1987 Edition

Boundary disputes

Demarcation Line with North Korea; Liancourt Rocks disputed with Japan

Climate

temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer

temperate; cold, dry, clear winters with hot and humid summers

Coastline

2,413 km

Comparative area

slightly larger than Indiana

Environment

mountainous interior is isolated, nearly inaccessible, and sparsely populated; late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding

occasional typhoons bring high winds, floods, landslides; water pollution; air pollution

Exclusive fishing zone

12 nm

Land boundary

241 km with North Korea

Land use

18% arable land; 1% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures; 74% forest and woodland; 7% other; includes 9% irrigated

21% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 1% meadows and pastures; 67% forest and woodland; 10% other; includes 12% irrigated

Special notes

occupies northern half of Korean peninsula; strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and USSR

strategic location along Korea Strait and between Chinese, Japanese, and Soviet spheres of influence

Terrain

mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east

mostly rugged and mountainous

Territorial sea

12 nm (3 nm in the Korea Strait)

Total area

150 km Pol necessarily authoritative e 4 . Ulling-do ’ * e ineh'ss Kangniing Yellow Sea Sea of Jepen Ulasn ‘ 4° Pusan 1 & iD eo d ie Koree i « Streit Cheju-do, y

98,480 km?; land area: 98,190 km?

Ethnic divisions

racially homogeneous

homogeneous; small Chinese minority (about 20,000)

Infant mortality rate

32/1,000 (1983)

29/1,000 (1983)

Labor force

6.1 million (1980); 48% agricultural, 52% nonagricultural; shortage of skilled and unskilled labor

15.9 million; 47% services and other; 80% agriculture, fishing, forestry; 21% mining and manufacturing; average unemployment 4.0% (1986 est.)

Language

Korean

Korean; English widely taught in high school

Life expectancy

men 63, women 67

men 64, women 7]

Literacy

95% est.

over 90%

Nationality

noun—Korean(s); adjective— Korean

noun—Korean(s); adjective— Korean

Organized labor

about 10% of nonagricultural labor force in governmentsanctioned unions

Population

21,447,977 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.52%

41,986,669 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 1.53%

Religion

Buddhism and Confucianism; religious activities now almost nonexistent

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

Administrative divisions

nine provinces, four special cities (P’yongyang, Kaesong, Namp’o, and Ch’ongjin)

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

Branches

Supreme People’s Assembly theoretically supervises legislative and judicial] functions; State Administration Council (cabinet) oversees ministerial operations

unicameral legislature (National Assembly), judiciary

Capital

Seoul

Communists

KWP claims membership of about 2 million, or about 11% of population

Communist activity banned by government

Elections

election to Supreme People’s Assembly every four years, but this constitutional provision not necessarily followed—last election November 1986 Political party and leaders: Korean Workers’ Party (K WP); Kim ll-song, General Secretary, and his son, Kim Chong-il, Secretary, Central Committee

under new constitution of October 1980, President elected every seven years indirectly by a 5,000-man electoral college; last election February 1981; four-year 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

Government leaders

KIM Il-song, President (since December 1972); Yl Kun-mo, Premier (since December 1986)

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

Legal system

based on German civil law system with Japanese influences and Communist legal theory; constitution adopted 1948 and revised 1972; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

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

Member of

FAO, G-77, [AEA, ICAO, IPU, ITU, NAM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO; official observer status at UN

ABD, AfDB, Asian-African 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, 1WC—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

National holiday

9 September

Independence Day, 15 August

Official name

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Republic of Korea

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

Suffrage

universal at age 17

universal over age 20

Type

Communist state; one-man rule Capital; P’yongyang

republic; power centralized in a strong executive

Agriculture

corn, rice, vegetables; food shortages—meat, cooking oils; production of foodstuffs adequate for domestic needs

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

US, including Ex-Im (FY70-85), $3.9 billion committed

Budget

planned expenditures, $18.0 billion (1987)

Coal

52 million tons (1984)

Crude steel

4.0 million metric tons produced (1985), 195 kg per capita

13.6 million metric tons produced (1985), 335 kg per capita

Electric power

5,910,000 kW capacity; 40,000 million kWh produced, 1,925 kWh per capita (1986)

18,000,000 kW capacity; 65,000 million kWh produced, 1,500 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$1.38 billion (1985); minerals, metallurgical products, agricultural products, manufactures

$34.8 billion (f.0.b., 1986); textiles and clothing, electrical machinery, footwear, steel, automobiles, ships, fish

Fiscal year

calendar year

calendar year

Fishing

catch 3,102,605 metric tons (1985)

GNP

$24 billion (1985 in 1985 dollars), $1,180 per capita

$94.) billion (1986, in 1986 prices), $2,371 per capita; real growth 12.2% (1986); real growth 8.7% (1982-86 average)

Imports

$1.72 billion (1985); petroleum, machinery and equipment, coking coal, grain

$31.2 billion (c.i.f., 1986); machinery, oil, steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains

Major industries

machine building, electric power, chemicals, mining, metallurgy, textiles, food processing

textiles and clothing, footwear, food processing, chemicals, steel, electronics, automobile production, ship building

Major trade partners

total trade turnover $3.10 billion (1985); 65% with Communist countries, 35% with non-Communist countries

exports—40% US, 15% Japau; imports—33% Japan, 21% US (1986)

Military transfers

US (FY70-85), $4 billion

Monetary conversion rate

2 wons=US$1 (December 1984)

861 won=US$1 (9 January 1987)

Natural resources

coal, lead, tungsten, zine, graphite, magnesite, iron, copper, gold, phosphates, salt, fluorspar, hydroelectric power

coal (limited), tungsten, graphite

Shortages

advanced machinery and equipment, coking coal, coal, petroleum, electric power, transport

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

Airfields

125 total, 109 usable; 72 with permanent-surface runways; 2] with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 15 with runways 1,220-2,4389 m

Civil air

98 major transport aircraft

Freight carried

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

Highways

62,936 km total (1982); 13,476 km uational highway, 49,460 km provincial and local roads

Inland waterways

1,609 km; use restricted to small native craft

Pipelines

294 km refined products

Ports

1] major, 32 minor

Railroads

4,535 km total operating in 1980; 3,870 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 665 km 0.762-meter narrow gauge, 159 km double track; abont 3,175 km electrified; government owned

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

Telecommunications

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

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Naval Marine Force

Military budget

proposed for fiscal year ending 31 December 1987, $5.65 billion; about 31.4% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 11,836,000; 7,672,000 fit for military service; 472,000 reach military age (18) annually