Statistical information South Korea 2000South%20Korea

Map of South Korea | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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South Korea in the World

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South Korea - Introduction 2000
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Background: Following World War II a republic was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a communist government was installed in the north. Between 1950 and 1953 US and other UN forces intervened to defend South Korea from North Korean attacks supported by the Chinese; an armistice was signed in 1953. Thereafter South Korea achieved amazing 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.


South Korea - Geography 2000
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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
Comparative: slightly larger than Indiana

Land boundaries

Coastline: 2,413 km

Maritime claims

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 potential
Land use

Land use

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 2000
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Population: 47,470,969 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 0.93% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality

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

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

Religions: Christian 49% Buddhist 47% Confucianist 3% Shamanist Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way) and other 1%

Demographic profile
Age structure

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.93% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 15.12 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 5.85 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 7.85 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 1.72 children born/woman (2000 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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


South Korea - Government 2000
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Country name

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*

Dependent areas

Independence: 15 August 1945 date of liberation from Japanese colonial rule

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

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (299 seats - starting with the April 2000 election the number of seats will be reduced to 273; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court justices are appointed by the president subject to 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]

International organization participation: AfDB APEC AsDB 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) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMOGIP UNOMIG UNU UPU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO ZC

Diplomatic representation

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 2000
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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 seven times India's 13 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 it had recovered financial stability turning a substantial decline in 1998 into strong growth in 1999. Seoul has also pressed the country's largest business groups to swap subsidiaries to promote specialization and the administration has directed many of the mid-sized conglomerates into debt-workout programs with creditor banks. The major economic challenge for the next several years presumably is the maintenance of the pace of market reforms to restore the old growth pattern.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 10% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $13,300 (1999 est.)

Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

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

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

Industrial production growth rate: 22% (1999 est.)

Labor force: 22 million (1998)
By occupation: services and other 68% mining and manufacturing 20% agriculture fishing forestry 12% (1998)
Labor force

Unemployment rate: 6.3% (1999 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 0.8% (1999 est.)

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: $144 billion (f.o.b. 1999)
Commodities: electronic products machinery and equipment motor vehicles steel ships; textiles clothing footwear; fish
Partners: US 17% Japan 9% China 9% Hong Kong 7% Taiwan 4% (1998)

Imports: $116 billion (c.i.f. 1999)
Commodities: machinery electronics and electronic equipment oil steel transport equipment textiles organic chemicals grains
Partners: US 22% Japan 18% China 7% Australia 5% Saudi Arabia 5% (1998)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $142 billion (1999)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: South Korean won (W) per US$1 - 1130.32 (January 2000) 1188.82 (1999) 1401.44 (1998) 951.29 (1997) 804.45 (1996) 771.27 (1995)


South Korea - Energy 2000
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Electricity
Production: 221.258 billion kWh (1998)
Consumption: 205.77 billion kWh (1998)
Exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


South Korea - Communication 2000
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Telephones
Main lines in use: 23.1 million (1998)
Mobile cellular: 8.6 million (1998)

Telephone system: excellent domestic and international services

Broadcast media

Internet
Service providers isps: 11 (1999)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


South Korea - Military 2000
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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $9.9 billion (FY98/99)
Percent of gdp: 3.2% (FY98/99)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


South Korea - Transportation 2000
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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 103 (1999 est.)

Heliports: 203 (1999 est.)

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

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 1609 km; use restricted to small native craft

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


South Korea - Transnational issues 2000
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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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