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National Map
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Korea, South |
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National Flag
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Korea, South |
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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
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National Emblem(Coat Of Arms)
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Korea, South |
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National Anthem
Of |
Korea, South |
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Categories National Symbol Of |
Korea, South |
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Background:
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Korea was
an independent kingdom under Chinese suzerainty for most
of the past millennium. Following its victory in the
Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Japan occupied Korea; five
years later it formally annexed the entire peninsula.
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.
During the Korean War (1950-53), US and other UN forces
intervened to defend South Korea from North Korean
attacks supported by the Chinese. An armistice was
signed in 1953, splitting the peninsula along a
demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel.
Thereafter, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth
with per capita income rising to roughly 14 times the
level of North Korea. In 1987, South Korean voters
elected ROH Tae-woo to the presidency, ending 26 years
of military dictatorships. South Korea today is a fully
functioning modern democracy. In June 2000, a historic
first North-South summit took place between the South's
President KIM Tae-chung and the North's leader KIM Jong
Il. |
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Location:
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Eastern
Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering
the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea |
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Geographic coordinates:
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37 00 N,
127 30 E |
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Map references:
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Asia |
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Area:
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total:
98,480 sq km
land: 98,190 sq km
water: 290 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
larger than Indiana |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
238 km
border countries: North Korea 238 km |
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Coastline:
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2,413 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in
the Korea Strait
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: not specified |
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Climate:
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temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter
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Terrain:
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mostly
hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and
south |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m |
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Natural resources:
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coal,
tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower
potential |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 17.18%
permanent crops: 1.95%
other: 80.87% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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11,590 sq
km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods;
low-level seismic activity common in southwest |
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Environment - current issues:
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air
pollution in large cities; acid rain; water pollution
from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents;
drift net fishing |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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strategic
location on Korea Strait |
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Population:
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48,422,644 (July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 19.4% (male 4,952,177/female 4,450,821)
15-64 years: 72% (male 17,715,267/female
17,147,808)
65 years and over: 8.6% (male 1,670,971/female
2,485,600) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
34.51 years
male: 33.53 years
female: 35.53 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.38%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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10.08
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.26
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
7.05 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 7.5 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 76.85 years
male: 73.42 years
female: 80.57 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.26
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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less than
0.1% (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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8,300
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than
200 (2003 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Korean(s)
adjective: Korean |
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Ethnic groups:
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homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese) |
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Religions:
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no
affiliation 46%, Christian 26%, Buddhist 26%,
Confucianist 1%, other 1% |
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Languages:
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Korean,
English widely taught in junior high and high school
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.9%
male: 99.2%
female: 96.6% (2002) |
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Country name:
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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 |
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Government type:
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republic
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Capital:
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Seoul
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Administrative divisions:
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9
provinces (do, singular and plural) and 7 metropolitan
cities (gwangyoksi, singular and plural)
: provinces: Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto (North
Cholla), Cholla-namdo (South Cholla), Ch'ungch'ong-bukto
(North Ch'ungch'ong), Ch'ungch'ong-namdo (South
Ch'ungch'ong), Kangwon-do, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto
(North Kyongsang), Kyongsang-namdo (South Kyongsang)
: metropolitan cities: Inch'on-gwangyoksi
(Inch'on), Kwangju-gwangyoksi (Kwangju),
Pusan-gwangyoksi (Pusan), Soul-t'ukpyolsi (Seoul),
Taegu-gwangyoksi (Taegu), Taejon-gwangyoksi (Taejon),
Ulsan-gwangyoksi (Ulsan) |
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Independence:
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15 August
1945 (from Japan) |
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National holiday:
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Liberation Day, 15 August (1945) |
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Constitution:
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17 July
1948 |
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Legal system:
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combines
elements of continental European civil law systems,
Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought |
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Suffrage:
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20 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: President ROH Moo-hyun (since 25 February
2003)
head of government: Prime Minister LEE Hae-chan
(since 25 May 2004); Deputy Prime Ministers HAN Duck-soo
(14 March 2005), KIM Jin-pyo (since 28 January 2005),
and OH Myung (since 18 October 2004)
cabinet: State Council appointed by the president
on the prime minister's recommendation
elections: president elected by popular vote for
single five-year term; election last held 19 December
2002 (next to be held in February 2008); prime minister
appointed by president with consent of National
Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by president
on prime minister's recommendation
election results: results of the 19 December 2002
election - ROH Moo-hyun elected president; percent of
vote - ROH Moo-hyun (MDP) 48.9%; LEE Hoi-chang (GNP)
46.6%; other 4.5% |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (299 seats -
members elected for four-year terms; 243 in single-seat
constituencies, 56 by proportional representation
elections: last held 15 April 2004 (next to be
held in April 2008; byelections held on 30 April 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - Uri
51%, GNP 41%, DLP 3%, DP 3%, others 2%; seats by party -
Uri 146, GNP 125, DLP 10, DP 9, ULD 3, independents 6
note: percent of vote is for 2004 general
election; seats by party reflect results of 2005
byelections involving six seats; MDP became DP in May
2005 (2005) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Court (justices appointed by president with consent of
National Assembly); Constitutional Court (justices
appointed by president based partly on nominations by
National Assembly and Chief Justice of the court) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Democratic Labor Party or DLP [KIM Hye-kyung,
chairwoman]; Democratic Party or DP [HAHN Hwa-kap,
chairman]; Grand National Party or GNP [PARK Geun-hye,
chairwoman]; United Liberal Democrats or ULD [KIM
Hak-won, chairman]; Uri Party [MOON Hee-sang, chairman]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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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 |
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International organization participation:
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AfDB,
APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner),
Australia Group, BIS, CP, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA, MIGA,
MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD,
ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Lee Tae-sik (designated)
chancery: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600
FAX: [1] (202) 387-0205
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago,
Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco,
and Seattle
consulate(s): Agana (Guam) and New York |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Christopher R. HILL
embassy: 82 Sejong-no, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-710
mailing address: American Embassy, Unit 15550,
APO AP 96205-5550
telephone: [82] (2) 397-4114
FAX: [82] (2) 738-8845 |
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Flag description:
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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 |
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Economy - overview:
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Since the
early 1960s, South Korea has achieved an incredible
record of growth and integration into the high-tech
modern world economy. Four decades ago GDP per capita
was comparable with levels in the poorer countries of
Africa and Asia. In 2004, it joined the trillion dollar
club of world economies. Today its GDP per capita is 14
times North Korea's and equal 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 longstanding weaknesses in South Korea's
development model, including high debt/equity ratios,
massive foreign borrowing, and an undisciplined
financial sector. Growth plunged to a negative 6.9% in
1998, then strongly recovered to 9.5% in 1999 and 8.5%
in 2000. Growth fell back to 3.3% in 2001 because of the
slowing global economy, falling exports, and the
perception that much-needed corporate and financial
reforms had stalled. Led by consumer spending and
exports, growth in 2002 was an impressive 7.0%, despite
anemic global growth. Economic growth fell to 3.1% in
2003 because of a downturn in consumer spending and
recovered to an estimated 4.6% in 2004 on the strength
of rapid export growth. The government plans to boost
infrastructure spending in 2005. Moderate inflation, low
unemployment, an export surplus, and fairly equal
distribution of income characterize this solid economy.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$925.1
billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4.6%
(2004 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $19,200 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 3.2%
industry: 40.4%
services: 56.3% (2004 est.) |
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Labor force:
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22.9
million (2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 8%, industry 19%, services 73% (2004 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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3.6%
(2004 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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4% (2001
est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 22.5% (1999 est.) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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35.8
(2000) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3.6%
(2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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28.7% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $150.5 billion
expenditures: $155.8 billion, including capital
expenditures of NA (2004 est.) |
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Public debt:
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21.3% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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rice,
root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs,
chickens, milk, eggs; fish |
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Industries:
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electronics, telecommunications, automobile production,
chemicals, shipbuilding, steel |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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10.1%
(2004 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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322.5
billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 62.4%
hydro: 0.8%
nuclear: 36.6%
other: 0.2% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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293.6
billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2003) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2003) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2004 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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2.07
million bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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630,100
bbl/day (2003) |
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Oil - imports:
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2.263
million bbl/day (2003) |
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m
(2003 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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20.92
billion cu m (2003 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m
(2003 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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21.11
billion cu m (2003 est.) |
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Current account balance:
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$26.78
billion (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$250.6
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment,
motor vehicles, computers, steel, ships, petrochemicals
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Exports - partners:
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China
19.7%, US 17%, Japan 8.6%, Hong Kong 7.2% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$214.2
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil,
steel, transport equipment, organic chemicals, plastics
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Imports - partners:
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Japan
20.6%, China 13.2%, US 12.9%, Saudi Arabia 5.3% (2004)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$199.1
billion (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$160
billion (2004 est.) |
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Economic aid - donor:
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ODA $334
million (2003) |
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Currency (code):
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South
Korean won (KRW) |
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Currency code:
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KRW |
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Exchange rates:
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South
Korean won per US dollar - 1,145.3 (2004), 1,191.6
(2003), 1,251.1 (2002), 1,291 (2001), 1,131 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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22.877
million (2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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33,591,800 (2003) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: excellent domestic and
international services
domestic: NA
international: country code - 82; 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) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 58, FM
150, shortwave 2 (2004) |
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Radios:
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47.5
million (2000) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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64
(additionally 119 Cable Operators; 239 Relay Cable
Operators) (2004) |
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Televisions:
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15.9
million (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.kr |
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Internet hosts:
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694,206
(2001) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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11 (2000)
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Internet users:
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29.22
million (2003) |
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Railways:
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total:
3,472 km
standard gauge: 3,472 km 1.435-m gauge (1,342 km
electrified) (2004) |
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Highways:
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total:
86,990 km
paved: 66,721 km (including 1,996 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 20,269 km (2001) |
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Waterways:
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1,608 km
note: most navigable only by small craft (2004)
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Pipelines:
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gas 1,433
km; refined products 827 km (2004) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Inch'on,
Masan, P'ohang, Pusan, Ulsan |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
601 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,992,656 GRT/11,081,142
DWT
by type: bulk carrier 125, cargo 196, chemical
tanker 88, container 71, liquefied gas 20, passenger 5,
passenger/cargo 22, petroleum tanker 51, refrigerated
cargo 15, roll on/roll off 5, vehicle carrier 3
foreign-owned: 2 (Germany 1, United Kingdom 1)
registered in other countries: 366 (2005) |
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Airports:
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179 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
88
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 21
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 38 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
91
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 88 (2004 est.) |
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Heliports:
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206 (2004
est.) |
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Military branches:
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Army,
Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Maritime Police
(Coast Guard) |
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Military service age and obligation:
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20-30
years of age for compulsory military service; conscript
service obligation - 24-28 months, depending on the
military branch involved; 18 years of age for voluntary
military service; some 4,000 women serve as commissioned
and noncommissioned officers, approx. 2.3% of all
officers; women, in service since 1950, are admitted to
seven service branches, including infantry; excluded
from artillery, armor, anti-air, and chaplaincy corps
(2005) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 20-49: 12,458,257 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 20-49: 9,932,026 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower reaching military service age annually:
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males:
344,723 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$16.18
billion (2004) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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2.8%
(2004) |
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Disputes - international:
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Military
Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone
has separated North from South Korea since 1953;
periodic maritime disputes with North Korea over the
Northern Limit Line; South Korea and Japan claim
Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima), occupied by South
Korea since 1954 |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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