South Korea

mean elevation:

282 m

elevation extremes:

lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m

highest point:

Halla-san 1,950 m

agricultural land:

18.1%;

• arable land 15.3%;
• permanent crops 2.2%;
• permanent pasture 0.6%

forest:

63.9%

other:

18% (2011 est.)

• with approximately 70% of the country considered mountainous, the country's population is primarily concentrated in the lowland areas, where density is quite high;
• Gyeonggi Province in the northwest, which surrounds the capital of Seoul and contains the port of Incheon, is the most densely populated province;
• Gangwon in the northeast is the least populated

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

noun:

Korean(s)

adjective:

Korean

• with approximately 70% of the country considered mountainous, the country's population is primarily concentrated in the lowland areas, where density is quite high;
• Gyeonggi Province in the northwest, which surrounds the capital of Seoul and contains the port of Incheon, is the most densely populated province;
• Gangwon in the northeast is the least populated

at birth:

1.07 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.07 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.12 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.71 male(s)/female

total population:

1 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Korea

conventional short form:

South Korea

local long form:

Taehan-min'guk

local short form:

Han'guk

abbreviation:

ROK

etymology:

• derived from the Chinese name for Goryeo, which was the Korean dynasty that united the peninsula in the 10th century A.D.;
• the South Korean name "Han'guk" means "Land of the Han," where "han" may have its origins in the native root for "great [leader]" (similar to the title "khan")

name:

Seoul; note - Sejong, located some 120 km (75 mi) south of Seoul, is being developed as a new capital

geographic coordinates:

37 33 N, 126 59 E

time difference:

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

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of South Korea

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

• President MOON Jae-in (since 10 May 2017);
• note - President PARK Geun-hye (since 25 February 2013) was impeached by the National Assembly on 9 December 2016;
• PARK's impeachment was upheld by the Constitutional Court and she was removed from office on 9 March 2017

head of government:

Prime Minister LEE Nak-yon (since 1 June 2017); Deputy Prime Ministers KIM Dong-yeon (since 9 June 2017), KIM Sang-kon (since 4 July 2017)

cabinet:

State Council appointed by the president on the prime minister's recommendation

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a single 5-year term;
• election last held on 9 May 2017 (next to be held in 2022);
• prime minister appointed by president with consent of National Assembly

election results:

MOON Jae-in elected president; percent of vote - MOON Jae-in (DP) 41.1%, HONG Joon-pyo (LKP) 25.5%, AHN Cheol-soo (PP) 21.4%, other 12.0%

highest court(s):

Supreme Court of South Korea (consists of a chief justice and 13 justices); Constitutional Court (consists of a court head and 8 justices)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the president with the consent of the National Assembly;
• other justices appointed by the president upon the recommendation of the chief justice and consent of the National Assembly;
• position of the chief justice is a 6-year non-renewable term;
• other justices serve 6-year renewable terms;
• Constitutional Court justices appointed - 3 by the president, 3 by the National Assembly, and 3 by the Supreme Court chief justice;
• court head serves until retirement at age 70, while other justices serve 6-year renewable terms with mandatory retirement at age 65

subordinate courts:

• High Courts;
• District Courts;
• Branch Courts (organized under the District Courts);
• specialized courts for family and administrative issues

• Christian Council of Korea
• Citizen's Coalition for Economic Justice
• Federation of Korean Trade Unions
• Korea Women's Association United
• Korea Women's Hotline
• Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
• Korean Veterans' Association
• Lawyers for a Democratic Society
• National Council of Churches in Korea
• People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy

chief of mission:

Ambassador CHO Yoon-je (since 29 November 2017)

chancery:

2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 939-5600

FAX:

[1] (202) 797-0595

consulate(s) general:

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Marc KNAPPER (since 20 January 2017)

embassy:

188 Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-710

mailing address:

US Embassy Seoul, Unit

telephone:

[82] (2) 397-4114

FAX:

[82] (2) 725-0152

• 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 South 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's and South Korea's anthems share the same name and have a vaguely similar melody but have different lyrics

agriculture:

4.9%

industry:

24.1%

services:

71% (2016 est.)

lowest 10%:

6.8%

highest 10%:

48.5% (2015 est.)

general assessment:

excellent domestic and international services featuring rapid incorporation of new technologies

domestic:

• fixed-line and mobile-cellular services widely available with the latter subscribership up to about 120 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 (2016)

• multiple national TV 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 available;
• publicly operated radio broadcast networks and many privately owned radio broadcasting networks, each with multiple affiliates, and independent local stations (2017)

number of registered air carriers:

12; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 348

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

65,482,307

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

11.297 billion mt-km (2015)

total:

3,874 km

standard gauge:

3,874 km 1.435-m gauge (2,727 km electrified) (2015)

country comparison to the world: 52

total:

99,025 km

paved:

91,195 km (includes 4,193 km of expressways)

unpaved:

7,830 km (2015)

country comparison to the world: 46

total:

1,907

by type:

bulk carrier 100, container ship 89, general cargo 394, oil tanker 201, other 1,123 (2017)

country comparison to the world: 12

major seaport(s):

Busan, Incheon, Gunsan, Kwangyang, Mokpo, Pohang, Ulsan, Yeosu

container port(s) (TEUs):

Busan (19,469,000), Kwangyang (2,327,000), Incheon (2,368,000) (2015)

LNG terminal(s) (import):

Incheon, Kwangyang, Pyeongtaek, Samcheok, Tongyeong, Yeosu

• 18-35 years of age for compulsory military service, with middle school education required;
• minimum 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;
• HIV-positive individuals are exempt from military service (2017)

• 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