1986 Edition

Agriculture

9.0 million people (22% of the population) live in farm households, but agriculture, forestry, and fishing constitute 15% of GNP; main crops — rice, barley, vegetables, and legumes

Aid

economic — US, including Ex-Im (1970-83), $3.9 billion committed; Japan (1965-75), $1.8 billion extended; militaryUS (1970-84) $3.8 billion committed

Airfields

121 total, 109 usable; 67 with permanent-surface runways; 23 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 12 with runways 1, 220-2,439 m

Area

.. 3 Cheju-do^- — > Srr regional map Mil Land 98,500 km2; slightly larger than Indiana; 66% forest, 23% arable (22% cultivated), 10% urban and other

Branches

unicameral legislature (National Assembly), judiciary

Army, Navy, Air Force, Naval Marine Force

Budget

planned expenditures, $15.4 billion (1986)

Capital

Seoul

Civil air

93 major transport aircraft

CNF

$90.1 billion (1984, in 1984 prices), $2,000 per capita; real growth 7.5% (1984); real growth 4.7% (1980-84 average)

Coastline

499 km People

Communists

Communist activity banned by government

Crude steel

13.0 million metric tons produced (1984)

Elections

under new constitution of October 1980, President elected every seven years indirectly by a 5,000-man electoral college; last election February 1981; fouryear National Assembly, elected in February 1985, consists of 276 representatives, 184 directly elected and 92 appointed on proportional basis by major parties Political parties and leaders: major party is government's Democratic Justice Party (DJP), Chun Doo Hwan, president, and Roh Tae Woo, chairman; opposition parties are New Korea Democratic Party (NKDP), Lee Min-woo; Korean National Party (KNP), Lee Man-sup; several smaller parties

Electric power

15,560,000 kW capacity (1985); 56.49 billion kWh produced (1985), 1, 325 kWh per capita

Ethnic divisions

homogeneous; small Chinese minority (approx. 20,000)

39% Kuwaiti, 39% other Arab, 9% South Asian, 4% Iranian, 9% other

Exports

$29.2 billion (f.o.b., 1984); textiles and clothing, electrical machinery, footwear, steel, ships, fish

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

Fishing

catch 2,909,81 1 metric tons (1984)

Freight carried

rail (1983) 51 million metric tons; highway 126 million metric tons; air (1983) 47,000 metric tons (domestic)

Government leaders

CHUN Doo Hwan, President (since August 1980); LHO Shin Yong, Prime Minister (since February 1985)

Highways

53,936 km total (1982); 13,476 km national highway, 49,460 km provincial and local roads

Imports

$30.6 billion (c.i.f., 1984); machinery, oil, steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains

Infant mortality rate

29/1,000(1983)

26. 1/1,000 (1985)

Inland waterways

1,609 km; use restricted to small native craft

Labor force

15.4 million (1985 est.); 47% services and other; 30% agriculture, fishing, forestry; 21% mining and manufacturing; average unemployment 4.1% (1985 est.)

Land boundaries

241 km Water

459 km Water

Language

Korean; English widely taught in high school

Arabic (official); English widely spoken

Legal system

combines elements of continental European civil law systems, AngloAmerican law, and Chinese classical thought; constitution approved 1980; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Life expectancy

men 64, women 71

men 69, women 74

Limits of territorial waters

12 nm — 3 nm in Korea Strait (200 nm exclusive economic zone) Coosf/<ne:2,413km People

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

12 nm

Literacy

over 90%

about 71%

Major industries

textiles and clothing, food processing, chemicals, steel, electronics, ship building Kuwait

Major trade partners

exports — 36% US, 16% Japan; imports— 25% Japan, 22% US (1984)

Member of

ABD, AfDB, AsianAfrican Legal Consultative Committee, Asian Parliamentary Union, APACL — Asian People's Anti-Communist League, ASPAC, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, Geneva Conventions of 1949 for the protection of war victims, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, IWC — International Whaling Commission, IWC— International Wheat Council, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNIDO, UN Special Fund, UPU, WACL— World Anti-Communist League, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO; official observer status at UN Economy

Military budget

proposed for fiscal year ending 31 December 1986, $4.7 billion; about 31.2% of central government budget Bubiyan Land 1 7,81 8 km2 (excluding neutral zone but including islands); slightly smaller than New Jersey; nearly all desert, waste, or urban; insignificant forest; 1% cultivated

Military manpower

males 15-49, 12,055,000; 8,129,000 fit for military service; 464,000 reach military age (18) annually

Monetary conversion rate

892 won=US$l (2 January 1986)

National holiday

Independence Day, 15 August

Nationality

noun — Korean(s); adjective — Korean

noun — Kuwaiti(s); adjective — Kuwaiti

Natural resources

coal (limited), tungsten, graphite

Official name

Republic of Korea

Organized labor

about 10% of nonagricultural labor force in governmentsanctioned unions Government

Other political or pressure groups

Council for the Promotion of Democracy; Korean National Council of Churches; large, potentially volatile student population concentrated in Seoul; Federation of Korean Trade Unions; Korean Veterans' Association; Federation of Korean Industries; Korean Traders Association

Pipelines

294 km refined products

Political subdivisions

nine provinces, four special cities; governors/mayors centrally appointed

Population

43,285,000 (July 1986), average annual growth rate 1.5%

1,77 1,000 (July 1986), average annual growth rate 3.5%

Ports

1 1 major, 32 minor

Railroads

3,106.5 km operating in 1983; 3,059.4 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 46.9 km 0.610-meter narrow gauge, 712.5 km double-track, 417.9 km electrified; government owned

Religion

strong Confucian tradition; vigorous Christian minority (28% of the total population); Buddhism; pervasive folk religion (Shamanism); Chondokyo (religion of the heavenly way), eclectic religion with nationalist overtones founded in 19th century, claims about 1 .5 million adherents

85% Muslim, 15% Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other

Shortages

heavily dependent on imports of iron ore, crude oil, base metals, lumber, and certain food grains

Suffrage

universal over age 20

Telecommunications

adequate domestic and international services; 4.8 million telephones (121 per 100 pop!.); 79 AM, 46 FM, 256 TV stations (57 of 1 kW or greater); 1 ground satellite station Defense Forces

Type

republic; power centralized in a strong executive