South Korea
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 "Han-guk" to refer to their country abbreviation: ROK
republicIndependence 15 August 1945 (from Japan)
South Korea as the 2001 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 116 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
After World War II, a republic was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a communist-style government was installed in the north. The Korean War (1950-53) had US and other UN forces intervene to defend South Korea from North Korean attacks supported by the Chinese. An armistice was signed in 1953 splitting the peninsula at the 38th parallel known as the DMZ. Thereafter, South Korea achieved rapid 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. In June 2000, a historic first south-north summit took place between the south's President KIM Dae-jung and the north's leader KIM Chong-il. In December 2000, President KIM Dae-jung won the Noble Peace Prize for his lifeling committment to democracy and human rights in Asia. He is the first Korean to win a Nobel Prize.
Geography
Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea
17 fieldsLocation
Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea
Land use
arable land: 19% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 1% forests and woodland: 65% other: 13% (1993 est.)
Natural hazards
occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest
Environment - current issues
- air pollution in large cities;
- acid rain;
- water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents;
- drift net fishing
Environment - international agreements
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
People
18 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2001 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 21.59% (male 5,475,453; female 4,864,918) 15-64 years: 71.14% (male 17,291,202; female 16,789,380) 65 years and over: 7.27% (male 1,352,312; female 2,131,105) (2001 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.11 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 74.65 years male: 70.97 years female: 78.74 years (2001 est.)
Religions
Christian 49%, Buddhist 47%, Confucianist 3%, Shamanist, Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way), and other 1%
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 99.3% female: 96.7% (1995 est.)
Government
Republic
20 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
National Assembly or Kukhoe, 273 seatsone dot, one seat
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 "Han-guk" to refer to their country abbreviation: ROK
Administrative divisions
- 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 7 metropolitan 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*, Ulsan-gwangyoksi*
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: Prime Minister YI Han-tong (since 23 May 2000) 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 by 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% (with ULD partnership), YI Hoe-chang (GNP) 38.7%, YI In-che (NPP) 19.2%
Legislative branch
- unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (273 seats total - 227 elected by direct, popular vote; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 13 April 2000 (next to be held NA April 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%;
- seats by party - GNP 133, MDP 115, ULD 17, other 8
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (justices are appointed by the president with 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, KIM Chong-ho, acting president] note: on 20 January 2000, the National Congress for New Politics or NCNP was renamed the Millennium Democratic Party or MDP
Political pressure groups and leaders
- Federation of Korean Industries;
- Federation of Korean Trade Unions;
- Korean Confederation of Trade Unions;
- Korean National Council of Churches;
- Korean Traders Association;
- Korean Veterans' Association;
- National Council of Labor Unions;
- National Democratic Alliance of Korea;
- National Federation of Farmers' Associations;
- National Federation of Student Associations
International organization participation
AfDB, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, 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), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador YANG Song-chol chancery: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600
FAX
[1] (202) 387-0205 consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle consulate(s): Hagatna (Guam)
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) embassy: 82 Sejong-ro, Chongro-ku, Seoul 110-710 mailing address: American Embassy, Unit 15550, APO AP 96205-0001 telephone: [82] (2) 397-4114
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.
32 fieldsTrading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
As one of the Four Dragons of East Asia, South Korea has achieved an incredible record of growth. Three decades ago 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, 16 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 GDP growth had recovered, reversing the substantial decline of 1998.
Seoul has pressed the country's largest business groups to restructure and to strengthen their financial base. Growth in 2001 likely will be a more sustainable rate of 5%.
Budget
revenues: $81.8 billion expenditures: $94.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $6.1 billion (1999)
Industries
electronics, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel, textiles, clothing, footwear, food processing
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 59.22% hydro: 1.64% nuclear: 39.12% other: 0.02% (1999)
Agriculture - products
- rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit;
- cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs;
- fish
Exports - commodities
- electronic products, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, steel, ships;
- textiles, clothing, footwear;
- fish
Imports - commodities
machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains
Exchange rates
South Korean won per US dollar - 1,271.89 (January 2001), 1,130.96 (2000), 1,188.82 (1999), 1,401.44 (1998), 951.29 (1997), 804.45 (1996)
Communications
10 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- excellent domestic and international services domestic: NA international: fiber-optic submarine cable to China;
- the Russia-Korea-Japan submarine cable;
- satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean region)
Television broadcast stations
121 (plus 850 repeater stations and the eight-channel American Forces Korea Network) (1999)
Transportation
10 fieldsHighways
total: 87,534 km paved: 65,388 km (including 1,996 km of expressways) unpaved: 22,146 km (1999)
Pipelines
petroleum products 455 km; note - additionally, there is a parallel petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) pipeline being completed
Merchant marine
total: 496 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,421,993 GRT/8,757,034 DWT ships by type: bulk 105, cargo 168, chemical tanker 38, combination bulk 5, container 49, liquefied gas 16, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 70, refrigerated cargo 27, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 5 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 68 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 21 (2000 est.)
Military
Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Maritime Police (Coast Guard)
7 fieldsTransnational Issues
1 fieldDisputes - international
Demarcation Line with North Korea; Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima/Tokdo) disputed with Japan
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Korea, South.” The World Factbook 2001. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/south-korea/2001.