South Korea

Republic of KoreaTaehan-min'guk

republicIndependence 15 August 1945

South Korea as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 98 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

Position37 00 N, 127 30 E

Area98,480 sq km

LocationEastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula

Populationas each edition published it

46.42 million July 1998 est. · 43.05m in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.01% 1998 est. · 1.05% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 33.2 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

73.95 years 1998 est. · 70.29 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.79 children per woman 1998 est. · 1.6 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

7.79 deaths per 1,000 live births 1998 est. · 23 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$13,700 1997 est. · $6,500 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

6% 1997 est. · 5% in 1993

Geography

Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula | bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea

17 fields

Land useshare of 98,480 sq km

arable land 19%permanent crops 2%permanent pastures 1%forests and woodland 65%other 13% (1993 est.)irrigated 13,350 sq km (1993 est.)

Area

98,480sq km

land: 98,190 sq kmwater: 290 sq kmslightly larger than Indiana

Coastline

2,413km

contiguous zone: 24 nmcontinental shelf: not specifiedexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm; 3 nm in the Korea Strait

Land boundaries

238km

border countries: North Korea 238 km

Location

Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea

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
highest point:: Halla-san 1,950 m

Natural resources

coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower

Natural hazards

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

Environment-current issues

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

Environment-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
signed, but not ratified:: Desertification

People

15 fields

Population

46,416,796

(July 1998 est.)growth rate: 1.01% (1998 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1998 est.)

Birth

16.08Death

5.67Net migration

-0.31

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1998 est.)73.95

70.37 · 78

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1995 est.)98%

99.3% · 96.7%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

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.)

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.)

Infant mortality rate

7.79 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Korean(s)
adjective:: Korean

Ethnic groups

homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)

Religions

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

Languages

Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school

Government

Republic; President Kim Dae-jung (since 25 February 1998); Acting Prime Minister KIM Chong-p'il (since 3 March 1998)

20 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

40.3%

Kim Dae-jung (NCNP) 40.3%YI Hoe-chang (GNP) 38.7%YI In-che (NPP) 19.2%election last held 18 December 1997 (next to be held 18 December 2002)

National Assembly or Kukhoe, 299 seats, elected 11 April 1996one dot, one seat

NKP 139NCNP 79ULD 50DP 15independents 16

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

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; note-date of liberation from Japanese colonial rule

Legal system

combines elements of continental European civil law systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Kim Dae-jung (since 25 February 1998)
head 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

Grand National Party (GNP), CHO Sun, president;
National Congress for New Politics (NCNP), Kim Dae-jung, president;
United Liberal Democrats (ULD), PAK Tae-chun, president;
New People's Party (NPP), YI In-che, president

note: subsequent to the legislative election of April 1996 the following parties disbanded-New Korea Party (NKP) and Democratic Party (DP)

Political pressure groups and leaders

Korean National Council of Churches;
National Democratic Alliance of Korea;
National Federation of Student Associations;
National Federation of Farmers' Associations;
National Council of Labor Unions;
Federation of Korean Trade Unions;
Korean Veterans' Association;
Federation of Korean Industries;
Korean Traders Association;
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions

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
chancery:: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 939-5600
consulate(s) general:: Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Stephen W. BOSWORTH
embassy:: 82 Sejong-Ro, Chongro-ku, Seoul
mailing address:: American Embassy, Unit 15550, APO AP 96205-0001
telephone:: [82] (2) 397-4114

FAX

[82] (2) 738-8845; consulate(s): 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

As one of the Four Dragons of East Asia, South Korea | has achieved an incredible record of growth.

28 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

-$631.2billion

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

-$13,700

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

Real growth rate

(1997 est.)industrial production growth: 8.2% (1996)

Inflation, consumer prices

(1996)

GDP-composition by sector(1991 est.)

agriculture 8%industry 45%services 47% (1991 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$101 billionExpenditures

$101 billion (1996 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $20 billion

Fixed lines

16.6 million

(1993)

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.

Labor force

total:: 20 million
by occupation:: services and other 52%, mining and manufacturing 27%, agriculture, fishing, forestry 21% (1991)

Unemployment rate

2% (1996)

Industries

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

Electricity-capacity

31.665 million kW (1995)

Electricity-production

174.52 billion kWh (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita

3,831 kWh (1995)

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

Exports

total value:: $129.8 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities:: 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)
commodities:: machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains
partners:: US 22%, Japan 21%, EU 13% (1995)

Debt-external

$154 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid

$NA

Currency

1 South Korean won (W) = 100 chun (theoretical)

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)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

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)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 79, FM 46, shortwave 0

Radios

42 million (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations

256 (57 of which are 1 kW or greater) (1987 est.)

Televisions

9.3 million (1992 est.)

Transportation

10 fields

Merchant marine, 474 ships by typeships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,749,052 GRT/10,447,597 DWT

bulk 118cargo 131chemical tanker 28combination bulk 3combination ore/oil 1container 70liquefied gas tanker 12multifunction large-load carrier 1oil tanker 72refrigerated cargo 22roll-on/roll-off cargo 1short-sea passenger 2vehicle carrier 13note: 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.)

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m

over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 14

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

under 914 m

total: 36 914 to 1,523 m: 4

Networkskm

Highways

83,400Railways

3,081Waterways

1,609

Highways: paved: 63,467 km (including 1,920 km of expressways) · unpaved: 19,933 km (1996 est.) · Railways: standard gauge: 3,081 km 1.435-m gauge (560 km electrified) (1996 est.) · Waterways: ; use restricted to small native craft