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KOREA__S.CRD
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1994-11-29
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#CARD:Korea, South:Geography
#WORD 45 71 266 265 0
Korea, South Click Here for Country List
#IMAGE 44 61 TWPCX \maps\KOREA__S.PCX
Geography Click Here for MAP
Location:
Eastern Asia, between North Korea and Japan
Map references:
Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
98,480 sq km
land area:
98,190 sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than Indiana
Land boundaries:
total 238 km, North Korea 238 km
Coastline:
2,413 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
not specified
territorial sea:
12 nm; 3 nm in the Korea Strait
International disputes:
Demarcation Line with North Korea; Liancourt Rocks claimed by Japan
Climate:
temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter
Terrain:
mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south
Natural resources:
coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower
Land use:
arable land:
21%
permanent crops:
1%
meadows and pastures:
1%
forest and woodland:
67%
other:
10%
Irrigated land:
13,530 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
air pollution in large cities; water pollution from the discharge of
sewage and industrial effluents
natural hazards:
occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; earthquakes in
southwest
international agreements:
party to - Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Whaling; signed, but not
ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Biodiversity, Law of the
Sea
#CARD:Korea, South:People
People
Population:
45,082,880 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.04% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
15.7 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
6.17 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
21.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
70.59 years
male:
67.39 years
female:
73.98 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.65 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Korean(s)
adjective:
Korean
Ethnic divisions:
homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)
Religions:
Christianity 48.6%, Buddhism 47.4%, Confucianism 3%, pervasive folk
religion (shamanism), Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way) 0.2%
Languages:
Korean, English widely taught in high school
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
96%
male:
99%
female:
99%
Labor force:
20 million
by occupation:
services and other 52%, mining and manufacturing 27%, agriculture,
fishing, forestry 21% (1991)
#CARD:Korea, South:Government
Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Korea
conventional short form:
South Korea
local long form:
Taehan-min'guk
local short form:
none
Abbreviation:
ROK
Digraph:
KS
Type:
republic
Capital:
Seoul
Administrative divisions:
9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 6 special cities* (jikhalsi,
singular and plural); Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto, Cholla-namdo,
Ch'ungch'ong-bukto, Ch'ungch'ong-namdo, Inch'on-jikhalsi*, Kangwon-do,
Kwangju-jikhalsi*, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto, Kyongsang-namdo,
Pusan-jikhalsi*, Soul-t'ukpyolsi*, Taegu-jikhalsi*, Taejon-jikhalsi*
Independence:
15 August 1948
National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 August (1948)
Constitution:
25 February 1988
Legal system:
combines elements of continental European civil law systems,
Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought
Suffrage:
20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President KIM Yong-sam (since 25 February 1993); election last held on
18 December 1992 (next to be held NA December 1997); results - KIM
Yong-sam (DLP) 41.9%, KIM Tae-chung (DP) 33.8%, CHONG Chu-yong (UPP)
16.3%, other 8%
head of government:
Prime Minister YI Yong-tok (since 29 April 1994); Deputy Prime
Minister CHONG Chae-sok (since 21 December 1993) and Deputy Prime
Minister YI Hong-ku (since 30 April 1994)
cabinet:
State Council; appointed by the president on the prime minister's
recommendation
Legislative branch:
unicameral
National Assembly (Kukhoe):
elections last held on 24 March 1992; results - DLP 38.5%, DP 29.2%,
Unification National Party (UNP) 17.3% (name later changed to UPP),
other 15%; seats - (299 total) DLP 149, DP 97, UNP 31, other 22; the
distribution of seats as of January 1994 was DLP 172, DP 96, UPP 11,
other 20
note:
the change in the distribution of seats reflects the fluidity of the
current situation where party members are constantly switching from
one party to another
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
majority party:
Democratic Liberal Party (DLP), KIM Yong-sam, president
opposition:
Democratic Party (DP), YI Ki-taek, executive chairman; United People's
Party (UPP), KIM Tong-kil, chairman; several smaller parties
note:
the DLP resulted from a merger of the Democratic Justice Party (DJP),
Reunification Democratic Party (RDP), and New Democratic Republican
Party (NDRP) on 9 February 1990
Other political or pressure groups:
Korean National Council of Churches; National Democratic Alliance of
Korea; National Federation of Student Associations; National
Federation of Farmers' Associations; National Council of Labor Unions;
Federation of Korean Trade Unions; Korean Veterans' Association;
Federation of Korean Industries; Korean Traders Association
Member of:
AfDB, APEC, AsDB, CCC, COCOM (cooperating), CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO,
G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, OAS
(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOSOM, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador HAN Sung-su
chancery:
2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 939-5600
consulate(s) general:
Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston,
Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador James T. LANEY
embassy:
82 Sejong-Ro, Chongro-ku, Seoul
mailing address:
American Embassy, Unit 15550, Seoul; APO AP 96205-0001
telephone:
[82] (2) 397-4000 through 4008 and 397-4114
FAX:
[82] (2) 738-8845
consulate(s):
Pusan
Flag:
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
#CARD:Korea, South:Economy
Economy
Overview:
The driving force behind the economy's dynamic growth has been the
planned development of an export-oriented economy in a vigorously
entrepreneurial society. Real GNP increased more than 10% annually
between 1986 and 1991. This growth ultimately led to an overheated
situation characterized by a tight labor market, strong inflationary
pressures, and a rapidly rising current account deficit. As a result,
in 1992, economic policy focused on slowing the growth rate of
inflation and reducing the deficit. Annual growth slowed to 5%, still
above the rate in most other countries of the world. Growth increased
to 6.3% in 1993 as a result of fourth quarter manufacturing production
growth of over 10% and is expected to be in the 8% range for 1994.
National product:
GNP - purchasing power equivalent - $424 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
6.3% (1993)
National product per capita:
$9,500 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.8% (1993)
Unemployment rate:
2.6% (October 1993)
Budget:
revenues:
$48.4 billion
expenditures:
$48.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)
Exports:
$81 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
electronic and electrical equipment, machinery, steel, automobiles,
ships, textiles, clothing, footwear, fish
partners:
US 26%, Japan 17%, EC 14%
Imports:
$78.9 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities:
machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport
equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains
partners:
Japan 26%, US 24%, EC 15%
External debt:
$42 billion (1992)
Industrial production:
growth rate 5% (1992 est.); accounts for about 45% of GNP
Electricity:
capacity:
27,016 kW (1993)
production:
105 billion kWh (1992)
consumption per capita:
2,380 kWh (1992)
Industries:
electronics, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel,
textiles, clothing, footwear, food processing
Agriculture:
accounts for 8% of GNP and employs 21% of work force (including
fishing and forestry); principal crops - rice, root crops, barley,
vegetables, fruit; livestock and livestock products - cattle, hogs,
chickens, milk, eggs; self-sufficient in food, except for wheat; fish
catch of 2.9 million metric tons, seventh-largest in world
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $3.9 billion; non-US
countries (1970-89), $3 billion
Currency:
1 South Korean won (W) = 100 chun (theoretical)
Exchange rates:
South Korean won (W) per US$1 - 810.48 (January 1994), 802.68 (1993),
780.65 (1992), 733.35 (1991), 707.76 (1990), 671.46 (1989)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
#CARD:Korea, South:Communications
Communications
Railroads:
3,091 km total (1991); 3,044 km 1.435 meter standard gauge, 47 km
0.610-meter narrow gauge, 847 km double track; 525 km electrified,
government owned
Highways:
total:
63,201 km
paved:
expressways 1,551 km
unpaved:
NA
undifferentiated:
national highway 12,190 km; provincial, local roads 49,460 km (1991)
Inland waterways:
1,609 km; use restricted to small native craft
Pipelines:
petroleum products 455 km
Ports:
Pusan, Inch'on, Kunsan, Mokp'o, Ulsan
Merchant marine:
417 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,425,920 GRT/10,535,850 DWT,
bulk 123, cargo 132, chemical tanker 16, combination bulk 2,
combination ore/oil 2, container 60, liquefied gas 13, multifunction
large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 47, refrigerated cargo 11, short-sea
passenger 1, vehicle carrier 9
Airports:
total:
104
usable:
95
with permanent-surface runways:
61
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
23
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
18
Telecommunications:
excellent domestic and international services; 13,276,449 telephone
subscribers; broadcast stations - 79 AM, 46 FM, 256 TV (57 of 1 kW or
greater); satellite earth stations - 2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT and 1
Indian Ocean INTELSAT
#CARD:Korea, South:Defense Forces
Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 13,435,598; fit for military service 8,623,325; reach
military age (18) annually 417,055 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $13.0 billion, 3.6% of GNP (1994 est.)
KOREA__S.0