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.

Map reference: Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total area total: 98,480 km²
Land: 98,190 km²

Land boundaries: total 238 km, North Korea 238 km

Coastline: 2,413 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: not specified
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

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%

Irrigated land: 13,530 km² (1989)

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; earthquakes in southwest

Population: 45,082,880 (July 1994 est.)
Growth rate: 1.04% (1994 est.)

Nationality: noun:Korean(s)

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

Languages: Korean, English widely taught in high school

Religions: Christianity 48.6%, Buddhism 47.4%, Confucianism 3%, pervasive folk religion (shamanism), Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way) 0.2%

Population growth rate: 1.04% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 15.7 births/1000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 6.17 deaths/1000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.91 migrant(s)/1000 population (1994 est.)

Environment
Current issues: air pollution in large cities; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents

Infant mortality rate: 21.7 deaths/1000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 70.59 years
Male: 67.39 years
Female: 73.98 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.65 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Total population: 96%
Male: 99%
Female: 99%

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Korea
Conventional short form: South Korea
Local long form:
Abbreviation: 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*

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

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President KIM Yong-sam (since 25 February 1993); election last held on 18 December 1992 (next to be held NA December 1997); results - KIM Yong-sam (DLP) 41.9%, KIM Tae-chung (DP) 33.8%, CHONG Chu-yong (UPP) 16.3%, other 8%
Head of government: Prime Minister YI Yong-tok (since 29 April 1994); Deputy Prime Minister CHONG Chae-sok (since 21 December 1993) and Deputy Prime Minister YI Hong-ku (since 30 April 1994)

Legislative branch: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force
National Assembly Kukhoe: elections last held on 24 March 1992; results - DLP 38.5%, DP 29.2%, Unification National Party (UNP) 17.3% (name later changed to UPP), other 15%; seats - (299 total) DLP 149, DP 97, UNP 31, other 22; the distribution of seats as of January 1994 was DLP 172, DP 96, UPP 11, other 20
Note: the change in the distribution of seats reflects the fluidity of the current situation where party members are constantly switching from one party to another

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

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

Diplomatic representation
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador James T. LANEY
From the us chancery: 2,450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us telephone: [82] (2) 397-4,000 through 4,008 and 397-4,114
From the us consulates general: Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle
From the us embassy: 82 Sejong-Ro, Chongro-ku, Seoul
From the us mailing address: American Embassy, Unit 15,550, Seoul; APO AP 96,205-0001
From the us FAX: [82] (2) 738-8,845
From the us consulates: 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

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 increased more than 10% annually between 1986 and 1991. This growth ultimately led to an overheated situation characterized by a tight labor market, strong inflationary pressures, and a rapidly rising current account deficit. As a result, in 1992, economic policy focused on slowing the growth rate of inflation and reducing the deficit. Annual growth slowed to 5%, still above the rate in most other countries of the world. Growth increased to 6.3% in 1993 as a result of fourth quarter manufacturing production growth of over 10% and is expected to be in the 8% range for 1994.

Real gdp growth rate: 6.3% (1993)

Real gdp per capita: $9,500 (1993 est.)

Agriculture products: accounts for 8% 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: electronics, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel, textiles, clothing, footwear, food processing

Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1992 est.), accounts for about 45% of GNP

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

Unemployment rate: 2.6% (October 1993)

Budget: revenues:$48.4 billion

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exports: $81 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
Commodities: electronic and electrical equipment, machinery, steel, automobiles, ships, textiles, clothing, footwear, fish
Partners: US 26%, Japan 17%, EC 14%

Imports: $78.9 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
Commodities: machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains
Partners: Japan 26%, US 24%, EC 15%

Debt external: $42 billion (1992)

Exchange rates: South Korean won (W) per US$1 - 810.48 (January 1994), 802.68 (1993), 780.65 (1992), 733.35 (1991), 707.76 (1990), 671.46 (1989)

Electricity
Capacity: 27,016 kW (1993)
Production: 105 billion kWh (1992)
Consumption per capita: 2,380 kWh (1992)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: exchange rate conversion - $13.0 billion, 3.6% of GNP (1994 est.)

Airports: 104
Usable: 95
With permanentsurface runways: 61
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 23
With runways 1220-2439 m: 18

Pipelines: petroleum products 455 km

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

Merchant marine: 417 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,425,920 GRT/10,535,850 DWT, bulk 123, cargo 132, chemical tanker 16, combination bulk 2, combination ore/oil 2, container 60, liquefied gas 13, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 47, refrigerated cargo 11, short-sea passenger 1, vehicle carrier 9

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