Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/132.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 10.5 KB | 385 lines

@node Geography (Korea- South)
@section Geography (Korea- South)

@display

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



@end display

@node People (Korea- South)
@section People (Korea- South)

@display

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)



@end display

@node Government (Korea- South)
@section Government (Korea- South)

@display

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%



@end display

@node Government (Korea- South 2. usage)
@section Government (Korea- South 2. usage)

@display

 National Assembly:
  last held on 24 March 1992; results - DLP 38.5%, DP 29.2%, Unification
  National Party (UNP) 17.3% (name later changed to UPP), other 15%; seats -
  (299 total) DLP 149, DP 97, UNP 31, other 22; the distribution of seats as
  of May 1993 was DLP 167, DP 95, UPP 14, other 23
 note:
  the change in the distribution of seats reflects the fluidity of the current
  situation where party members are constantly switching from one party to
  another
Executive branch:
  president, prime minister, two deputy prime ministers, State Council
  (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
  unicameral National Assembly (Kuk Hoe)
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Leaders:
 Chief of State:
  President KIM Young Sam (since 25 February 1993)
 Head of Government:
  Prime Minister HWANG In Sung (since 25 February 1993); Deputy Prime Minister
  LEE Kyung Shick (since 25 February 1993) and Deputy Prime Minister HAN Wan
  Sang (since 25 February 1993)
Member of:
  AfDB, APEC, AsDB, CCC, COCOM (cooperating country), CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO,
  G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
  INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, OAS (observer), UN,
  UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador HAN Seung Soo
 chancery:
  2370 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
 telephone:
  [phone]
 consulates general:   Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles,
  New York, San Francisco, and Seattle
US diplomatic representation:
 chief of mission:
  (vacant), Charge d'Affaires Raymond BURGHARDT
 embassy:
  82 Sejong-Ro, Chongro-ku, Seoul, AMEMB, Unit 15550
 mailing address:
  APO AP 96205-0001
 telephone:
  [82] (2) 732-2601 through 2618
 FAX:
  [82] (2) 738-8845
 consulate:
  Pusan
Flag:
  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



@end display

@node Economy (Korea- South)
@section Economy (Korea- South)

@display

Overview:
  The driving force behind the economy's dynamic growth has been the planned
  development of an export-oriented economy in a vigorously entrepreneurial
  society. Real GNP increased more than 10% annually between 1986 and 1991.
  This growth ultimately led to an overheated situation characterized by a
  tight labor market, strong inflationary pressures, and a rapidly rising
  current account deficit. As a result, in 1992, focusing attention on slowing
  the growth rate of inflation and reducing the deficit is leading to a
  slow-down in growth. The economy remains the envy of the great majority of
  the world's peoples.
National product:
  GNP - purchasing power equivalent - $287 billion (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  5% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
  $6,500 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  4.5% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  2.4% (1992 est.)
Budget:
  revenues $48.4 billion; expenditures $48.4 billion, including capital
  expenditures of $NA (1993)
Exports:
  $76.8 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
 commodities:
  textiles, clothing, electronic and electrical equipment, footwear,
  machinery, steel, automobiles, ships, fish
 partners:
  US 24%, Japan 15% (1992)
Imports:
  $81.7 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
 commodities:
  machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport
  equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains
 partners:
  Japan 24%, US 22% (1992)
External debt:
  $42 billion (1992)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 5.0% (1992 est.); accounts for about 45% of GNP
Electricity:
  24,000,000 kW capacity; 105,000 million kWh produced, 2,380 kWh per capita
  (1992)
Industries:
  textiles, clothing, footwear, food processing, chemicals, steel,
  electronics, automobile production, shipbuilding
Agriculture:
  accounts for 8% of GNP and employs 21% of work force (including fishing and
  forestry); principal crops - rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit;
  livestock and livestock products - cattle, hogs, chickens, milk, eggs;
  self-sufficient in food, except for wheat; fish catch of 2.9 million metric
  tons, seventh-largest in world
Economic aid:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $3.9 billion; non-US countries
  (1970-89), $3.0 billion
Currency:
  1 South Korean won (W) = 100 chon (theoretical)



@end display

@node Economy (Korea- South 2. usage)
@section Economy (Korea- South 2. usage)

@display

Exchange rates:
  South Korean won (W) per US$1 - 791.99 (January 1993), 780.65 (1992), 733.35
  (1991), 707.76 (1990), 671.46 (1989), 731.47 (1988)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year



@end display

@node Communications (Korea- South)
@section Communications (Korea- South)

@display

Railroads:
  3,091 km total (1991); 3,044 km 1.435 meter standard gauge, 47 km
  0.610-meter narrow gauge, 847 km double track; 525 km electrified,
  government owned
Highways:
  63,201 km total (1991); 1,551 expressways, 12,190 km national highway,
  49,460 km provincial and local roads
Inland waterways:
  1,609 km; use restricted to small native craft
Pipelines:
  petroleum products 455 km
Ports:
  Pusan, Inchon, Kunsan, Mokpo, Ulsan
Merchant marine:
  431 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,689,227 GRT/11,016,014 DWT;
  includes 2 short-sea passenger, 138 cargo, 61 container, 11 refrigerated
  cargo, 9 vehicle carrier, 45 oil tanker, 12 chemical tanker, 13 liquefied
  gas, 2 combination ore/oil, 135 bulk, 2 combination bulk, 1 multifunction
  large-load carrier
Airports:
 total:
  103
 usable:
  93
 with permanent-surface runways:
  59
 with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  22
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  18
Telecommunications:
  excellent domestic and international services; 13,276,449 telephone
  subscribers; broadcast stations - 79 AM, 46 FM, 256 TV (57 of 1 kW or
  greater); satellite earth stations - 2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian
  Ocean INTELSAT



@end display

@node Defense Forces (Korea- South)
@section Defense Forces (Korea- South)

@display

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 13,286,969; fit for military service 8,542,640; reach
  military age (18) annually 432,434 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $12.2 billion, 3.6% of GNP (1993 est.)



@end display