South Korea

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea, south of North Korea

Area

Land Boundaries

Total 238 km, North Korea 238 km

Coastline

2,413 km

Maritime Claims

International Disputes

Demarcation Line with North Korea; Liancourt Rocks claimed by Japan

Climate

Temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter

Terrain

Mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south
lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

13,530 sq km (1989)

Environment

PEOPLE

Population

45,482,291 (July 1996 est.)
45,553,882 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

23% (male 5,531,032; female 4,962,915) (July 1996 est.)
24% (male 5,640,789; female 5,280,998) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

71% (male 16,374,678; female 15,910,846) (July 1996 est.)
71% (male 16,291,183; female 15,877,182) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

6% (male 1,014,649; female 1,688,171) (July 1996 est.)
5% (male 909,218; female 1,554,512) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

1.02% (1996 est.)
1.04% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

16.24 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
15.63 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

5.66 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
6.18 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

-0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
0.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.14 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.02 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

8.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
20.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

1.77 children born/woman (1996 est.)
1.66 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

Korean, English widely taught in high school

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)

Labor Force

20 million

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Note: The South Koreans generally use the term "Hanguk" to refer to their country

Abbreviation

ROK

Digraph

KS

Type

Republic

Capital

Seoul

Administrative Divisions

9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 6 special cities* (jikhalsi, singular and plural); Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto, Cholla-namdo, Ch'ungch'ong-bukto, Ch'ungch'ong-namdo, Inch'on-jikhalsi*, Kangwon-do, Kwangju-jikhalsi*, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto, Kyongsang-namdo, Pusan-jikhalsi*, Soul-t'ukpyolsi*, Taegu-jikhalsi*, Taejon-jikhalsi*

Independence

15 August 1948

National Holiday

Independence Day, 15 August (1948)

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

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

National Assembly (Kukhoe)

Members elected for four-year terms; elections last held 11 April 1996 (next to be held NA 2000); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (299 total) NKP 139, NCNP 79, ULD 50, DP 15, independents 16

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court, justices are appointed by the president subject to the consent of the National Assembly

Political Parties and Leaders

Other Political or Pressure Groups

Korean National Council of Churches; National Democratic Alliance of Korea; National Federation of Student Associations; National Federation of Farmers' Associations; National Council of Labor Unions; Federation of Korean Trade Unions; Korean Veterans' Association; Federation of Korean Industries; Korean Traders Association

Member of

AfDB, APEC, AsDB, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, OAS (observer), OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNU, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

National Anthem

Flag

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

Overview

As one of the Four Dragons of East Asia, South Korea has achieved an incredible record of growth. Three decades ago its GDP per capita was comparable with levels in the poorer countries of Africa and Asia. Today its GDP per capita is nine times India's, 14 times North Korea's, and already up with the lesser economies of the European Union. This success has been achieved by a unique combination of authoritarian government guidance of what is at bottom an essentially entrepreneurial process. The government has sponsored large-scale adoption of technology and management from Japan and other modern nations; has successfully pushed the development of export industries while encouraging the import of machinery and materials at the expense of consumer goods; and has pushed its labor force to a work effort seldom matched anywhere even in wartime. Real GDP grew by an average 10% in 1986-91, then paused to a "mere" 5% in 1992-93, only to move back up to 8% in 1994 and 9% in 1995. With a much higher standard of living and with a considerable easing of authoritarian controls, the work pace has softened. Growth rates have plunged in 1997 due to a valuta-crisis, probably because of the exhaustion of former growth opportunities and the need to deal with pollution and the other problems of success.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $590.7 billion (1995 est.); $508.3 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

6.3 (1996)
9% (1995)
8.3% (1994)

National Product Per Capita

$13,000 (1995 est.)
$11,270 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

4.3% (1995 est.)
5.6% (1994)

Unemployment Rate

2% (1995 est.)
2% (November 1994)

Budget

Exports

$125.4 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
$96.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$135.1 billion (c.i.f., 1995)
$102.3 billion (c.i.f., 1994)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$77 billion (1995 est.)
$44.1 billion (1993)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 12.2% (1995 est.); 12.1% (1994 est.); accounts for 45% of GNP

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Accounts for 8% of GDP and employs 21% of work force (including fishing and forestry); principal crops - rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; livestock and livestock products - cattle, hogs, chickens, milk, eggs; self-sufficient in food, except for wheat; fish catch of 2.9 million metric tons, seventh-largest in world

Economic Aid

Currency

1 South Korean won (W) = 100 chun (theoretical)

Exchange Rates

South Korean won (W) per US$1 - 787.27 (January 1996), 771.27 (1995), 803.45 (1994), 802.67 (1993), 780.65 (1992), 733.35 (1991), 707.76 (1990)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Inland Waterways

1,609 km; use restricted to small native craft

Pipelines

Petroleum products 455 km

Ports

Chinhae, Inch'on, Kunsan, Masan, Mokp'o, Pohang, Pusan, Ulsan, Yosu

Merchant Marine

note: South Korea owns an additional 231 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 10,128,506 DWT operating under the registries of Panama, Liberia, Cyprus, Malta, The Bahamas, and Thailand (1995 est.)

Airports

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

16.6 million telephones (1993); excellent domestic and international services

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Maritime Police (Coast Guard)

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 13,602,115; males fit for military service 8,706,545; males reach military age (18) annually 398,322 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $17.4 billion, 3.3% of GNP (1996); $14 billion, 3.3% of GNP (1995 est.)

History
World Atlas

Last modified: 27 december 1997