South Korea

lowest point:

Sea of Japan 0 m

highest point:

Halla-san 1,950 m

total:

18.59 cu km/yr (36%/16%/48%)

per capita:

389 cu m/yr (2000)

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

at birth:

1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.1 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.67 male(s)/female

total population:

1 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

noun:

Korean(s)

adjective:

Korean

conventional long form:

Republic of Korea

conventional short form:

South Korea

local long form:

Taehan-min'guk

local short form:

Han'guk

abbreviation:

ROK

name:

Seoul

geographic coordinates:

37 33 N, 126 59 E

time difference:

UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

• 17 July 1948;
• note - amended or rewritten many times;
• current constitution approved on 29 October 1987

chief of state:

President LEE Myung-bak (since 25 February 2008)

head of government:

Prime Minister KIM Hwang-sik (since 1 October 2010)

cabinet:

State Council appointed by the president on the prime minister's recommendation; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a single five-year term;
• election last held on 19 December 2007 (next to be held in December 2012);
• prime minister appointed by president with consent of National Assembly

election results:

• LEE Myung-bak elected president on 19 December 2007;
• percent of vote - LEE Myung-bak (GNP) 48.7%;
• CHUNG Dong-young (UNDP) 26.1%);
• LEE Hoi-chang (independent) 15.1;
• others 10.1%

• Supreme Court (justices appointed by the president with consent of National Assembly);
• Constitutional Court (justices appointed by the president based partly on nominations by National Assembly and Chief Justice of the court)

• Democratic Party or DP [CHUNG Sye-kyun] (formerly the United Democratic Party or UDP);
• Democratic Labor Party or DLP [KANG Ki-kap];
• Grand National Party or GNP [AHN Sang-soo];
• Liberty Forward Party or LFP [LEE Hoi-chang];
• New Progressive Party or NPP [ROH Hoe-chan];
• Pro-Park Alliance or PPA [SUH Choung-won];
• Renewal Korea Party or RKP [SONG Yong-o]

• 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

chief of mission:

Ambassador HAN Duck-soo

chancery:

2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 939-5600

FAX:

[1] (202) 387-0205

consulate(s) general:

Agana (Guam), Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle

chief of mission:

Ambassador Kathleen STEPHENS

embassy:

32 Sejongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-710

mailing address:

US Embassy Seoul, APO AP 96205-5550

telephone:

[82] (2) 397-4114

FAX:

[82] (2) 738-8845

• 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;
• the Korean national flag is called Taegukki;
• white is a traditional Korean color and represents peace and purity;
• the blue section represents the negative cosmic forces of the yin, while the red symbolizes the opposite positive forces of the yang;
• each trigram (kwae) denotes one of the four universal elements, which together express the principle of movement and harmony

name:

"Aegukga" (Patriotic Song)

lyrics/music:

YUN Ch'i-Ho or AN Ch'ang-Ho/AHN Eaktay

note: adopted 1948, well known by 1910; both North Korea and South Korea's anthems share the same name and have a vaguely similar melody but have different lyrics

agriculture:

7.3%

industry:

24.3%

services:

68.4% (2010 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.7%

highest 10%:

24.2% (2007)

• rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit;
• cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs;
• fish

general assessment:

excellent domestic and international services featuring rapid incorporation of new technologies

domestic:

• fixed-line and mobile-cellular services widely available with a combined telephone subscribership of roughly 140 per 100 persons;
• rapid assimilation of a full range of telecommunications technologies leading to a boom in e-commerce

international:

• country code - 82;
• numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US;
• satellite earth stations - 66

• multiple national television networks with 2 of the 3 largest networks publicly operated;
• the largest privately-owned network, Seoul Broadcasting Service (SBS), has ties with other commercial TV networks;
• cable and satellite TV subscription services are available;
• publicly-operated radio broadcast networks and a large number of privately-owned radio broadcasting networks, each with multiple affiliates, and independent local stations (2008)

total:

3,381 km

country comparison to the world: 51

standard gauge:

3,381 km 1.435-m gauge (1,843 km electrified) (2008)

total:

103,029 km

country comparison to the world: 41

paved:

80,642 km (includes 3,367 km of expressways)

unpaved:

22,387 km (2008)

• 20-30 years of age for compulsory military service, with middle school education required;
• conscript service obligation - 21 months (Army, Marines), 23 months (Navy), 24 months (Air Force);
• 18-26 years of age for voluntary military service;
• women, in service since 1950, admitted to 7 service branches, including infantry, but excluded from artillery, armor, anti-air, and chaplaincy corps;
• some 4,000 women serve as commissioned and noncommissioned officers, approx. 2.3% of all officers;
• HIV-positive individuals are exempt from military service (2010)

males age 16-49:

13,274,442

females age 16-49:

12,542,699 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

10,929,625

females age 16-49:

10,264,608 (2010 est.)

male:

370,645

female:

321,765 (2010 est.)

• Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953;
• periodic incidents with North Korea in the Yellow Sea over the Northern Limit Line, which South Korea claims as a maritime boundary;
• South Korea and Japan claim Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima), occupied by South Korea since 1954