275 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
275 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
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KOREA, SOUTH
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 98,480 km2; land area: 98,190 km2
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Comparative area: slightly larger than Indiana
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Land boundary: 238 km with North Korea
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Coastline: 2,413 km
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Maritime claims:
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Continental shelf: not specific
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Territorial sea: 12 nm (3 nm in the Korea Strait)
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Disputes: Demarcation Line with North Korea; Liancourt Rocks
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claimed by Japan
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Climate: temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter
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Terrain: mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west
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and south
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Natural resources: coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead,
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hydropower
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Land use: arable land 21%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures
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1%; forest and woodland 67%; other 10%; includes irrigated 12%
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Environment: occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods;
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earthquakes in southwest; air pollution in large cities
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Notes: strategic location along the Korea Strait, Sea of Japan, and
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Yellow Sea
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PEOPLE
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Population: 43,134,386 (July 1991), growth rate 0.8% (1991)
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Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 23 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 73 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Korean(s); adjective--Korean
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Ethnic divisions: homogeneous; small Chinese minority
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(about 20,000)
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Religion: strong Confucian tradition; vigorous Christian minority
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(28% of the total population); Buddhism; pervasive folk religion
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(Shamanism); Chondokyo (religion of the heavenly way), eclectic religion
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with nationalist overtones founded in 19th century, claims about 1.5
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million adherents
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Language: Korean; English widely taught in high school
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Literacy: 96% (male 99%, female 94%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 16,900,000; 52% services and other; 27% mining and
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manufacturing; 21% agriculture, fishing, forestry (1987)
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Organized labor: about 10% of nonagricultural labor force in
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government-sanctioned unions
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Republic of Korea; abbreviated ROK
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Type: republic
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Capital: Seoul
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Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and
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6 special cities* (jikhalsi, singular and plural); Cheju-do,
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Cholla-bukto, Cholla-namdo, Ch'ungch'ong-bukto,
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Ch'ungch'ong-namdo, Inch'on-jikhalsi*, Kangwon-do,
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Kwangju-jikhalsi*, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto,
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Kyongsang-namdo, Pusan-jikhalsi*, Soul-t'ukpyolsi*,
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Taegu-jikhalsi*, Taejon-jikhalsi*
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Independence: 15 August 1948
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Constitution: 25 February 1988
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Legal system: combines elements of continental European civil law
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systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought; has not
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accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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National holiday: Independence Day, 15 August (1948)
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Executive branch: president, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
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State Council (cabinet)
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Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Kuk Hoe)
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--President ROH Tae Woo (since 25 February 1988);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister CHUNG Won Shik (since 24
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May 1991); Deputy Prime Minister CHOI Kak Kyu (since 19 February
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1991)
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Political parties and leaders:
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ruling party--Democratic Liberal Party (DLP), ROH Tae Woo,
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president, KIM Young Sam, chairman;
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note--the DLP resulted from a merger of the Democratic Justice Party
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(DJP), Reunification Democratic Party (RDP), and New Democratic
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Republican Party (NDRP) on 9 February 1990;
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opposition--New Democratic Party (NDP, formerly Party for Peace
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and Democracy or PPD), KIM Dae Jung, president; Democratic Party (DP),
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YI Ki Taek; several smaller parties
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Suffrage: universal at age 20
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Elections:
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President--last held on 16 December 1987 (next to be held
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December 1992);
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results--ROH Tae Woo (DJP) 35.9%, KIM Young Sam (RDP) 27.5%,
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KIM Dae Jung (PPD) 26.5%, other 10.1%;
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National Assembly--last held on 26 April 1988 (next to be held
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April 1992);
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results--DJP 34%, RDP 24%, PPD 19%, NDRP 15%, other 8%;
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seats--(299 total) DJP 125, PPD 70, RDP 59, NDRP 35, other 10;
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note--on 9 February 1990 the DJP, RDP, and NDRP merged to form the DLP;
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also the PPD became the NDP; as a result the distribution
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of seats changed to DLP 218, NDP 70, other 11 (June 1990)
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Communists: Communist party activity banned by government
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Other political or pressure groups: Korean National Council of
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Churches; National Democratic Alliance of Korea; National Council of
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College Student Representatives; National Federation of Farmers'
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Associations; National Council of Labor Unions; Federation of Korean
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Trade Unions; Korean Veterans' Association; Federation of Korean
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Industries; Korean Traders Association
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Member of: AfDB, APEC, AsDB, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-77,
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GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,
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INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, UN, UNCTAD,
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UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador HYUN Hong Joo;
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Chancery at 2320 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone
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(202) 939-5600; there are Korean Consulates General in Agana (Guam),
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Anchorage, Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York,
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San Francisco, and Seattle;
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US--Ambassador Donald P. GREGG; Embassy at 82 Sejong-Ro,
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Chongro-ku, Seoul (mailing address is APO San Francisco 96301);
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telephone 82 (2) 732-2601 through 2618; there is a US Consulate
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in Pusan
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Flag: white with a red (top) and blue yin-yang symbol in the
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center; there is a different black trigram from the ancient I Ching
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(Book of Changes) in each corner of the white field
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ECONOMY
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Overview: The driving force behind the economy's dynamic growth
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has been the planned development of an export-oriented economy in a
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vigorously entrepreneurial society. Real GNP--which grew by 6.7% in 1989
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after an average annual growth of over 12% between 1986-88--grew about
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9% in 1990. Labor unrest--which led to substantial wage hikes in
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1987-88--was noticeably calmer in 1990, unemployment averaged a low
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2.5%, and investment was strong. Inflation rates, however, are beginning
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to challenge South Korea's strong economic performance. Consumer prices
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rose 8.6%, the highest rate in nine years. Policymakers are concerned
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higher prices could lead to a resurgence of labor unrest.
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GNP: $238 billion, per capita $5,600; real growth rate 9% (1990
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est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.6% (1990)
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Unemployment rate: 2.5% (1990)
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Budget: revenues $38 billion; expenditures $38 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $NA (1991)
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Exports: $65 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
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commodities--textiles, clothing, electronic and electrical
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equipment, footwear, machinery, steel, automobiles, ships, fish;
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partners--US 30%, Japan 19%
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Imports: $70 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
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commodities--machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil,
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steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains;
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partners--Japan 27%, US 24% (1990)
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External debt: $31.7 billion (1990)
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Industrial production: growth rate 8.6% (1990 est.); accounts for
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about 45% of GDP
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Electricity: 21,000,000 kW capacity; 85,000 million kWh produced,
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1,970 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: textiles, clothing, footwear, food processing,
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chemicals, steel, electronics, automobile production, ship building
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Agriculture: accounts for 11% of GNP and employs 21% of work force
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(including fishing and forestry); principal crops--rice, root crops,
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barley, vegetables, fruit; livestock and livestock products--cattle,
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hogs, chickens, milk, eggs; self-sufficient in food, except for wheat;
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fish catch of 2.9 million metric tons, seventh-largest in world
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $3.9
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billion; non-US countries (1970-89), $3.0 billion
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Currency: South Korean won (plural--won);
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1 South Korean won (W) = 100 chon (theoretical)
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Exchange rates: South Korean won (W) per US$1--718.14 (January
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1991), 707.76 (1990), 671.46 (1989), 731.47 (1988), 822.57 (1987), 881.45
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(1986), 870.02 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 3,106 km operating in 1983; 3,059 km 1.435-meter
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standard gauge, 47 km 0.610-meter narrow gauge, 712 km double track,
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418 km electrified; government owned
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Highways: 62,936 km total (1982); 13,476 km national highway,
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49,460 km provincial and local roads
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Inland waterways: 1,609 km; use restricted to small native craft
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Pipelines: 455 km refined products
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Ports: Pusan, Inchon, Kunsan, Mokpo, Ulsan
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Merchant marine: 439 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,182,519
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GRT/11,906,897 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 138 cargo, 45
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container, 11 refrigerated cargo, 11 vehicle carrier, 48 petroleum, oils,
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and lubricants (POL) tanker, 10 chemical tanker, 13 liquefied gas, 7
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combination ore/oil, 146 bulk, 7 combination bulk, 1 multifunction
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large-load carrier
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Civil air: 93 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 110 total, 102 usable; 60 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 21 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 17 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: adequate domestic and international services;
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4,800,000 telephones; stations--79 AM, 46 FM, 256 TV (57 of 1 kW or
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greater); satellite earth stations--2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian
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Ocean INTELSAT
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 12,859,511; 8,294,624 fit for
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military service; 429,088 reach military age (18) annually
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Defense expenditures: $10.4 billion, 4.5% of GNP (1991)
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