females age 16-49: 6,188,270 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,141,240
females age 16-49: 5,139,447 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 199,628
female: 192,388 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
NA
Transnational Issues
Korea, North
Disputes - international:
risking arrest, imprisonment, and deportation, tens of thousands of
North Koreans cross into China to escape famine, economic privation,
and political oppression; North Korea and China dispute the
sovereignty of certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers; Military
Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has
separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic incidents in
the Yellow Sea with South Korea which claims the Northern Limiting
Line as a maritime boundary; North Korea supports South Korea in
rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima)
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: undetermined (flooding in mid-2007 and famine during
mid-1990s) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: North Korea is a source country for men, women,
and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and
commercial sexual exploitation; the most common form of trafficking
involves North Korean women and girls who cross the border into
China voluntarily; additionally, North Korean women and girls are
lured out of North Korea to escape poor social and economic
conditions by the promise of food, jobs, and freedom, only to be
forced into prostitution, marriage, or exploitative labor
arrangements once in China
tier rating: Tier 3 - North Korea does not fully comply with minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making
significant efforts to do so; the government does not acknowledge
the existence of human rights abuses in the country or recognize
trafficking, either within the country or transnationally; North
Korea has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Illicit drugs:
for years, from the 1970s into the 2000s, citizens of the Democratic
People's Republic of (North) Korea (DPRK), many of them diplomatic
employees of the government, were apprehended abroad while
trafficking in narcotics, including two in Turkey in December 2004;
police investigations in Taiwan and Japan in recent years have
linked North Korea to large illicit shipments of heroin and
methamphetamine, including an attempt by the North Korean merchant
ship Pong Su to deliver 150 kg of heroin to Australia in April 2003
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Korea, South
Introduction
Korea, South
Background:
An independent Korean state or collection of states has existed
almost continuously for several millennia. Between its initial
unification in the 7th century - from three predecessor Korean
states - until the 20th century, Korea existed as a single
independent country. In 1905, following the Russo-Japanese War,
Korea became a protectorate of imperial Japan, and in 1910 it was
annexed as a colony. Korea regained its independence following
Japan's surrender to the United States in 1945. After World War II,
a Republic of Korea (ROK) was set up in the southern half of the
Korean Peninsula while a Communist-style government was installed in
the north (the DPRK). During the Korean War (1950-53), US troops and
UN forces fought alongside soldiers from the ROK to defend South
Korea from DPRK attacks supported by China and the Soviet Union. An
armistice was signed in 1953, splitting the peninsula along a
demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel. Thereafter, South
Korea achieved rapid economic growth with per capita income rising
to roughly 14 times the level of North Korea. In 1993, KIM Young-sam
became South Korea's first civilian president following 32 years of
military rule. South Korea today is a fully functioning modern
democracy. In June 2000, a historic first North-South summit took
place between the South's President KIM Dae-jung and the North's
leader KIM Jong Il. In October 2007, a second North-South summit
took place between the South's President ROH Moo-hyun and the North
Korean leader.
Geography
Korea, South
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:
total: 98,480 sq km
land: 98,190 sq km
water: 290 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Indiana
Land boundaries:
total: 238 km
border countries: North Korea 238 km
Coastline:
2,413 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the Korea Strait
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: not specified
Climate:
temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter
Terrain:
mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m
Natural resources:
coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential
Land use:
arable land: 16.58%
permanent crops: 2.01%
other: 81.41% (2005)
Irrigated land:
8,780 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
69.7 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 18.59 cu km/yr (36%/16%/48%)
per capita: 389 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic
activity common in southwest
Environment - current issues:
air pollution in large cities; acid rain; water pollution from the
discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategic location on Korea Strait
People
Korea, South
Population:
48,379,392 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 17.4% (male 4,431,315/female 4,004,810)
15-64 years: 72% (male 17,760,975/female 17,095,436)
65 years and over: 10.5% (male 2,030,931/female 3,055,925) (2008
est.)
Median age:
total: 36.7 years
male: 35.5 years
female: 37.9 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.269% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
9.09 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
5.73 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.29 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.52 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.64 years
male: 75.34 years
female: 82.17 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.2 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
8,300 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Korean(s)
adjective: Korean
Ethnic groups:
homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)
Religions:
Christian 26.3% (Protestant 19.7%, Roman Catholic 6.6%), Buddhist
23.2%, other or unknown 1.3%, none 49.3% (1995 census)
Languages:
Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.9%
male: 99.2%
female: 96.6% (2002)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 17 years
male: 18 years
female: 15 years (2007)
Education expenditures:
4.6% of GDP (2004)
Government
Korea, South
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Korea
conventional short form: South Korea
local long form: Taehan-min'guk
local short form: Han'guk
abbreviation: ROK
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Seoul
geographic coordinates: 37 33 N, 126 59 E
time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 7 metropolitan cities
(gwangyoksi, singular and plural)
provinces: Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto (North Cholla), Cholla-namdo
(South Cholla), Ch'ungch'ong-bukto (North Ch'ungch'ong),
Ch'ungch'ong-namdo (South Ch'ungch'ong), Kangwon-do, Kyonggi-do,
Kyongsang-bukto (North Kyongsang), Kyongsang-namdo (South Kyongsang)
metropolitan cities: Inch'on-gwangyoksi (Inch'on),
Kwangju-gwangyoksi (Kwangju), Pusan-gwangyoksi (Pusan),
Soul-t'ukpyolsi (Seoul), Taegu-gwangyoksi (Taegu), Taejon-gwangyoksi
(Taejon), Ulsan-gwangyoksi (Ulsan)
Independence:
15 August 1945 (from Japan)
National holiday:
Liberation Day, 15 August (1945)
Constitution:
17 July 1948; note - amended or rewritten nine times; current
constitution approved on 29 October 1987
Legal system:
combines elements of continental European civil law systems,
Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
19 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President LEE Myung-bak (since 25 February 2008)
head of government: Prime Minister HAN Seung-soo (since 29 February
2008)
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 19 December 2007 (next to be held on in
December 2012); prime minister appointed by president with consent
of National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by president
on prime minister's recommendation
election results: ROH Moo-hyun elected president on 19 December
2002; percent of vote - ROH Moo-hyun (MDP) 48.9%; LEE Hoi-chang
(GNP) 46.6%; others 4.5%; LEE Myung-bak elected president on 19
December 2007; percent of vote - LEE Myung-bak (GNP) 48.7%; CHUNG
Dong-young (UNDP) 26.1%); LEE Hoi-chang (independent) 15.1; others
10.1%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (299 seats; 243 members
elected in single-seat constituencies, 56 elected by proportional
representation; to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 9 April 2008 (next to be held in April 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
GNP 153, UDP 81, LFP 18, Pro-Park Alliance 14, DLP 5, CKP 3,
independents 25
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (justices appointed by the president with consent of
National Assembly); Constitutional Court (justices appointed by the
president based partly on nominations by National Assembly and Chief
Justice of the court)
Political parties and leaders:
Creative Korea Party or CKP [MOON Kook-hyun]; Democratic Labor Party
or DLP [CHUN Young-se]; Grand National Party or GNP [PARK Hee-tae];
Liberty Forward Party or LFP [LEE Hoi-chang]; Democratic Party or DP
[CHUNG Sye-kyun] (formerly the United Democratic Party or UDP)
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Federation of Korean Industries; Federation of Korean Trade Unions;
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; Korean National Council of
Churches; Korean Traders Association; Korean Veterans' Association;
National Council of Labor Unions; National Democratic Alliance of
Korea; National Federation of Farmers' Associations; National
Federation of Student Associations
International organization participation:
ADB, AfDB (nonregional members), APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue
partner), Australia Group, BIS, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA,
MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, PIF
(partner), SAARC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador LEE Tae-sik
chancery: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600
FAX: [1] (202) 387-0205
consulate(s) general: Agana (Guam), Atlanta, Boston, Chicago,
Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Kathleen STEPHENS
embassy: 32 Sejong-no, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-710
mailing address: US Embassy Seoul, APO AP 96205-5550
telephone: [82] (2) 397-4114
FAX: [82] (2) 738-8845
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
Economy
Korea, South
Economy - overview:
Since the 1960s, South Korea has achieved an incredible record of
growth and integration into the high-tech modern world economy. Four
decades ago, GDP per capita was comparable with levels in the poorer
countries of Africa and Asia. In 2004, South Korea joined the
trillion dollar club of world economies. Today its GDP per capita is
roughly the same as that of Greece and Spain. This success 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 longstanding weaknesses in
South Korea's development model including high debt/equity ratios,
massive foreign borrowing, and an undisciplined financial sector.
GDP plunged by 6.9% in 1998, then recovered by 9.5% in 1999 and 8.5%
in 2000. Growth fell back to 3.3% in 2001 because of the slowing
global economy, falling exports, and the perception that much-needed
corporate and financial reforms had stalled. Led by consumer
spending and exports, growth in 2002 was an impressive 7%, despite
anemic global growth. Between 2003 and 2007, growth moderated to
about 4-5% annually. A downturn in consumer spending was offset by
rapid export growth. Moderate inflation, low unemployment, and an
export surplus in 2007 characterize this solid economy, but
inflation and unemployment are increasing in the face of rising oil
prices.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.206 trillion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$957.1 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$25,000 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 39.4%
services: 57.6% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
24.22 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 7.5%
industry: 17.3%
services: 75.2% (2007)
Unemployment rate:
3.3% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
15% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 25% (2005 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
35.1 (2006)
Investment (gross fixed):
28.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $262.2 billion
expenditures: $225.8 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
28.2% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.5% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
3.25% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
6.55% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$92.59 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$541.7 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$1.061 trillion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs, chickens,
milk, eggs; fish
Industries:
electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals,
shipbuilding, steel
Industrial production growth rate:
5.5% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
412.7 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
368.6 billion kWh (2007)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 62.4%
hydro: 0.8%
nuclear: 36.6%
other: 0.2% (2001)
Oil - production:
20,970 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
2.214 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
2.41 million bbl/day (2006)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
390 million cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
34.83 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
33.38 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
$5.954 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$379 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment, motor
vehicles, computers, steel, ships, petrochemicals
Exports - partners:
China 22.1%, US 12.4%, Japan 7.1%, Hong Kong 5% (2007)
Imports:
$349.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel,
transport equipment, organic chemicals, plastics
Imports - partners:
China 17.7%, Japan 15.8%, US 10.5%, Saudi Arabia 5.9% (2007)
Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $455.3 million (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$68.07 million (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$262.2 billion (31 December 2007)
Debt - external:
$220.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$119.6 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$82.1 billion (2006)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$1.051 trillion (2007)
Currency (code):
South Korean won (KRW)
Currency code:
KRW
Exchange rates:
South Korean won (KRW) per US dollar - 929.2 (2007), 954.8 (2006),
1,024.1 (2005), 1,145.3 (2004), 1,191.6 (2003)
Communications
Korea, South
Telephones - main lines in use:
23.905 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
43.5 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: excellent domestic and international services
featuring rapid incorporation of new technologies
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone
subscribership exceeds 140 per 100 persons; rapid assimilation of a
full range of telecommunications technologies leading to a boom in
e-commerce
international: country code - 82; numerous submarine cables provide
links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US;
satellite earth stations - 6 (3 Intelsat - 1 Pacific Ocean and 2
Indian Ocean; 3 Inmarsat - 1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 61, FM 150, shortwave 2 (2005)
Radios:
47.5 million (2000)
Television broadcast stations:
43 (plus 59 cable operators and 190 relay cable operators) (2005)
Televisions:
15.9 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.kr
Internet hosts:
333,823 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
11 (2000)
Internet users:
35.59 million (2007)
Transportation
Korea, South
Airports:
105 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 68
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 21
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 19 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 37
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 34 (2007)
Heliports:
536 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 1,482 km; refined products 827 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 3,472 km
standard gauge: 3,472 km 1.435-m gauge (1,342 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways:
total: 102,062 km
paved: 90,417 km (includes 3,103 km of expressways)
unpaved: 11,645 km (2006)
Waterways:
1,608 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 812
by type: bulk carrier 212, cargo 226, carrier 2, chemical tanker
133, container 80, liquefied gas 33, passenger 5, passenger/cargo
26, petroleum tanker 61, refrigerated cargo 16, roll on/roll off 9,
specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 5
foreign-owned: 31 (China 1, Japan 20, Norway 2, UK 1, US 7)
registered in other countries: 363 (Belize 1, Cambodia 22, China 1,
Cyprus 1, Honduras 6, Hong Kong 3, Kiribati 2, Liberia 3, Malta 2,
Marshall Islands 10, Mongolia 1, Netherlands 1, Panama 303, Russia
1, Singapore 3, Tuvalu 1, unknown 2) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Inch'on, P'ohang, Pusan, Ulsan
Military
Korea, South
Military branches:
Republic of Korea Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force
(2008)
Military service age and obligation:
20-30 years of age for compulsory military service, with middle
school education required; conscript service obligation - 24-28
months, depending on the military branch involved (to be reduced to
18 months beginning 2016); 18-26 years of age for voluntary military
service; women, in service since 1950, admitted to 7 service
branches, including infantry, but excluded from artillery, armor,
anti-air, and chaplaincy corps; some 4,000 women serve as
commissioned and noncommissioned officers, approx. 2.3% of all
officers (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 13,691,809
females age 16-49: 13,029,859 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 11,282,699
females age 16-49: 10,683,668 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 371,108
female: 325,408 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.7% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues
Korea, South
Disputes - international:
Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone
has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic incidents
with North Korea in the Yellow Sea over the Northern Limiting Line,
which South Korea claims as a maritime boundary; South Korea and
Japan claim Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima), occupied by South
Korea since 1954
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Kosovo
Introduction
Kosovo
Background: