Statistical information South Korea 1998South%20Korea

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South Korea - Introduction 1998
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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. Since late 1997, however, the nation has suffered widespread financial and organizational difficulties. Continuing tensions between North and South have raised concerns of provocative military actions by the North.


South Korea - Geography 1998
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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 referenceAsia

Area
Total: 98,480 km²
Land: 98,190 km²
Water: 290 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Indiana

Land boundaries
Total: 238 km
Border countries: (1) 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; 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
Extremes lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
Extremes highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 19%
Permanent crops: 2%
Permanent pastures: 1%
Forests and woodland: 65%
Other: 13% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 13,350 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest

Geography


South Korea - People 1998
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Population: 46,416,796 (July 1998 est.)
Growth rate: 1.01% (1998 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Korean(s)
Adjective: Korean

Ethnic groups: homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)

Languages: Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school

Religions: Christianity 49%, Buddhism 47%, Confucianism 3%, pervasive folk religion (shamanism), Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way), and other 1%

Demographic profile
Age structure

Age structure
0-14 years: 22% (male 5,505,564; female 4,894,780)
15-64 years: 71% (male 16,772,319; female 16,272,145)
65 years and over: 7% (male 1,126,963; female 1,845,025) (July 1998 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.01% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 16.08 births/1000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 5.67 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.31 migrant(s)/1000 population (1998 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: air pollution in large cities; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing
International agreements party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
International agreements signed but not ratified: Desertification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.14 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 7.79 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73.95 years
Male: 70.37 years
Female: 78 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (1998 est.)

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
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98%
Male: 99.3%
Female: 96.7% (1995 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


South Korea - Government 1998
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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 "Hanguk" to refer to their country
Abbreviation: ROK

Government type: republic

Capital: Seoul

Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 6 special 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* 15 August 1945; note_date of liberation from Japanese colonial rule

Dependent areas

Independence

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President KIM Dae-jung (since 25 February 1998): ead of
Government: Acting Prime Minister KIM Chong-p'il (since 3 March 1998)
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 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%, YI Hoe-chang (GNP) 38.7%, YI In-che (NPP) 19.2%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (299 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held 11 April 1996 (next to be held NA 2000)
Election results: percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_NKP 139, NCNP 79, ULD 50, DP 15, independents 16; note_the distribution of seats as of February 1998 was GNP 165, NCNP 78, ULD 43, NPP 8, independents 4, vacant 1

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

Political parties and leaders

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador YI Hong-ku
In the us chancery: 2,450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 939-5,600
In the us consulates general: Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen W. BOSWORTH
From the us embassy: 82 Sejong-Ro, Chongro-ku, Seoul
From the us mailing address: American Embassy, Unit 15,550, APO AP 96,205-0001
From the us telephone: [82] (2) 397-4,114
From the us fax: [82] (2) 738-8,845
From the us consulates: Pusan

Flag descriptionflag of South%20Korea: 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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


South Korea - Economy 1998
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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 eight times India's, 15 times North Korea's, and already up with 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 1997/98 exposed certain longstanding weaknesses in South Korea's development model, including high debt/equity ratios, massive foreign borrowing, and an undisciplined financial sector. Also, a number of private sector conglomerates are near bankruptcy. At yearend 1997, an international effort, spearheaded by the IMF, was underway to shore up reserves and stabilize the economy. Growth in 1998 will be sharply cut. Long-term growth will depend on how successfully South Korea implements planned economic reforms that would bolster the financial sector, improve corporate management, and open the economy further to foreign participation.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 6% (1997 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $13,700 (1997 est.)

Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 8%
Industry: 45%
Services: 47% (1991 est.)

Agriculture products: rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs; fish catch of 2.9 million metric tons, seventh largest in world

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

Industrial production growth rate: 8.2% (1996)

Labor force
Total: 20 million
By occupation servicesandother: 52%
By occupation mining and manufacturing: 27%
By occupation agriculture fishing forestry: 21% (1991)
Labor force

Unemployment rate: 2% (1996)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $101 billion
Expenditures: $101 billion, including capital expenditures of $20 billion (1996 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

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: total value:$129.8 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
Commodoties: electronic and electrical equipment, machinery, steel, automobiles, ships; textiles, clothing, footwear; fish
Partners: US 17%, EU 13%, Japan 12% (1995)

Imports: total value:$150.2 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
Commodoties: machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains
Partners: US 22%, Japan 21%, EU 13% (1995)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $154 billion (1998 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: South Korean won (W) per US$1_1,706.80 (January 1998), 951.29 (1997), 804.45 (1996), 771.27 (1995), 803.45 (1994), 802.67 (1993)


South Korea - Energy 1998
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Electricity
Capacity: 31.665 million kW (1995)
Production: 174.52 billion kWh (1995)
Consumption per capita: 3,831 kWh (1995)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


South Korea - Communication 1998
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Telephones: 16.6 million (1993)

Telephone system: excellent domestic and international services
Domestic: NA
International: fiber-optic submarine cable to China; satellite earth stations_3 Intelsat (2 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean region)

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


South Korea - Military 1998
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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $17.4 billion (1996)
Percent of gdp: 3.3% (1996)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


South Korea - Transportation 1998
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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 103 (1997 est.)
With paved runways total: 67
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 18
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 15
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 14
With paved runways under 914 m: 19 (1997 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 36
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 32 (1997 est.)

Heliports: 202 (1997 est.)

Pipelines: petroleum products 455 km; note_additionally, there is a parallel petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) pipeline being completed

Railways
Total: 3,081 km
Standard gauge: 3,081 km 1.435-m gauge (560 km electrified) (1996 est.)

Roadways

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

Merchant marine
Total: 474 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,749,052 GRT/10,447,597 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 118, cargo 131, chemical tanker 28, combination bulk 3, combination ore/oil 1, container 70, liquefied gas tanker 12, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 72, refrigerated cargo 22, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1, short-sea passenger 2, vehicle carrier 13
Note: South Korea owns an additional 273 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,985,267 DWT operating under the registries of Cambodia, Cyprus, Liberia, Malta, Panama, and Singapore (1997 est.)

Ports and terminals


South Korea - Transnational issues 1998
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Disputes international: Demarcation Line with North Korea; Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima/Tokdo) claimed by Japan

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs


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