Informazioni sulla Corea del Sud (Fonte: CIA -- The World Factbook 1999) |
[Top] Background: At the end of World War II, the US and the Soviet Union agreed that US troops would accept the surrender of Japanese forces south of the 38th parallel and the Soviet Union would do so in the north. In 1948, the UN proposed nationwide elections; after P'yongyang's refusal to allow UN inspectors in the north, elections were held in the south and the Republic of Korea was established. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea was established the following month in the north. Communist North Korean forces invaded South Korea in 1950. US and other UN forces intervened to defend the South and Chinese forces intervened on behalf of the North. After a bitter three-year war, an armistice was signed in 1953, establishing a military demarcation line near the 38th parallel. Thereafter, South Korea achieved amazing economic growth, with per capita output rising to 13 times the level in the North. Since late 1997, however, the nation has suffered widespread financial and organizational difficulties. Continuing tensions between North and South have raised concerns of provocative military actions by the North. |
[Top] Location: Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea Geographic coordinates: 37 00 N, 127 30 E Map references: Asia Area: Areacomparative: slightly larger than Indiana Land boundaries: Coastline: 2,413 km Maritime claims: Climate: temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter Terrain: mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south Elevation extremes:
Natural resources: coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower Land use: Irrigated land: 13,350 sq km (1993 est.) Natural hazards: occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest Environmentcurrent issues: air pollution in large cities; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; driftnet fishing Environmentinternational
agreements: |
[Top] Population: 46,884,800 (July 1999 est.) Age structure: Population growth rate: 1% (1999 est.) Birth rate: 15.95 births/1,000 population (1999 est.) Death rate: 5.68 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.) Net migration rate: -0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.) Sex ratio: Infant mortality rate: 7.57 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.) Life expectancy at
birth: Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (1999 est.) Nationality: Ethnic groups: homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese) Religions: Christianity 49%, Buddhism 47%, Confucianism 3%, pervasive folk religion (shamanism), Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way), and other 1% Languages: Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school Literacy: |
[Top] Country name: Data code: KS Government type: republic Capital: Seoul Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 6 special cities* (gwangyoksi, singular and plural); Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto, Cholla-namdo, Ch'ungch'ong-bukto, Ch'ungch'ong-namdo, Inch'on-gwangyoksi*, Kangwon-do, Kwangju-gwangyoksi*, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto, Kyongsang-namdo, Pusan-gwangyoksi*, Soul-t'ukpyolsi*, Taegu-gwangyoksi*, Taejon-gwangyoksi* Independence: 15 August 1945, date of liberation from Japanese colonial rule National holiday: Liberation Day, 15 August (1945) 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:
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (299 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, justices are appointed by the president subject to the consent of the National Assembly Political parties and
leaders: Grand National Party or GNP [CHO Sun,
president]; National Congress for New Politics or NCNP [KIM
Dae-jung, president]; United Liberal Democrats or ULD [PAK
Tae-chun, president] Political pressure groups and leaders: 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; Korean Confederation of Trade Unions International organization participation: AfDB, APEC, AsDB, BIS, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNU, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Diplomatic
representation in the US: Diplomatic
representation from the US: 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 |
[Top] Economyoverview: As one of the Four Dragons of East Asia, South Korea has achieved an incredible record of growth. Three decades ago its GDP per capita was comparable with levels in the poorer countries of Africa and Asia. Today its GDP per capita is seven times India's, 13 times North Korea's, and already near 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 1997-98 exposed certain longstanding weaknesses in South Korea's development model, including high debt/equity ratios, massive foreign borrowing, and an undisciplined financial sector. By the end of 1998 it had recovered financial stability, rebuilding foreign exchange reserves to record levels by running a current account surplus of $40 billion. As of December 1998, the first tentative signs of a rebound in the economy emerged, and most forecasters expect GDP growth to turn positive at least in the second half of 1999. Seoul has also made a positive start on a program to get the country's largest business groups to swap subsidiaries to promote specialization, and the administration has directed many of the mid-sized conglomerates into debt-workout programs with creditor banks. Challenges for the future include cutting redundant staff, which reaches 20%-30% at most firms and maintaining the impetus for structural reform. GDP: purchasing power parity$584.7 billion (1998 est.) GDPreal growth rate: -6.8% (1998 est.) GDPper capita: purchasing power parity$12,600 (1998 est.) GDPcomposition
by sector: Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or
consumption by percentage share: Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.5% (1998) Labor force: 20 million Labor forceby occupation: services and other 52%, mining and manufacturing 27%, agriculture, fishing, forestry 21% (1991) Unemployment rate: 7.9% (1998) Budget: Industries: electronics, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel, textiles, clothing, footwear, food processing Industrial production growth rate: 3.1% (1997 est.) Electricityproduction: 194.163 billion kWh (1996) Electricityproduction
by source: Electricityconsumption: 194.163 billion kWh (1996) Electricityexports: 0 kWh (1996) Electricityimports: 0 kWh (1996) Agricultureproducts: rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs; fish Exports: $133 billion (f.o.b., 1998) Exportscommodities: electronic and electrical equipment, machinery, steel, automobiles, ships; textiles, clothing, footwear; fish Exportspartners: US 17%, EU 13%, Japan 12% (1995) Imports: $94 billion (c.i.f., 1998) Importscommodities: machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains Importspartners: US 22%, Japan 21%, EU 13% (1995) Debtexternal: $154 billion (1998 est.) Economic aidrecipient: $NA Currency: 1 South Korean won (W) = 100 chun (theoretical) Exchange rates: South Korean won (W) per US$11,174.00 (January 1999), 1,401.44 (1998), 951.29 (1997), 804.45 (1996), 771.27 (1995), 803.45 (1994) Fiscal year: calendar year |
[Top] Telephones: 16.6 million (1993) Telephone system:
excellent domestic and international services Radio broadcast stations: AM 79, FM 46, shortwave 0 Radios: 42 million (1993 est.) Television broadcast stations: 121 (in addition, there are 850 relay stations and eight-channel American Forces Korea Network) (1997) Televisions: 9.3 million (1992 est.) |
[Top] Railways: Highways: Waterways: 1,609 km; use restricted to small native craft Pipelines: petroleum products 455 km; noteadditionally, there is a parallel petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) pipeline being completed Ports and harbors: Chinhae, Inch'on, Kunsan, Masan, Mokp'o, P'ohang, Pusan, Tonghae-hang, Ulsan, Yosu Merchant marine: Airports: 103 (1998 est.) Airportswith
paved runways: Airportswith
unpaved runways: Heliports: 200 (1998 est.) |
[Top] Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Maritime Police (Coast Guard) Military manpowermilitary age: 18 years of age Military manpoweravailability:
Military manpowerfit
for military service: Military manpowerreaching
military age annually: Military expendituresdollar figure: $9.9 billion (FY98/99) Military expenditurespercent of GDP: 3.2% (FY98/99) |
[Top] Disputesinternational:
Demarcation Line with North Korea; Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima/Tokdo)
claimed by Japan |
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