Korea, South
Introduction Korea, South
-------------------------
Background: After World War II, a republic was
set up in the southern half of the
Korean Peninsula while a Communist-
style government was installed in
the north. The Korean War (1950-53)
had US and other UN forces intervene
to defend South Korea from North
Korean attacks supported by the
Chinese. An armistice was signed in
1953 splitting the peninsula along a
demilitarized zone at about the 38th
parallel. Thereafter, South Korea
achieved rapid economic growth, with
per capita income far outstripping
the level of North Korea. In 1997,
the nation suffered a severe
financial crisis from which it
continues to make a solid recovery.
South Korea has also maintained its
commitment to democratize its
political processes. In June 2000, a
historic first south-north summit
took place between the south's
President KIM Dae-jung and the
north's leader KIM Chong-il. In
December 2000, President KIM Dae-
jung won the Noble Peace Prize for
his lifelong commitment to democracy
and human rights in Asia. He is the
first Korean to win a Nobel Prize.
Geography Korea, South
----------------------
Location: Eastern Asia, southern half of the
Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea
of Japan and the Yellow Sea
Geographic coordinates: 37 00 N, 127 30 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 98,480 sq km
land: 98,190 sq km
water: 290 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Indiana
Land boundaries: total: 238 km
border countries: North Korea 238 km
Coastline: 2,413 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM; between 3 NM
and 12 NM in the Korea Strait
continental shelf: not specified
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate: temperate, with rainfall heavier in
summer than winter
Terrain: mostly hills and mountains; wide
coastal plains in west and south
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m
Natural resources: coal, tungsten, graphite,
molybdenum, lead, hydropower
potential
Land use: arable land: 17.44%
permanent crops: 2.05%
other: 80.51% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 11,590 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: occasional typhoons bring high winds
and floods; low-level seismic
activity common in southwest
Environment - current issues: air pollution in large cities; acid
rain; water pollution from the
discharge of sewage and industrial
effluents; drift net fishing
Environment - international party to: Antarctic-Environmental
agreements: Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: strategic location on Korea Strait
People Korea, South
-------------------
Population: 48.324 million (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 21.4% (male 5,488,808;
female 4,875,379)
15-64 years: 71% (male 17,404,645;
female 16,894,361)
65 years and over: 7.6% (male
1,434,873; female 2,225,934) (2002
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.85% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 14.55 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 6.02 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.11 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/
female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.88 years
female: 78.95 years (2002 est.)
male: 71.2 years
Total fertility rate: 1.72 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 3,800 (1999 est.)
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 180 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Korean(s)
adjective: Korean
Ethnic groups: homogeneous (except for about 20,000
Chinese)
Religions: Christian 49%, Buddhist 47%,
Confucianist 3%, Shamanist,
Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly
Way), and other 1%
Languages: Korean, English widely taught in
junior high and high school
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 98%
male: 99.3%
female: 96.7% (1995 est.)
Government Korea, South
-----------------------
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of
Korea
conventional short form: South Korea
local short form: none
note: the South Koreans generally
use the term "Han'guk" to refer to
their country
local long form: Taehan-min'guk
abbreviation: ROK
Government type: republic
Capital: Seoul
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and
plural) and 7 metropolitan cities*
(gwangyoksi, singular and plural);
Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto, Cholla-
namdo, Ch'ungch'ong-bukto,
Ch'ungch'ong-namdo, Inch'on-
gwangyoksi*, Kangwon-do, Kwangju-
gwangyoksi*, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-
bukto, Kyongsang-namdo, Pusan-
gwangyoksi*, Soul-t'ukpyolsi*,
Taegu-gwangyoksi*, Taejon-
gwangyoksi*, Ulsan-gwangyoksi*
Independence: 15 August 1945 (from Japan)
National holiday: Liberation Day, 15 August (1945)
Constitution: 25 February 1988
Legal system: combines elements of continental
European civil law systems, Anglo-
American law, and Chinese classical
thought
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President KIM Dae-
jung (since 25 February 1998)
head of government: Prime Minister
YI Han-tong (since 23 May 2000)
cabinet: State Council appointed by
the president on the prime
minister's recommendation
elections: president elected by
popular vote for a single five-year
term; election last held 18 December
1997 (next to be held 19 December
2002); prime minister appointed by
the president; deputy prime
ministers appointed by the president
on the prime minister's
recommendation
election results: KIM Dae-jung
elected president; percent of vote -
KIM Dae-jung (MDP) 40.3% (with ULD
partnership), YI Hoe-chang (GNP)
38.7%, YI In-che (NPP) 19.2%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or
Kukhoe (273 seats total - 227
elected by direct, popular vote;
members serve four-year terms); note
- beginning in 2004, all members
will be directly elected; possible
redistricting before 2004 may affect
the number of seats in the National
Assembly
elections: last held 13 April 2000
(next to be held NA April 2004)
election results: percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - GNP
133, MDP 115, ULD 17, other 8; note
- the distribution of seats as of
January 2002 is: GNP 136, MDP 118,
ULD 15, DPP 2, independents 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (justices are
appointed by the president with the
consent of the National Assembly)
Political parties and leaders: Democratic People's Party or DPP
[CHO Sun, chairman]; Grand National
Party or GNP [YI Hoe-chang,
president]; Millennium Democratic
Party or MDP [leader NA]; United
Liberal Democrats or ULD [KIM Chong-
p'il, honorary chairman, KIM Chong-
ho, acting president]
note: on 20 January 2000, the
National Congress for New Politics
or NCNP was renamed the Millennium
Democratic Party or MDP
Political pressure groups and Federation of Korean Industries;
leaders: Federation of Korean Trade Unions;
Korean Confederation of Trade
Unions; Korean National Council of
Churches; Korean Traders
Association; Korean Veterans'
Association; National Council of
Labor Unions; National Democratic
Alliance of Korea; National
Federation of Farmers' Associations;
National Federation of Student
Associations
International organization AfDB, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner),
participation: AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner),
Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CP, EBRD,
ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IEA
(observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA,
NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW,
OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOGIP,
UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador YANG
Song-chol
chancery: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Anchorage,
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu,
Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San
Francisco, and Seattle
consulate(s): Tamuning (Guam)
FAX: [1] (202) 387-0205
telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas
US: C. HUBBARD
embassy: 82 Sejong-ro, Chongro-ku,
Seoul 110-710
mailing address: American Embassy,
Unit 15550, APO AP 96205-0001
telephone: [82] (2) 397-4114
FAX: [82] (2) 738-8845
Flag description: white with a red (top) and blue yin-
yang symbol in the center; there is
a different black trigram from the
ancient I Ching (Book of Changes) in
each corner of the white field
Economy Korea, South
--------------------
Economy - overview: As one of the Four Tigers of East
Asia, South Korea has achieved an
incredible record of growth. Three
decades ago GDP per capita was
comparable with levels in the poorer
countries of Africa and Asia. Today
its GDP per capita is seven times
India's, 17 times North Korea's, and
comparable to the lesser economies
of the European Union. This success
through the late 1980s was achieved
by a system of close government/
business ties, including directed
credit, import restrictions,
sponsorship of specific industries,
and a strong labor effort. The
government promoted the import of
raw materials and technology at the
expense of consumer goods and
encouraged savings and investment
over consumption. The Asian
financial crisis of 1997-99 exposed
certain longstanding weaknesses in
South Korea's development model,
including high debt/equity ratios,
massive foreign borrowing, and an
undisciplined financial sector.
Growth plunged by 6.6% in 1998, then
strongly recovered to plus 10% in
1999 and 9% in 2000. Growth fell
back to 3.3% in 2001 because of the
slowing global economy, falling
exports, and the perception that
much-needed corporate and financial
reforms have stalled.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $865
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.3% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $18,000
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5%
industry: 44%
services: 51% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: 4% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: 2.6%
percentage share: highest 10%: 24.8% (1998 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini 31.6 (1993)
index:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.3% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 22 million (2001)
Labor force - by occupation: services 69%, industry 21.5%,
agriculture 9.5% (2001)
Unemployment rate: 3.9% (2001)
Budget: revenues: $118.1 billion
expenditures: $95.7 billion,
including capital expenditures of
$22.6 billion (2000)
Industries: electronics, automobile production,
chemicals, shipbuilding, steel,
textiles, clothing, footwear, food
processing
Industrial production growth rate: 1.8% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 273.204 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 60.63%
hydro: 1.45%
other: 0.03% (2000)
nuclear: 37.89%
Electricity - consumption: 254.08 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: rice, root crops, barley,
vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs,
chickens, milk, eggs; fish
Exports: $168.3 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
Exports - commodities: electronic products, machinery and
equipment, motor vehicles, steel,
ships; textiles, clothing, footwear;
fish
Exports - partners: US 21.8%, Japan 11.9%, China 10.7%,
Hong Kong 6.2%, Taiwan 4.7% (2000)
Imports: $152.3 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
Imports - commodities: machinery, electronics and
electronic equipment, oil, steel,
transport equipment, textiles,
organic chemicals, grains
Imports - partners: Japan 19.8%, US 18.2%, China 8%,
Saudi Arabia 6%, Australia 3.7%
(2000)
Debt - external: $120.5 billion (2001)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: South Korean won (KRW)
Currency code: KRW
Exchange rates: South Korean won per US dollar -
1,317.01 (January 2002), 1,290.99
(2001), 1,130.96 (2000), 1,188.82
(1999), 1,401.44 (1998), 951.29
(1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Korea, South
---------------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 24 million (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 28 million (September 2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: excellent
domestic and international services
domestic: NA
international: fiber-optic submarine
cable to China; the Russia-Korea-
Japan submarine cable; satellite
earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2
Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean
region)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 104, FM 136, shortwave 5 (2001)
Radios: 47.5 million (2000)
Television broadcast stations: 121 (plus 850 repeater stations and
the eight-channel American Forces
Korea Network) (1999)
Televisions: 15.9 million (1997)
Internet country code: .kr
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 11 (2000)
Internet users: 22.23 million (2001)
Transportation Korea, South
---------------------------
Railways: total: 3,124 km
standard gauge: 3,124 km 1.435-
m gauge (661 km electrified) (2000)
Highways: total: 87,534 km
paved: 65,388 km (including 1,996 km
of expressways)
unpaved: 22,146 km (1999)
Waterways: 1,609 km
note: restricted to small native
craft
Pipelines: petroleum products 455 km
Ports and harbors: Chinhae, Inch'on, Kunsan, Masan,
Mokp'o, P'ohang, Pusan, Tonghae-
hang, Ulsan, Yosu
Merchant marine: total: 501 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 5,679,171 GRT/9,172,403 DWT
ships by type: bulk 104, cargo 160,
chemical tanker 47, combination bulk
6, container 52, liquefied gas 16,
multi-functional large-load carrier
1, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 73,
refrigerated cargo 25, roll on/roll
off 5, short-sea passenger 1,
specialized tanker 3, vehicle
carrier 5, includes some foreign-
owned ships registered here as a
flag of convenience: Australia 1,
Bulgaria 1, China 1, Greece 1, Japan
1, Malaysia 1, Norway 1, Panama 1,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1,
United Kingdom 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: 102 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 68
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 19
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 20 (2001)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 34
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 32 (2001)
Heliports: 203 (2001)
Military Korea, South
---------------------
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps,
National Maritime Police (Coast
Guard)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 14,194,960 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 8,990,488 (2002
service: est.)
Military manpower - reaching males: 394,397 (2002 est.)
military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $12.8 billion (FY00)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 2.8% (FY00)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Korea, South
---------------------------------
Disputes - international: Demarcation Line with North Korea;
Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima/Tokdo)
disputed with Japan
|