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Background Note: South Korea
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
Republic of Korea
Geography
Area: 98,477 sq. km. (38,022 sq. mi.); about the size of
Indiana.
Cities (2005): Capital--Seoul (10.3 million). Other
major cities--Busan (3.7 million), Daegu (2.5 million),
Inchon (2.6 million), Gwangju (1.4 million), Daejeon (1.5
million), Ulsan (1.0 million).
Terrain: Partially forested mountain ranges separated by deep,
narrow valleys; cultivated plains along the coasts, particularly
in the west and south.
Climate: Temperate.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Korean(s).
Population (2006): 48,846,823.
Population annual growth rate (2006): 0.42%.
Ethnic groups: Korean; small Chinese minority.
Religions: Christianity, Buddhism, Shamanism, Confucianism,
Chondogyo.
Language: Korean.
Education: Years compulsory--9. Enrollment--11.5
million. Attendance--middle school 99%, high school 95%.
Literacy--98%.
Health (2006): Infant mortality rate--6.16/1,000. Life
expectancy--77.0 yrs (men 73.6 yrs.; women 80.8 yrs).
Work force (2005): 23.53 million. Services--67.2%;
mining and manufacturing--26.4%; agriculture--6.4%.
Government
Type: Republic with powers shared between the president, the
legislature, and the courts.
Liberation: August 15, 1945.
Constitution: July 17, 1948; last revised 1987.
Branches: Executive--President (chief of state); Prime
Minister (head of government). Legislative--unicameral
National Assembly. Judicial--Supreme Court and appellate
courts; Constitutional Court.
Subdivisions: Nine provinces, seven administratively separate
cities (Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan).
Political parties: Uri Party (Uri); Grand National Party (GNP);
Democratic Party (DP); Democratic Labor Party (DLP); People
Centered Party (PCP).
Suffrage: Universal at 19.
Central government budget (2004): Expenditures--$100.46
billion.
Defense (2005): $21.06 billion; over 680,000 troops.
Economy
Nominal GDP: 2005, $787.5 billion; 2006 est., $897.4 billion.
GDP growth rate: 2004, 4.7%; 2005, 4.0%; 2006 est. 5.0%.
Per capita GNI (2005): $16,291.
Consumer price index: 2004, 3.6%; 2005, 2.8%; 2006, 2.2%.
Natural resources: Limited coal, tungsten, iron ore, limestone,
kaolinite, and graphite.
Agriculture, including forestry and fisheries: Products--rice,
vegetables, fruit, root crops, barley; cattle, pigs, chickens,
milk, eggs, fish. Arable land--17% of land area.
Industry: Types--Electronics and electrical products,
telecommunications, motor vehicles, shipbuilding, mining and
manufacturing, petrochemicals, industrial machinery, steel.
Trade (2006 est.): Exports--$360.0 billion f.o.b.:
electronic products (semiconductors, cellular phones and
equipment, computers), automobiles, machinery and equipment,
steel, ships, petrochemicals. Imports--$343.0 billion
f.o.b.: crude oil, food, machinery and transportation equipment,
chemicals and chemical products, base metals and articles.
Major markets (2005)--China (21.8%), U.S. (14.6.%), Japan
(8.5%), Hong Kong (5.5%). Major suppliers (2005)--Japan
(18.5%), China (14.8%), U.S. (11.8%), Saudi Arabia (6.2%).
PEOPLE
Population
Korea’s population is one of the most ethnically and
linguistically homogenous in the world. Except for a small
Chinese community (about 20,000), virtually all Koreans share a
common cultural and linguistic heritage. With 48.85 million
people, South Korea has one of the world’s highest population
densities. Major population centers are located in the
northwest, southeast, and in the plains south of the Seoul-Incheon
area.
Korea has experienced one of the largest rates
of emigration, with ethnic Koreans residing primarily in China
(1.9 million), the United States (1.52 million), Japan
(681,000), and the countries of the former Soviet Union
(450,000). |