitable for the first blank because it does not convey the present and ongoing action. "Would include" (conditional) is not appropriate for the second blank because it does not convey the current state of the concentration camps.
In Option C, "is maintaining" (present continuous) is suitable for the first blank, but "had included" (past perfect) is not appropriate for the second blank because it does not convey the current state of the concentration camps.
In Option E, "maintained" (past simple) is not suitable for the ongoing situation described in the sentence. "Will include" (future simple) is not appropriate for the second blank because it does not convey the current state of the concentration camps.

The correct answer is Option D: maintains/includes, which accurately conveys the present and ongoing nature of the actions and the current situation as described in the sentence.