Korea, South

Internet country code

.kr

Internet hosts

694,206 (2001)

Internet users

29.22 million (2003)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 58, FM 150, shortwave 2 (2004)

Telephone system

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)

Telephones - main lines in use

22.877 million (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular

33,591,800 (2003)

Television broadcast stations

64 (additionally 119 Cable Operators; 239 Relay Cable Operators) (2004)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $135.5 billion expenditures: $128.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $23.5 billion (2003)

Currency

South Korean won (KRW)

Currency code

KRW

Current account balance

$12.32 billion (2003)

Debt - external

$130.3 billion (2003 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

31.6 (1993)

Economic aid - donor

ODA $200 million

Economy - overview

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. Today its GDP per capita is 18 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 6.6% in 1998, then strongly recovered to 10.8% in 1999 and 9.2% 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 6.2%, despite anemic global growth, followed by moderate 2.8% growth in 2003. In 2003 the National Assembly approved legislation reducing the six-day work week to five days.

Electricity - consumption

270.3 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

290.7 billion kWh (2001)

Exchange rates

South Korean won per US dollar - 1,191.61 (2003), 1,251.09 (2002), 1,290.99 (2001), 1,130.96 (2000), 1,188.82 (1999)

Exports

$201.3 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities

Semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment, motor vehicles, computers, steel, ships, petrochemicals

Exports - partners

China 18.2%, US 17.8%, Japan 9%, Hong Kong 7.6% (2003)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $857.8 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 3.6% industry: 36.4% services: 60% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $17,800 (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.1% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 22.5% (1999 est.)

Imports

$175.6 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, organic chemicals, plastics

Imports - partners

Japan 20.3%, US 13.9%, China 12.3%, Saudi Arabia 5.2% (2003)

Industrial production growth rate

5.1% (2003 est.)

Industries

electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.6% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

29.6% of GDP (2003)

Labor force

22.92 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 8.8%, industry 19.1%, services 72.1% (2001)

Natural gas - consumption

20.92 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

21.11 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption

2.14 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

804,700 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

2.965 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line

4% (2001 est.)

Public debt

13.8% of GDP (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold

$155.4 billion (2003)

Unemployment rate

3.4% (2003 est.)

Area

total: 98,480 sq km land: 98,190 sq km water: 290 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Indiana

Climate

temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter

Coastline

2,413 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m

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, 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

Geographic coordinates

37 00 N, 127 30 E

Geography - note

strategic location on Korea Strait

Irrigated land

11,590 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 238 km border countries: North Korea 238 km

Land use

arable land: 17.18% permanent crops: 1.95% other: 80.87% (2001)

Location

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

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

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

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential

Terrain

mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south

Administrative divisions

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 (Inchon), Kwangju-gwangyoksi (Kwangju), Pusan-gwangyoksi (Pusan), Soul-t'ukpyolsi (Seoul), Taegu-gwangyoksi (Taegu), Taejon-gwangyoksi (Taejon), Ulsan-gwangyoksi (Ulsan)

Capital

Seoul

Constitution

17 July 1948

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador HONG Seok-hyun 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): New York, Tamuning (Guam)

Executive branch

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 KIM Jin-pyo (since 28 January 2005), LEE Hun-jai (since 10 February 2004), 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 December 2007); 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%

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

Government type

republic

Independence

15 August 1945 (from Japan)

International organization participation

AfDB, APEC, 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

Judicial branch

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)

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

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; by-elections scheduled for April 2005)) election results: percent of vote by party - Uri 51%, GNP 41%, DLP 3%, MDP 3%, others 2%; seats by party - Uri 152, GNP 121, DLP 10, MDP 9, others 7 (2004)

National holiday

Liberation Day, 15 August (1945)

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Labor Party or DLP [KIM Hye-kyung, chairwoman]; Grand National Party or GNP [PARK Geun-hye, chairwoman]; Millennium Democratic Party or MDP [HAHN Hwa-kap, chairman]; United Liberal Democrats or ULD [KIM Hak-won, chairman]; Uri Party [LIM Chae-jung, interim chairman]

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

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal

Background

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 (1950-1953), 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 18 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.

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Maritime Police (Coast Guard)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$14.522 billion (FY03)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.7% (FY03)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 14,233,895 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 8,966,241 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - military age and obligation

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 (2004)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 341,697 (2004 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 20.4% (male 5,223,344; female 4,681,594) 15-64 years: 71.4% (male 17,625,302; female 17,072,029) 65 years and over: 8.2% (male 1,597,085; female 2,398,821) (2004 est.)

Birth rate

12.33 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate

6.13 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Ethnic groups

homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

8,300 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 7.18 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.64 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)

Languages

Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 75.58 years male: 71.96 years female: 79.54 years (2004 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.9% male: 99.2% female: 96.6% (2002)

Median age

total: 33.7 years male: 32.8 years female: 34.7 years (2004 est.)

Nationality

noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Population

48,598,175 (July 2004 est.)

Population growth rate

0.62% (2004 est.)

Religions

no affiliation 46%, Christian 26%, Buddhist 26%, Confucianist 1%, other 1%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.12 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 (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.56 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Disputes - international

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; unresolved dispute with Japan over Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima) and occasional protests over fishing rights in grounds also claimed by Japan

Airports

102 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

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.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 91 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 88 (2004 est.)

Heliports

206 (2003 est.)

Highways

total: 86,990 km paved: 64,808 km (including 1,996 km of expressways) unpaved: 22,182 km (1999 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 535 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,978,949 GRT/9,761,699 DWT by type: bulk 97, cargo 174, chemical tanker 61, combination bulk 10, container 60, liquefied gas 19, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 73, refrigerated cargo 20, roll on/roll off 7, short-sea/passenger 2, specialized tanker 6, vehicle carrier 3 foreign-owned: Bahrain 1, China 1, Gibraltar 1, Honduras 1, Indonesia 1, Japan 3, Malaysia 1, Panama 1, Philippines 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, United Kingdom 1, United States 1 registered in other countries: 442 (2004 est.)

Pipelines

gas 1,433 km; refined products 827 km (2004)

Ports and harbors

Chinhae, Inch'on, Kunsan, Masan, Mokp'o, P'ohang, Pusan, Tonghae-hang, Ulsan, Yosu

Railways

total: 3,125 km standard gauge: 3,125 km 1.435-m gauge (661 km electrified) (2003)

Waterways

1,608 km note: most navigable only by small craft (2004)