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This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
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| Introduction | Korea, South | Top of Page

Background: | Korea was an independent kingdom for much of its millennia-long history. Following its victory in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Japan occupied Korea; five years later it formally annexed the entire peninsula. After World War II, a Republic of Korea (ROK) was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a Communist-style government was installed in the north (the DPRK). During the Korean War (1950-53), US troops and UN forces fought alongside soldiers from the ROK to defend South Korea from DPRK attacks supported by China and the Soviet Union. 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 rising to roughly 14 times the level of North Korea. In 1993, KIM Yo'ng-sam became South Korea's first civilian president following 32 years of military rule. South Korea today is a fully functioning modern democracy. In June 2000, a historic first North-South summit took place between the South's President KIM Dae-jung and the North's leader KIM Jong Il.

| Geography | Korea, South | Top of Page

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: | territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the Korea Strait contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: not specified
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: 16.58% permanent crops: 2.01% other: 81.41% (2005)
Irrigated land: | 8,780 sq km (2003)
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: | strategic location on Korea Strait

| People | Korea, South | Top of Page

Population: | 48,846,823 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 18.9% (male 4,844,083/female 4,368,139) 15-64 years: 71.9% (male 17,886,148/female 17,250,862) 65 years and over: 9.2% (male 1,818,677/female 2,678,914) (2006 est.)
Median age: | total: 35.2 years male: 34.2 years female: 36.3 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate: | 0.42% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: | 10 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: | 5.85 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 6.16 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 77.04 years male: 73.61 years female: 80.75 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 1.27 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | less than 0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 8,300 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality: | noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean
Ethnic groups: | homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)
Religions: | no affiliation 46%, Christian 26%, Buddhist 26%, Confucianist 1%, 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: 97.9% male: 99.2% female: 96.6% (2002)

| Government | Korea, South | Top of Page

Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Korea conventional short form: South Korea local long form: Taehan-min'guk local short form: Han'guk abbreviation: ROK
Government type: | republic
Capital: | name: Seoul geographic coordinates: 37 34 N, 127 00 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions: | 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 7 metropolitan cities (gwangyoksi, singular and plural) provinces: Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto (North Cholla), Cholla-namdo (South Cholla), Ch'ungch'ong-bukto (North Ch'ungch'ong), Ch'ungch'ong-namdo (South Ch'ungch'ong), Kangwon-do, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto (North Kyongsang), Kyongsang-namdo (South Kyongsang) metropolitan cities: Inch'on-gwangyoksi (Inch'on), Kwangju-gwangyoksi (Kwangju), Pusan-gwangyoksi (Pusan), Soul-t'ukpyolsi (Seoul), Taegu-gwangyoksi (Taegu), Taejon-gwangyoksi (Taejon), Ulsan-gwangyoksi (Ulsan)
Independence: | 15 August 1945 (from Japan)
National holiday: | Liberation Day, 15 August (1945)
Constitution: | 17 July 1948
Legal system: | combines elements of continental European civil law systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought
Suffrage: | 19 years of age; universal
Executive branch: | chief of state: President ROH Moo-hyun (since 25 February 2003) head of government: Prime Minister HAN Myeong-sook (since 20 April 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers KIM Woo-sik (since 10 February 2006); KWON O-kyu (since 18 July 2006); KIM Shin-il (since 20 September 2006) 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 19 December 2002 (next to be held in December 2007); prime minister appointed by president with consent of National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by president on prime minister's recommendation election results: ROH Moo-hyun elected president; percent of vote - ROH Moo-hyun (MDP) 48.9%; LEE Hoi-chang (GNP) 46.6%; other 4.5%
Legislative branch: | unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (299 seats - members elected for four-year terms; 243 in single-seat constituencies, 56 by proportional representation) elections: last held 15 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2008; byelections held on 30 April 2005 and on 26 October 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - Uri 51%, GNP 41%, DLP 3%, DP 3%, others 2%; seats by party - Uri 144, GNP 127, DP 11, DLP 9, ULD 3, independents 5 note: percent of vote is for 2004 general election; seats by party reflect results of April and October 2005 byelections involving six and four seats respectively; MDP became DP in May 2005; United Liberal Democrats (ULD) merged with GNP in February 2006. (2006)
Judicial branch: | Supreme Court (justices appointed by president with consent of National Assembly); Constitutional Court (justices appointed by president based partly on nominations by National Assembly and Chief Justice of the court)
Political parties and leaders: | Democratic Labor Party or DLP [MOON Seong-hyun]; Democratic Party or DP [HAHN Hwa-kap]; Grand National Party or GNP [KANG Jae-sup]; People-Centered Party or PCP [SHIN Kook-hwan]; Uri Party [KIM Geun-tae]
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, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA, MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador LEE Tae-sik chancery: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600 FAX: [1] (202) 387-0205 consulate(s) general: Agana (Guam), Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Alexander VERSHBOW embassy: 32 Sejong-no, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-710 mailing address: US Embassy Seoul, Unit 15550, APO AP 96205-5550 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 | Top of Page

Economy - overview: | Since the early 1960s, South Korea has achieved an incredible record of growth and integration into the high-tech modern world economy. Four decades ago, GDP per capita was comparable with levels in the poorer countries of Africa and Asia. In 2004, South Korea joined the trillion dollar club of world economies. Today its GDP per capita is equal to the lesser economies of the EU. 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 longstanding weaknesses in South Korea's development model, including high debt/equity ratios, massive foreign borrowing, and an undisciplined financial sector. GDP plunged by 6.9% in 1998, then recovered 9.5% in 1999 and 8.5% 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 had stalled. Led by consumer spending and exports, growth in 2002 was an impressive 7%, despite anemic global growth. Between 2003 and 2005, growth moderated to about 4%. A downturn in consumer spending was offset by rapid export growth. In 2005, the government proposed labor reform legislation and a corporate pension scheme to help make the labor market more flexible, and new real estate policies to cool property speculation. Moderate inflation, low unemployment, an export surplus, and fairly equal distribution of income characterize this solid economy.
GDP (purchasing power parity): | $1.101 trillion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $801.2 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 4% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $22,600 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 3.3% industry: 40.3% services: 56.3% (2005 est.)
Labor force: | 23.53 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 6.4% industry: 26.4% services: 67.2% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate: | 3.7% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line: | 15% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 25% (2005 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 35.8 (2000)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 2.8% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): | 29.3% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $195 billion expenditures: $189 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Public debt: | 20% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products: | rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs; fish
Industries: | electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel
Industrial production growth rate: | 5.9% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production: | 342.1 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - consumption: | 321.1 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - consumption: | 2.061 million bbl/day (2004)
Oil - exports: | 645,200 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports: | 2.263 million bbl/day (2004)
Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 24.09 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 21.11 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Current account balance: | $16.56 billion (2005 est.)
Exports: | $288.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities: | semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment, motor vehicles, computers, steel, ships, petrochemicals
Exports - partners: | China 21.8%, US 14.6%, Japan 8.5%, Hong Kong 5.5% (2005)
Imports: | $256 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities: | machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, organic chemicals, plastics
Imports - partners: | Japan 18.5%, China 14.8%, US 11.8%, Saudi Arabia 6.2% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $210.4 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external: | $153.9 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - donor: | ODA, $423.3 million (2004)
Currency (code): | South Korean won (KRW)
Exchange rates: | South Korean won per US dollar - 1,024.1 (2005), 1,145.3 (2004), 1,191.6 (2003), 1,251.1 (2002), 1,291 (2001)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

| Communications | Korea, South | Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use: | 23.745 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 38.342 million (2005)
Telephone system: | general assessment: excellent domestic and international services domestic: NA international: country code - 82; 10 fiber-optic submarine cables - 1 Korea-Russia-Japan, 1 Korea-Japan-Hong Kong, 3 Korea-Japan-China, 1 Korea-Japan-China-Europe, 1 Korea-Japan-China-US-Taiwan, 1 Korea-Japan-China, 1 Korea-Japan-Hong Kong-Taiwan, 1 Korea-Japan; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 3 Inmarsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 61, FM 150, shortwave 2 (2005)
Television broadcast stations: | terrestrial stations 43; cable operators 59; relay cable operators 190 (2005)
Internet country code: | .kr
Internet hosts: | 5,433,591 (2005)
Internet users: | 33.9 million (2005)

| Transportation | Korea, South | Top of Page

Airports: | 107 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 69 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 21 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 20 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 38 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 35 (2006)
Heliports: | 540 (2006)
Pipelines: | gas 1,482 km; refined products 827 km (2006)
Railways: | total: 3,472 km standard gauge: 3,472 km 1.435-m gauge (1,361 km electrified) (2005)
Roadways: | total: 97,252 km paved: 74,641 km (including 3,060 km of expressways) unpaved: 22,611 km (2004)
Waterways: | 1,608 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2006)
Merchant marine: | total: 669 ships (1000 GRT or over) 8,634,188 GRT/13,733,624 DWT by type: bulk carrier 157, cargo 193, chemical tanker 98, container 81, liquefied gas 22, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 24, petroleum tanker 57, refrigerated cargo 17, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 6 foreign-owned: 22 (France 12, Japan 1, UK 2, US 7) registered in other countries: 365 (Belize 4, Cambodia 23, China 2, Cyprus 1, Georgia 1, Honduras 6, Hong Kong 6, Indonesia 1, Liberia 3, Malaysia 1, Malta 6, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 291, Singapore 17, unknown 2) (2006)
Ports and terminals: | Inch'on, Masan, P'ohang, Pusan, Ulsan

| Military | Korea, South | Top of Page

Military branches: | Army, Navy, Republic of Korea Air Force (Han-guk Kong Goon), Marine Corps, National Maritime Police (coast guard) (2006)
Military service age and obligation: | 20-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 24-28 months, depending on the military branch involved; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; some 4,000 women serve as commissioned and noncommissioned officers, approx. 2.3% of all officers; women, in service since 1950, are admitted to seven service branches, including infantry, but excluded from artillery, armor, anti-air, and chaplaincy corps (2005)
Manpower available for military service: | males age 20-49: 12,483,677 females age 20-49: 12,014,462 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: | males age 20-49: 10,115,817 females age 20-49: 9,721,914 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually: | males age 18-49: 344,943 females age 20-49: 312,720 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 2.6% FY05 (2005 est.)

| Transnational Issues | Korea, South | Top of Page

Disputes - international: | Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic maritime disputes with North Korea over the Northern Limit Line; South Korea and Japan claim Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima), occupied by South Korea since 1954

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006