Korea, South

§1. Korea, South Introduction

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 at the 38th parallel
  known as the DMZ. Thereafter, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth,
  with per capita income rising to 13 times 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 lifeling committment to
  democracy and human rights in Asia. He is the first Korean to win a Nobel
  Prize.

§2. Korea, South Geography

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 kmē
  land: 98,190 kmē
  water: 290 kmē

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 continental shelf: not specified
  exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
  territorial sea: 12 NM; between 3 NM and 12 NM in the Korea Strait

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: 19%
  permanent crops: 2%
  permanent pastures: 1%
  forests and woodland: 65%
  other: 13% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:
  13,350 kmē (1993 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 agreements:
  party to: Antarctic-Environmental 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

§3. Korea, South People

Population:
  47,904,370 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 21.59% (male 5,475,453; female 4,864,918)
  15-64 years: 71.14% (male 17,291,202; female 16,789,380)
  65 years and over: 7.27% (male 1,352,312; female 2,131,105) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:
  0.89% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:
  14.85 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:
  5.93 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 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: 0.63 male(s)/female
  total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  7.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 74.65 years male: 70.97 years
  female: 78.74 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.72 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.01% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  3,800 (1999 est.)

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.)

§4. Korea, South Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: Republic of Korea
  conventional short form: South Korea
  local long form: Taehan-min'guk
  local short form: none
  note: the South Koreans generally use the term "Han-guk" to refer to their
    country
  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 by 18 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 (NCNP) 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)
  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

Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court (justices are appointed by the president with the consent of
  the National Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:
  Grand National Party or GNP [YI Hoe-chang, president]; Millennium
  Democratic Party or MDP [KIM Dae-jung, president]; 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 leaders:
  Federation of Korean Industries; 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 participation:
  AfDB, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner),
  Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
  ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
  IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, 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, 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
  telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600
  FAX: [1] (202) 387-0205
  consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu,
    Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle
  consulate(s): Hagatna (Guam)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) 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

§5. Korea, South Economy

Economy - overview:
  As one of the Four Dragons 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, 16 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. By 1999 GDP growth had recovered, reversing the
  substantial decline of 1998. Seoul has pressed the country's largest
  business groups to restructure and to strengthen their financial base.
  Growth in 2001 likely will be a more sustainable rate of 5%.

GDP:
  purchasing power parity - $764.6 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  9% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $16,100 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 5.6% industry: 41.4%
  services: 53% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 24.3% (1993)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  2.3% (2000)

Labor force:
  22 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:
  services 68%, industry 20%, agriculture 12% (1999)

Unemployment rate:
  4.1% (2000 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $81.8 billion
  expenditures: $94.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $6.1 billion
    (1999)

Industries:
  electronics, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel,
  textiles, clothing, footwear, food processing

Industrial production growth rate:
  17% (2000)

Electricity - production:
  250.287 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: 59.22% hydro: 1.64%
  nuclear: 39.12%
  other: 0.02% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:
  232.767 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products:
  rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs, chickens, milk,
  eggs; fish

Exports:
  $172.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

Exports - commodities:
  electronic products, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, steel, ships;
  textiles, clothing, footwear; fish

Exports - partners:
  US 20.5%, Japan 11%, China 9.5%, Hong Kong 6.3%, Taiwan 4.4% (1999)

Imports:
  $160.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

Imports - commodities:
  machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport
  equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains

Imports - partners:
  US 20.8%, Japan 20.2%, China 7.4%, Saudi Arabia 4.7%, Australia 3.9% (1999)

Debt - external:
  $137 billion (November 2000)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $NA

Currency:
  South Korean won (KRW)

Currency code:
  KRW

Exchange rates:
  South Korean won per US dollar - 1,271.89 (January 2001), 1,130.96 (2000),
  1,188.82 (1999), 1,401.44 (1998), 951.29 (1997), 804.45 (1996)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Korea, South Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  24 million (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  27 million (June 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 106, FM 97, shortwave 6 (1999)

Radios:
  47.5 million (1997)

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:
  15.3 million (2000)

§7. Korea, South Transportation

Railways:
  total: 6,240 km
  standard gauge: 6,240 km 1.435-m gauge (525 km electrified) (1998 est.)

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; note - additionally, there is a parallel
  petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) pipeline being completed

Ports and harbors:
  Chinhae, Inch'on, Kunsan, Masan, Mokp'o, P'ohang, Pusan, Tonghae-hang,
  Ulsan, Yosu

Merchant marine:
  total: 496 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,421,993 GRT/8,757,034 DWT
  ships by type: bulk 105, cargo 168, chemical tanker 38, combination bulk 5,
    container 49, liquefied gas 16, multi-functional large-load carrier 1,
    passenger 3, petroleum tanker 70, refrigerated cargo 27, roll on/roll off
    4, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 5 (2000
    est.)

Airports:
  102 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 68 over 3,047 m: 2
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 18
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
  914 to 1,523 m: 11
  under 914 m: 21 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 2
  under 914 m: 32 (2000 est.)

Heliports:
  203 (2000 est.)

§8. Korea, South Military

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

Military manpower - military age:
  18 years of age

Military manpower - availability:
  males age 15-49: 14,148,552 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
  males age 15-49: 8,979,778 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
  males: 394,397 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $12 billion (2000)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  3.2% (FY98/99)

§9. Korea, South Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  Demarcation Line with North Korea; Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima/Tokdo)
  disputed with Japan
