View Intelligence Dossier Back to 1999 CSV Excel Print All Years

Communications

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 79, FM 46, shortwave 0

Radios [time series]

42 million (1993 est.)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

excellent domestic and international services domestic: NA international: fiber-optic submarine cable to China; satellite earth stations--3 Intelsat (2 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean region)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones) [time series]

16.6 million (1993)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

121 (in addition, there are 850 relay stations and eight-channel American Forces Korea Network) (1997)

Televisions [time series]

9.3 million (1992 est.)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture--products) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

revenues: $100.4 billion expenditures: $100.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 South Korean won (W) = 100 chun (theoretical)

Debt - external (Debt--external) [time series]

$154 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid (Economic aid--recipient) [time series]

$NA

Economic overview (Economy--overview) [time series]

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.

Electricity - consumption (Electricity--consumption) [time series]

194.163 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity - exports (Electricity--exports) [time series]

0 kWh (1996)

Electricity - imports (Electricity--imports) [time series]

0 kWh (1996)

Electricity - production (Electricity--production) [time series]

194.163 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity - production by source (Electricity--production by source) [time series]

fossil fuel: 61.18% hydro: 2.65% nuclear: 36.17% other: 0% (1996)

Exchange rates [time series]

South Korean won (W) per US$1--1,174.00 (January 1999), 1,401.44 (1998), 951.29 (1997), 804.45 (1996), 771.27 (1995), 803.45 (1994)

Exports [time series]

$133 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports - commodities (Exports--commodities) [time series]

electronic and electrical equipment, machinery, steel, automobiles, ships; textiles, clothing, footwear; fish

Exports - partners (Exports--partners) [time series]

US 17%, EU 13%, Japan 12% (1995)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity--$584.7 billion (1998 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP--composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 6% industry: 43% services: 51% (1997 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP--per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity?$12,600 (1998 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP--real growth rate) [time series]

-6.8% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports [time series]

$94 billion (c.i.f., 1998)

Imports - commodities (Imports--commodities) [time series]

machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains

Imports - partners (Imports--partners) [time series]

US 22%, Japan 21%, EU 13% (1995)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

3.1% (1997 est.)

Industries [time series]

electronics, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel, textiles, clothing, footwear, food processing

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

7.5% (1998)

Labor force [time series]

20 million

Labor force - by occupation (Labor force--by occupation) [time series]

services and other 52%, mining and manufacturing 27%, agriculture, fishing, forestry 21% (1991)

Population below poverty line [time series]

NA%

Unemployment rate [time series]

7.9% (1998)

Geography

Area [time series]

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

Area - comparative (Area--comparative) [time series]

slightly larger than Indiana

Climate [time series]

temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter

Coastline [time series]

2,413 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

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

Environment - current issues (Environment--current issues) [time series]

air pollution in large cities; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; driftnet fishing

International environmental agreements (Environment--international agreements) [time series]

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification

Geographic coordinates [time series]

37 00 N, 127 30 E

Irrigated land [time series]

13,350 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 238 km border countries: North Korea 238 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 19% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 1% forests and woodland: 65% other: 13% (1993 est.)

Location [time series]

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

Map references [time series]

Asia

Maritime claims [time series]

contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: not specified exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the Korea Strait

Natural hazards [time series]

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

Natural resources [time series]

coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower

Terrain [time series]

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

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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*

Capital [time series]

Seoul

Constitution [time series]

25 February 1988

Country name [time series]

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

Data code [time series]

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen W. BOSWORTH embassy: 82 Sejong-Ro, Chongro-ku, Seoul mailing address: American Embassy, Unit 15550, APO AP 96205-0001

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador YI Hong-ku chancery: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President KIM Dae-jung (since 25 February 1998) head of government: Prime Minister KIM Chong-p'il (since 3 March 1998) cabinet: State Council appointed by the president on the prime minister's recommendation elections: president elected by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 18 December 1997 (next to be held by 18 December 2002); prime minister appointed by the president; deputy prime ministers appointed by the president on the prime minister's recommendation election results: KIM Dae-jung elected president; percent of vote--KIM Dae-jung (NCNP) 40.3%, YI Hoe-chang (GNP) 38.7%, YI In-che (NPP) 19.2%

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

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 [time series]

republic

Independence [time series]

15 August 1945, date of liberation from Japanese colonial rule

International organization participation [time series]

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

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court, justices are appointed by the president subject to the consent of the National Assembly

Legal system [time series]

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

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (299 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 11 April 1996 (next to be held NA 2000) election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--NKP 139, NCNP 79, ULD 50, DP 15, independents 16; note--the distribution of seats as of February 1999 was GNP 137, NCNP 105, ULD 53, independents 4

National holiday [time series]

Liberation Day, 15 August (1945)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Grand National Party or GNP [CHO president] note: subsequent to the legislative election of April 1996 the following parties disbanded--New Korea Party or NKP and Democratic Party or DP; New People's Party or NPP merged with the NCNP in August 1998

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

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

Suffrage [time series]

20 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

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.

Military

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure (Military expenditures--dollar figure) [time series]

$9.9 billion (FY98/99)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures--percent of GDP) [time series]

3.2% (FY98/99)

Military manpower - availability (Military manpower--availability) [time series]

males age 15-49: 13,954,916 (1999 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service (Military manpower--fit for military service) [time series]

males age 15-49: 8,890,144 (1999 est.)

Military manpower - military age (Military manpower--military age) [time series]

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually (Military manpower--reaching military age annually) [time series]

males: 400,468 (1999 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 22% (male 5,504,333; female 4,874,974) 15-64 years: 71% (male 16,949,807; female 16,432,951) 65 years and over: 7% (male 1,192,688; female 1,930,047) (1999 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

15.95 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate [time series]

5.68 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

7.57 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Languages [time series]

Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 74.3 years male: 70.75 years female: 78.32 years (1999 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 99.3% female: 96.7% (1995 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean

Net migration rate [time series]

-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Population [time series]

46,884,800 (July 1999 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

1% (1999 est.)

Religions [time series]

Christianity 49%, Buddhism 47%, Confucianism 3%, pervasive folk religion (shamanism), Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way), and other 1%

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.13 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.79 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international (Disputes--international) [time series]

Demarcation Line with North Korea; Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima/Tokdo) claimed by Japan

Transportation

Airports [time series]

103 (1998 est.)

Airports - with paved runways (Airports--with paved runways) [time series]

total: 68 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 21 (1998 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways (Airports--with unpaved runways) [time series]

total: 35 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 32 (1998 est.)

Heliports [time series]

200 (1998 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 63,500 km paved: 46,800 km (including 1,720 km of expressways) unpaved: 16,700 km (1998 est.)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 442 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,212,089 GRT/8,161,845 DWT ships by type: bulk 106, cargo 133, chemical tanker 36, combination bulk 5, container 52, liquefied gas tanker 13, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 56, passenger 3, refrigerated cargo 22, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 9 (1998 est.)

Pipelines [time series]

petroleum products 455 km; note--additionally, there is a parallel petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) pipeline being completed

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

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

Railways [time series]

total: 6,240 km standard gauge: 6,240 km 1.435-m gauge (525 km electrified) (1998 est.)

Waterways [time series]

1,609 km; use restricted to small native craft

Korea, South