cabinet: Naegak (cabinet) members, except for Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by SPA (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: last election held in September 2003; date of next election NA
election results: KIM Jong Il and KIM Yong Nam were only nominees for positions and ran unopposed
Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 8 March 2009 (next to be held in March 2014)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; ruling party approves a list of candidates who are elected without opposition; a token number of seats are reserved for minor parties
Judicial branch:
Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly)
Political parties and leaders:
major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Jong Il]; minor parties - Chondoist Chongu Party [RYU Mi Yong] (under KWP control), Social Democratic Party [KIM Yong Dae] (under KWP control)
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none
International organization participation:
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none; North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none; note - Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang represents the US as consular protecting power
Flag description:
three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side of the red band is a white disk with a red five-pointed star; the broad red band symbolizes revolutionary traditions; the narrow white bands stands for purity, strength, and dignity; the blue bands signify sovereignty, peace, and friendship; the red star represents socialism
National anthem:
name: "Aegukka" (Patriotic Song)
lyrics/music: PAK Se Yong/KIM Won Gyun
note: adopted 1947; both North Korea and South Korea's anthems share the same name and have a vaguely similar melody but have different lyrics; the North Korean anthem is also known as "Ach'imun pinnara" (Let Morning Shine)
Economy ::Korea, North
Economy - overview:
North Korea, one of the world's most centrally directed and least open economies, faces chronic economic problems. Industrial capital stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of years of underinvestment and shortages of spare parts. Large-scale military spending draws off resources needed for investment and civilian consumption. Industrial and power output have declined in parallel from pre-1990 levels. Severe flooding in the summer of 2007 aggravated chronic food shortages caused by on-going systemic problems, including a lack of arable land, collective farming practices, and persistent shortages of tractors and fuel. Large-scale international food aid deliveries have allowed the people of North Korea to escape widespread starvation since famine threatened in 1995, but the population continues to suffer from prolonged malnutrition and poor living conditions. Since 2002, the government has allowed private "farmers' markets" to begin selling a wider range of goods. It also permitted some private farming - on an experimental basis - in an effort to boost agricultural output. In October 2005, the government tried to reverse some of these policies by forbidding private sales of grains and reinstituting a centralized food rationing system. By December 2005, the government terminated most international humanitarian assistance operations in North Korea (calling instead for developmental assistance only) and restricted the activities of remaining international and non-governmental aid organizations. In mid-2008, North Korea began receiving food aid under a US program to deliver 500,000 metric tons of food via the World Food Program and US nongovernmental organizations; but Pyongyang stopped accepting the aid in March 2009. In December 2009, North Korea carried out a redenomination of its currency, capping the amount of North Korean won that could be exchanged for the new notes, and limiting the exchange to a one-week window. A concurrent crackdown on markets and foreign currency use yielded severe shortages and inflation, forcing Pyongyang to ease the restrictions by February 2010. Nevertheless, firm political control remains the Communist government's overriding concern, which likely will inhibit changes to North Korea's current economic system.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$40 billion (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 98 $40 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars;
North Korea does not publish reliable National Income Accounts data; the data shown here are derived from purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP estimates for North Korea that were made by Angus MADDISON in a study conducted for the OECD; his figure for 1999 was extrapolated to 2009 using estimated real growth rates for North Korea's GDP and an inflation factor based on the US GDP deflator; the results were rounded to the nearest $10 billion.
GDP (official exchange rate):
$28 billion (2009 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-0.9% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 199 3.7% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,800 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 195 $1,900 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 20.9%
industry: 46.9%
services: 32.1% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
12.2 million country comparison to the world: 41 note: estimates vary widely (2009 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 35%
industry and services: 65% (2008 est.)
Unemployment rate:
Population below poverty line:
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Agriculture - products:
rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs
Industries:
military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, limestone, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
Electricity - production:
22.5 billion kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 69
Electricity - consumption:
18.8 billion kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 70
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
118 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 110
Oil - consumption:
16,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 135
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 188
Oil - imports:
13,890 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 129
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 163
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 170
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 124
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 80
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 155
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 157
Exports:
$1.997 billion (2009) country comparison to the world: 131 $2.062 billion (2008)
Exports - commodities:
minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments), textiles, agricultural and fishery products
Exports - partners:
China 42%, South Korea 38%, India 5% (2008)
Imports:
$3.096 billion (2009) country comparison to the world: 138 $3.574 billion (2008)
Imports - commodities:
petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment, textiles, grain
Imports - partners:
China 57%, South Korea 25%, Russia 3%, Singapore 3% (2008)
Debt - external:
$12.5 billion (2001 est.) country comparison to the world: 85
Exchange rates:
North Korean won (KPW) per US dollar (market rate) 1,800 (December 2010), 3,630 (December 2008), 140 (2007), 141 (2006)
Communications ::Korea, North
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.18 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 70
Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate system; nationwide fiber-optic network; mobile-cellular service expanding beyond Pyongyang
domestic: fiber-optic links installed down to the county level; telephone directories unavailable; mobile-cellular service, initiated in 2002, suspended in 2004; Orascom Telecom, an Egyptian company, launched mobile service on December 15, 2008 for the Pyongyang area with plans to expand nationwide
international: country code - 850; satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat - Indian Ocean, 1 Russian - Indian Ocean region); other international connections through Moscow and Beijing (2009)
Broadcast media:
no independent media; radios and televisions are pre-tuned to government stations; 4 government-owned television stations; the Korean Workers' Party owns and operates the Korean Central Broadcasting Station, and the state-run Voice of Korea operates an external broadcast service; the government prohibits listening to and jams foreign broadcasts (2008)
Internet country code:
.kp
Internet hosts:
3 (2010) country comparison to the world: 227
Transportation ::Korea, North
Airports:
79 (2010) country comparison to the world: 70
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 37
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 23
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 4 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 42
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 8 (2010)
Heliports:
22 (2010)
Pipelines:
oil 154 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 5,242 km country comparison to the world: 35 standard gauge: 5,242 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) (2009)
Roadways:
total: 25,554 km country comparison to the world: 104 paved: 724 km
unpaved: 24,830 km (2006)
Waterways:
2,250 km; (most navigable only by small craft) (2010) country comparison to the world: 39
Merchant marine:
total: 158 country comparison to the world: 42 by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 129, carrier 1, container 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 11, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 19 (Belgium 1, China 1, Nigeria 1, Romania 1, Singapore 2, South Korea 1, Syria 6, UAE 6)
registered in other countries: 5 (Mongolia 1, Sierra Leone 1, unknown 3) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Namp'o, Senbong, Songnim,Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Wonsan
Military ::Korea, North
Military branches:
North Korean People's Army: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force; civil security forces (2005)
Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 6,132,987
females age 16-49: 6,119,405 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,127,999
females age 16-49: 4,522,707 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 184,631
female: 178,565 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
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
page last updated on January 18, 2011
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@Korea, South (East & Southeast Asia)
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 17 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. President LEE Myung-bak has pursued a policy of global engagement since taking office in February 2008, highlighted by Seoul's hosting of the G-20 summit in November 2010. Serious tensions with North Korea have punctuated inter-Korean relations in recent years, including the North's sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan in March 2010 and its artillery attack on South Korean soldiers and citizens in November 2010.
Geography ::Korea, South
Location:
Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering theSea of Japan and the Yellow Sea
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 99,720 sq km country comparison to the world: 108 land: 96,920 sq km
water: 2,800 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
volcanism: Halla (elev. 1,950 m, 6,398 ft) is considered historically active although it has not erupted in many centuries
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 LivingResources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, ClimateChange-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, MarineDumping, 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:
48,636,068 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 26
Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.8% (male 4,278,581/female 3,887,516)
15-64 years: 72.3% (male 17,897,053/female 17,196,840)
65 years and over: 10.8% (male 2,104,589/female 3,144,393) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 37.9 years
male: 36.5 years
female: 39.1 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.258% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 176
Birth rate:
8.72 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 215
Death rate:
6.15 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 160
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 94
Urbanization:
urban population: 81% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.6% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.24 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 199 male: 4.46 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.81 years country comparison to the world: 42 male: 75.56 years
female: 82.28 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.22 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 219
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 148
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
13,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 94
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 500 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 87
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: 16 years (2008)
Education expenditures:
4.2% of GDP (2007) country comparison to the world: 100
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, Kwangju-gwangyoksi, Pusan-gwangyoksi, Soul-t'ukpyolsi (Seoul), Taegu-gwangyoksi, Taejon-gwangyoksi, Ulsan-gwangyoksi
Independence:
15 August 1945 (from Japan)
National holiday:
Liberation Day, 15 August (1945)
Constitution:
17 July 1948; note - amended or rewritten many 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 KIM Hwang-sik (since 1 October 2010)
cabinet: State Council appointed by the president on the prime minister's recommendation (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held on 19 December 2007 (next to be held in December 2012); prime minister appointed by president with consent of National Assembly
election results: 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; 245 members elected in single-seat constituencies, 54 elected by proportional representation; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 9 April 2008 (next to be held in April 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GNP 172, UDP 83, LFP 20, PPA 8, DLP 5, RKP 1, independents 9
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (justices appointed by the president with consent ofNational Assembly); Constitutional Court (justices appointed by thepresident based partly on nominations by National Assembly and ChiefJustice of the court)
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party or DP [CHUNG Sye-kyun] (formerly the UnitedDemocratic Party or UDP); Democratic Labor Party or DLP [KANGKi-kap]; Grand National Party or GNP [AHN Sang-soo]; Liberty ForwardParty or LFP [LEE Hoi-chang]; New Progressive Party or NPP [ROHHoe-chan]; Pro-Park Alliance or PPA [SUH Choung-won]; Renewal KoreaParty or RKP [SONG Yong-o]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Federation of Korean Industries; Federation of Korean Trade Unions;Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; Korean National Council ofChurches; Korean Traders Association; Korean Veterans' Association;National Council of Labor Unions; National Democratic Alliance ofKorea; National Federation of Farmers' Associations; NationalFederation of Student Associations
International organization participation:
ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner),Australia Group, BIS, CD, CICA, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, FATF, G-20,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 (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Paris Club (associate), PCA, PIF(partner), SAARC (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO,WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador HAN Duck-soo
chancery: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600
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 Sejongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-710
mailing address: US Embassy Seoul, APO AP 96205-5550
telephone: [82] (2) 397-4114
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; the Korean national flag is called Taegukki; white is a traditional Korean color and represents peace and purity; the blue section represents the negative cosmic forces of the yin, while the red symbolizes the opposite positive forces of the yang; each trigram (kwae) denotes one of the four universal elements, which together express the principle of movement and harmony
National anthem:
name: "Aegukga" (Patriotic Song)
lyrics/music: YUN Ch'i-Ho or AN Ch'ang-Ho/AHN Eaktay
note: adopted 1948, well known by 1910; both North Korea and South Korea's anthems share the same name and have a vaguely similar melody but have different lyrics
Economy ::Korea, South
Economy - overview:
Since the 1960s, South Korea has achieved an incredible record of growth and global integration to become a high-tech industrialized 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, and currently is among the world's 20 largest economies. Initially, a system of close government and business ties, including directed credit and import restrictions, made this success possible. 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 and massive short-term foreign borrowing. GDP plunged by 6.9% in 1998, and then recovered by 9% in 1999-2000. Korea adopted numerous economic reforms following the crisis, including greater openness to foreign investment and imports. Growth moderated to about 4-5% annually between 2003 and 2007. With the global economic downturn in late 2008, South Korean GDP growth slowed to 0.2% in 2009. In the third quarter of 2009, the economy began to recover, in large part due to export growth, low interest rates, and an expansionary fiscal policy, and growth exceeded 6% in 2010. The South Korean economy's long term challenges include a rapidly aging population, inflexible labor market, and overdependence on manufacturing exports to drive economic growth.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.467 trillion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 13 $1.383 trillion (2009 est.)
$1.38 trillion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$986.3 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.1% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 35 0.2% (2009 est.)
2.3% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$30,200 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 45 $28,500 (2009 est.)
$28,500 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 39.4%
services: 57.6% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
24.62 million (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 25
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 7.3%
industry: 24.3%
services: 68.4% (2010 est.)
Unemployment rate:
3.7% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 33 3.7% (2009 est.)
Population below poverty line:
15% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.7%
highest 10%: 24.2% (2007)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
31.4 (2009) country comparison to the world: 104 35.8 (2000)
Investment (gross fixed):
28.7% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 23
Public debt:
23.7% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 101 23.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 91 2.8% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
1.25% (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 133 1.75% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
5.65% (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 126 7.17% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$101.9 billion (31 December 2010 est) country comparison to the world: 30 $82.54 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$1.346 trillion (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 13 $1.132 trillion (31 December 2008)
Stock of domestic credit:
$1.057 trillion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 15 $935.4 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$836.5 billion (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 17 $494.6 billion (31 December 2008)
$1.124 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:
12.1% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 6
Electricity - production:
417 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 11
Electricity - consumption:
402 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 11
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2009)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2009)
Oil - production:
48,180 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 65
Oil - consumption:
2.185 million bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 10
Oil - exports:
907,100 bbl/day country comparison to the world: 21 note: exports consist of oil derivatives (gasoline, light oil, and diesel), not crude oil (2009)
Oil - imports:
3.074 million bbl/day (2009) country comparison to the world: 5
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 162
Natural gas - production:
651 million cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 66
Natural gas - consumption:
34.09 billion cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 25
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 79
Natural gas - imports:
32.69 billion cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 10
Natural gas - proved reserves:
50 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 64
Current account balance:
$36.35 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 12 $42.67 billion (2009 est.)
Exports:
$466.3 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 7 $373.6 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment, motor vehicles, computers, steel, ships, petrochemicals
Exports - partners:
China 21.5%, US 10.9%, Japan 6.6%, Hong Kong 4.6% (2008)
Imports:
$417.9 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 9 $317.5 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, organic chemicals, plastics
Imports - partners:
China 17.7%, Japan 14%, US 8.9%, Saudi Arabia 7.8%, UAE 4.4%,Australia 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$274.6 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 7 $270 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$370.1 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 24 $370.8 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$112.1 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 30 $110.8 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$115.6 billion (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 25 $74.6 billion (30 June 2008)
Exchange rates:
South Korean won (KRW) per US dollar - 1,153.77 (2010), 1,276.93 (2009), 1,101.7 (2008), 929.2 (2007), 954.8 (2006)
Communications ::Korea, South
Telephones - main lines in use:
19.289 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 15
Telephones - mobile cellular:
47.944 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 25
Telephone system:
general assessment: excellent domestic and international services featuring rapid incorporation of new technologies
domestic: fixed-line and mobile-cellular services widely available with a combined telephone subscribership of roughly 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 - 66
Broadcast media:
multiple national television networks with 2 of the 3 largest networks publicly operated; the largest privately-owned network, Seoul Broadcasting Service (SBS), has ties with other commercial TV networks; cable and satellite TV subscription services are available; publicly-operated radio broadcast networks and a large number of privately-owned radio broadcasting networks, each with multiple affiliates, and independent local stations (2008)
Internet country code:
.kr
Internet hosts:
291,329 (2010) country comparison to the world: 58
Internet users:
39.4 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 11
Transportation ::Korea, South
Airports:
116 (2010) country comparison to the world: 53
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 72
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 21
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 22 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 44
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 42 (2010)
Heliports:
510 (2010)
Pipelines:
gas 1,423 km; refined products 827 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 3,381 km country comparison to the world: 51 standard gauge: 3,381 km 1.435-m gauge (1,843 km electrified) (2008)
Roadways:
total: 103,029 km country comparison to the world: 41 paved: 80,642 km (includes 3,367 km of expressways)
unpaved: 22,387 km (2008)
Waterways:
1,608 km; (most navigable only by small craft) (2010) country comparison to the world: 50
Merchant marine:
total: 819 country comparison to the world: 14 by type: bulk carrier 201, cargo 246, carrier 5, chemical tanker 132, container 69, liquefied gas 40, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 21, petroleum tanker 67, refrigerated cargo 15, roll on/roll off 9, vehicle carrier 9
foreign-owned: 33 (China 9, France 1, Japan 15, US 8)
registered in other countries: 438 (Cambodia 11, Ghana 1, Honduras 6, Hong Kong 3, Indonesia 1, Kiribati 2, Liberia 1, Malta 3, Marshall Islands 25, North Korea 1, Panama 366, Philippines 1, Russia 1, Singapore 9, Tuvalu 1, unknown 6) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Inch'on, P'ohang, Pusan, Ulsan, Yosu
Military ::Korea, South
Military branches:
Republic of Korea Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
20-30 years of age for compulsory military service, with middle school education required; conscript service obligation - 21 months (Army, Marines), 23 months (Navy), 24 months (Air Force); 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; HIV-positive individuals are exempt from military service (2010)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 13,274,442
females age 16-49: 12,542,699 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 10,929,625
females age 16-49: 10,264,608 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 370,645
female: 321,765 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.7% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 53
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 Limit 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
page last updated on January 20, 2011
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@Kosovo (Europe)
Introduction ::Kosovo
Background:
Ethnic Serbs migrated to the territories of modern Kosovo in the 7th century but did not fully incorporate them into the Serbian realm until the early 13th century. During the medieval period, Kosovo became the center of a Serbian Empire and saw the construction of many important Serb religious sites, including many architecturally significant Serbian Orthodox monasteries. The defeat of Serbian forces at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 led to five centuries of Ottoman rule during which large numbers of Turks and Albanians moved to Kosovo. By the end of the 19th century, Albanians replaced the Serbs as the dominant ethnic group in Kosovo. Serbia reacquired control over Kosovo from the Ottoman Empire during the First Balkan War of 1912. Kosovo became an autonomous province of Serbia with status almost equivalent to that of a republic under the 1974 Constitution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Despite legislative concessions, Albanian nationalism increased in the 1980s, which led to riots and calls for Kosovo's independence. At the same time, Serb nationalist leaders, such as Slobodan MILOSEVIC, exploited Kosovo Serb claims of maltreatment to secure votes from supporters, many of whom viewed Kosovo as their cultural heartland. Under MILOSEVIC's leadership, Serbia instituted a new constitution in 1989 that revoked Kosovo's status as an autonomous province of Serbia. Kosovo Albanian leaders responded in 1991 by organizing a referendum that declared Kosovo independent. Under MILOSEVIC, Serbia carried out repressive measures against the Albanians in the early 1990s as the unofficial Kosovo government, led by Ibrahim RUGOVA, used passive resistance in an attempt to try to gain international assistance and recognition of an independent Kosovo. Albanians dissatisfied with RUGOVA's passive strategy in the 1990s created the Kosovo Liberation Army and launched an insurgency. Starting in 1998, Serbian military, police, and paramilitary forces conducted a counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massive expulsions of ethnic Albanians. Approximately 800,000 Albanians were forced from their homes in Kosovo during this time. International attempts to mediate the conflict failed, and MILOSEVIC's rejection of a proposed settlement led to a three-month NATO military campaign against Serbia beginning in March 1999 that forced Serbia to agree to withdraw its military and police forces from Kosovo. UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) placed Kosovo under a transitional administration, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), pending a determination of Kosovo's future status. A UN-led process began in late 2005 to determine Kosovo's final status. The negotiations ran in stages between 2006 and 2007, but ended without agreement between Belgrade and Pristina. On 17 February 2008, the Kosovo Assembly declared Kosovo independent. Since then, over sixty countries have recognized Kosovo, and it has joined the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Serbia continues to reject Kosovo's independence and it subsequently sought an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality under international law of Kosovo's independence declaration. In July 2010 the ICJ ruled that Kosovo's declaration of independence did not violate international law.