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.

Geographic coordinates: 37 00 N 127 30 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Comparative: slightly larger than Indiana

Coastline: 2,413 km

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 potential

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

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

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

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%

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.)

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

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

Total fertility rate: 1.72 children born/woman (2000 est.)

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*

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

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal

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

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: 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 growth rate: 10% (1999 est.)

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

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)

Unemployment rate: 6.3% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Fiscal year: calendar year

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

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)

Debt external: $142 billion (1999)

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)

Electricity
Production: 221.258 billion kWh (1998)
Consumption: 205.77 billion kWh (1998)
Exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 23.1 million (1998)
Mobile cellular: 8.6 million (1998)

Telephone system: excellent domestic and international services

Internet
Service providers isps: 11 (1999)

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

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

Waterways: 1609 km; use restricted to small native craft

Disputes international: Demarcation Line with North Korea; Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima/Tokdo) claimed by Japan