*Korea, North, Communications
Railroads:
4,915 km total; 4,250 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 665 km 0.762-meter
narrow gauge; 159 km double track; 3,084 km electrified; government owned
(1989)
Highways:
about 30,000 km (1991); 92.5% gravel, crushed stone, or earth surface; 7.5%
paved
Inland waterways:
2,253 km; mostly navigable by small craft only
Pipelines:
crude oil 37 km
Ports:
primary - Ch'ongjin, Hungnam (Hamhung), Najin, Namp'o, Wonsan; secondary -
Haeju, Kimchaek, Kosong, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang
Merchant marine:
80 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 675,666 GRT/1,057,815 DWT; includes 1
passenger, 1 short-sea passenger, 2 passenger-cargo, 67 cargo, 2 oil tanker,
5 bulk, 1 combination bulk, 1 container
Airports:
total:
55
usable :
55 (est.)
with permanent-surface runways:
about 30
with runways over 3,659 m: fewer than 5
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
20
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
30
Telecommunications:
broadcast stations - 18 AM, no FM, 11 TV; 300,000 TV sets (1989); 3,500,000
radio receivers; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
*Korea, North, Defense Forces
Branches:
Korean People's Army (including the Army, Navy, Air Force), Civil Security
Forces
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 6,567,684; fit for military service 3,996,893; reach
military age (18) annually 208,132 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - about $5 billion, 20-25% of GNP (1991 est.); note
- the officially announced but suspect figure is $1.9 billion (1991) 8% of
GNP (1991 est.)
*Korea, South, Geography
Location:
Northeast Asia, between North Korea and Japan
Map references:
Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
98,480 km2
land area:
98,190 km2
comparative area:
slightly larger than Indiana
Land boundaries:
total 238 km, North Korea 238 km
Coastline:
2,413 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
not specified
territorial sea:
12 nm; 3 nm in the Korea Strait
International disputes:
Demarcation Line with North Korea; Liancourt Rocks claimed by Japan
Climate:
temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter
Terrain:
mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south
Natural resources:
coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower
Land use:
arable land:
21%
permanent crops:
1%
meadows and pastures:
1%
forest and woodland:
67%
other:
10%
Irrigated land:
13,530 km2 (1989)
Environment:
occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; earthquakes in southwest;
air pollution in large cities
*Korea, South, People
Population:
44,613,993 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.05% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
15.72 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
6.16 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
22.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
70.29 years
male:
67.1 years
female:
73.68 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.64 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Korean(s)
adjective:
Korean
Ethnic divisions:
homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)
Religions:
Christianity 48.6%, Buddhism 47.4%, Confucianism 3%, pervasive folk religion
(Shamanism), Chondogyo (religion of the heavenly way) 0.2%
Languages:
Korean, English widely taught in high school
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population:
96%
male:
99%
female:
94%
Labor force:
19 million
by occupation:
services and other 52%, mining and manufacturing 27%, agriculture, fishing,
forestry 21% (1991)
*Korea, South, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Korea
conventional short form:
South Korea
local long form:
Taehan-min'guk
local short form:
none
Abbreviation:
ROK
Digraph:
KS
Type:
republic
Capital:
Seoul
Administrative divisions:
9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 6 special cities* (jikhalsi,, singular and plural);
Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto, Cholla-namdo,
Ch'ungch'ong-bukto, Ch'ungch'ong-namdo, Inch'on-jikhalsi*, Kangwon-do,, Kwangju-jikhalsi*,,
Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto, Kyongsang-namdo,
Pusan-jikhalsi*, Soul-t'ukpyolsi*, Taegu-jikhalsi*, Taejon-jikhalsi*, Independence:
15 August 1948
Constitution:
25 February 1988
Legal system:
combines elements of continental European civil law systems, Anglo-American
law, and Chinese classical thought
National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 August (1948)
Political parties and leaders:
majority party:
Democratic Liberal Party (DLP), KIM Young Sam, president
opposition:
Democratic Party (DP), LEE Ki Taek, executive chairman; United People's
Party (UPP), CHUNG Ju Yung, chairman; several smaller parties
note:
the DLP resulted from a merger of the Democratic Justice Party (DJP),
Reunification Democratic Party (RDP), and New Democratic Republican Party
(NDRP) on 9 February 1990
Other political or pressure groups:
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
Suffrage:
20 years of age; universal
Elections:
President:
last held on 18 December 1992 (next to be held NA December 1997); results -
KIM Young Sam (DLP) 41.9%, KIM Dae Jung (DP) 33.8%, CHUNG Ju Yung (UPP)
16.3%, other 8%