Map of South Korea | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: At the end of World War II, the US and the Soviet Union agreed that US troops would accept the surrender of Japanese forces south of the 38th parallel and the Soviet Union would do so in the north. In 1948, the UN proposed nationwide elections; after P'yongyang's refusal to allow UN inspectors in the north, elections were held in the south and the Republic of Korea was established. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea was established the following month in the north. Communist North Korean forces invaded South Korea in 1950. US and other UN forces intervened to defend the South and Chinese forces intervened on behalf of the North. After a bitter three-year war, an armistice was signed in 1953, establishing a military demarcation line near the 38th parallel. Thereafter, South Korea achieved amazing economic growth, with per capita output rising to 13 times the level in the North.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries: 238 km with North Korea

Coastline: 2,413 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: not specific
Territorial sea: 12 nm (3 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

Natural resources: coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower

Land use: arable land: 21%; permanent crops: 1%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 67%; other 10%; includes irrigated 12%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 43,134,386 (July 1991), growth rate 0.8% (1991)

Nationality: noun--Korean(s; adjective--Korean

Ethnic groups: homogeneous; small Chinese minority (about 20,000)

Languages: Korean; English widely taught in high school

Religions: strong Confucian tradition; vigorous Christian minority (28% of the total population; Buddhism; pervasive folk religion (Shamanism; Chondokyo (religion of the heavenly way), eclectic religion with nationalist overtones founded in 19th century, claims about 1.5 million adherents

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 15 births/1000 population (1991)

Death rate: 6 deaths/1000 population (1991)

Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1000 population (1991)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; earthquakes in southwest; air pollution in large cities

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 23 deaths/1000 live births (1991)

Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 73 years female (1991)

Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1991)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 96% (male 99%, female 94%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Korea; abbreviated ROK

Government 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*

Dependent areas

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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 20

Executive branch: Chief of State--President ROH Tae Woo (since 25 February 1988; Head of Government--Prime Minister CHUNG Won Shik (since 24 May 1991; Deputy Prime Minister CHOI Kak Kyu (since 19 February 1991)

Legislative branch: Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: AfDB, APEC, AsDB, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador HYUN Hong Joo; Chancery at 2,320 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 939-5,600; there are Korean Consulates General in Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle; US--Ambassador Donald P. GREGG; Embassy at 82 Sejong-Ro, Chongro-ku, Seoul (mailing address is APO San Francisco 96,301; telephone [82] (2) 732-2,601 through 2,618; there is a US Consulate in Pusan

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 Korea, South Korea, SouthKorea, South

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The driving force behind the economy's dynamic growth has been the planned development of an export-oriented economy in a vigorously entrepreneurial society. Real GNP--which grew by 6.7% in 1989 after an average annual growth of over 12% between 1986-88--grew about 9% in 1990. Labor unrest--which led to substantial wage hikes in 1987-88--was noticeably calmer in 1990, unemployment averaged a low 2.5%, and investment was strong. Inflation rates, however, are beginning to challenge South Korea's strong economic performance. Consumer prices rose 8.6%, the highest rate in nine years. Policymakers are concerned higher prices could lead to a resurgence of labor unrest.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 11% of GNP 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

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

Industrial production growth rate: 8.6% (1990 est.), accounts for about 45% of GDP

Labor force:

Unemployment rate: 2.5% (1990)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $38 billion; expenditures $38 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year Korea, South Korea, South Korea, South

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $65 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
Commodities: textiles, clothing, electronic and electrical equipment, footwear, machinery, steel, automobiles, ships, fish
Partners: US 30%, Japan 19%

Imports: $70 billion (c.i.f., 1990)
Commodities: machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains
Partners: Japan 27%, US 24% (1990)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $31.7 billion (1990)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: South Korean won (W) per US$1--718.14 (January 1991), 707.76 (1990), 671.46 (1989), 731.47 (1988), 822.57 (1987), 881.45 (1986), 870.02 (1985)


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Electricity
Capacity: 21,000,000 kW capacity; 85,000 million kWh produced, 1,970 kWh per capita (1990)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: $10.4 billion, 4.5% of GNP (1991) Korea, South Korea, South Korea, South

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 110 total, 102 usable; 60 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 21 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 17 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Heliports

Pipelines: 455 km refined products

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 1,609 km; use restricted to small native craft

Merchant marine: 439 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,182,519 GRT/11,906,897 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 138 cargo, 45 container, 11 refrigerated cargo, 11 vehicle carrier, 48 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 10 chemical tanker, 13 liquefied gas, 7 combination ore/oil, 146 bulk, 7 combination bulk, 1 multifunction large-load carrier

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: Demarcation Line with North Korea; Liancourt Rocks claimed by Japan

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs