South Korea

republicIndependence 15 August 1948

South Korea as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 72 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalSeoul

Area98,480 km2

Populationas each edition published it

43.05 million July 1990 · 51.49m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 1.05% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 33.2 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 70.29 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.6 children per woman 1990 · 0.68 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

23 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 2.2 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $6,500 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 5% in 1993

Geography

12 fields

Land useshare of 98,480 km2

arable land 21%meadows and pastures 1%forest and woodland 67%other 10%permanent crops 1% in allincludes 12% irrigated

Total area

98,480km2

land area: 98,190 km2Comparative area: slightly larger than Indiana

Coastline

2,413km

Territorial sea: 12 nm (3 nm in the Korea Strait)

Land boundary

238km with North Korea

Disputes

Demarcation Line with North Korea; Liancourt Rocks claimed by Japan

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

Environment

occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods;
earthquakes in southwest;
air pollution in large cities

Notes

strategic location along the Korea Strait, Sea of Japan, and Yellow Sea

People

14 fields

Population

43,045,098

(July 1990), growth rate 0.8% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

20Death

Literacy

90%

over

Ethnic divisions

homogeneous; small Chinese minority (about 20,000)

Religion

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

Language

Korean; English widely taught in high school

Labor force

16,900,000;
52% services and other;
27% mining and manufacturing;
21% agriculture, fishing, forestry (1987)

Organized labor

about 10% of nonagricultural labor force in government-sanctioned unions

Government

Republic

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

35.9%

Roh Tae Woo (DJP) 35.9%Kim Young Sam (RDP) 27.5%Kim Dae Jung (PPD) 26.5%other 10.1%16 December 1987 (next to be held December 1992)

National Assembly, 299 seats, elected 26 April 1988one dot, one seat

DJP 125PPD 71RPD 59NDRP 35others 9

Percent of vote

DJP 34%RPD 24%PPD 19%NDRP 15%others 8%

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

Legal system

combines elements of continental European civil law systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Executive branch

president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, State Council (cabinet)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court Chief of State--President ROH Tae Woo (since 25 February 1988);
Head of Government--Prime Minister KANG Young Hoon (since 5 December 1988);
Deputy Prime Minister CHO Soon (since 5 December 1988)

Political parties and leaders

major party is government's Democratic Justice Party (DJP), Roh Tae Woo, president, and Park Tae Chun, chairman;
opposition parties are Peace and Democracy Party (PPD), Kim Dae Jung;
Korea Reunification Democratic Party (RPD), Kim Young Sam;
New Democratic Republican Party (NDRP), Kim Jong Pil;
several smaller parties

Suffrage

universal at age 20 President--last held on 16 December 1987 (next to be held December 1992);
results--Roh Tae Woo (DJP) 35.9%, Kim Young Sam (RDP) 27.5%, Kim Dae Jung (PPD) 26.5%, other 10.1%;
National Assembly--last held on 26 April 1988 (next to be held April 1992);
results--DJP 34%, RPD 24%, PPD 19%, NDRP 15%, others 8%;
seats--(299 total) DJP 125, PPD 71, RPD 59, NDRP 35, others 9

Communists

Communist party activity banned by government

Other political or pressure groups

Korean National Council of Churches;
large, potentially volatile student population concentrated in Seoul;
Federation of Korean Trade Unions;
Korean Veterans' Association;
Federation of Korean Industries;
Korean Traders Association

ADB, AfDB, ASPAC, CCC, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, IWC--International Whaling Commission, IWC--International Wheat Council, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNIDO, UN Special Fund, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO; official observer status at UN

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Tong-Jin PARK;
Chancery at 2320 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 939-5600;
there are Korean Consulates General in Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle;
US--Ambassador Donald GREGG;
Embassy at 82 Sejong-Ro, Chongro-ku, Seoul (mailing address is APO San Francisco 96301);
telephone [82] (2) 732-2601 through 2618;
there is a US Consulate in Pusan

Flag

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

The driving force behind the economy's dynamic growth has been the planned development of an export-oriented economy in a vigorously entrepreneurial society.

16 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

(1989)

Unemployment rate

(1989)

External debt

$30.5billion

(September 1989)

Budget

Revenues

$33.6 billionExpenditures

$33.6 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of NA (1990)

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. GNP increased almost 13% in both 1986 and 1987 and 12% in 1988 before slowing to 6.5% in 1989. Such a rapid rate of growth was achieved with an inflation rate of only 3% in the period 1986-87, rising to 7% in 1988 and 5% in 1989.

Unemployment is also low, and some labor bottlenecks have appeared in several processing industries. While the South Korean economy is expected to grow at more than 5% annually during the 1990s, labor unrest--which led to substantial wage hikes in 1987-89--threatens to undermine noninflationary growth.

GNP

$200 billion, per capita $4,600; real growth rate 6.5% (1989)

Exports

$62.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--textiles, clothing, electronic and electrical equipment, footwear, machinery, steel, automobiles, ships, fish;
partners--US 33%, Japan 21%

Imports

$61.3 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
commodities--machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains;
partners--Japan 28%, US 25% (1990)

Industrial production

growth rate 3.5% (1989)

Electricity

20,500,000 kW capacity; 80,000 million kWh produced, 1,850 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

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

Agriculture

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

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-85), $3.9 billion

Currency

South Korean won (plural--won); 1 South Korean won (W) = 100 chon (theoretical)

Exchange rates

South Korean won (W) per US$1--683.43 (January 1990), 671.46 (1989), 731.47 (1988), 822.57 (1987), 881.45 (1986), 870.02 (1985)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 423 ships by type

short-sea passenger 2cargo 130container 41refrigerated cargo 11vehicle carrier 11petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker 49chemical tanker 8liquefied gas 10combination ore/oil 10bulk 143combination bulk 7multifunction large-load carrier 1423 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,006,481 GRT/11,658,104 DWT

Networkskm

Highways

62,936Inland waterways

1,609Pipelines

294

Highways: (1982); 13,476 km national highway, 49,460 km provincial and local roads · Inland waterways: ; use restricted to small native craft

Railroads

3,106 km operating in 1983;
3,059 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 47 km 0.610-meter narrow gauge, 712 km double track, 418 km electrified;
government owned