Area Brief (u/ou)
LAND:
Size: 38,000 sq. mi.
Use: 23% arable, 10% urban and other, 67% forested
Land boundaries: 150 miles
WATER:
Limit of territorial waters (claimed): 20–200 n. mi.
Coastline: 1,500 mi. (excluding offshore islands)
PEOPLE:
Population: 32,877,000 (mid-1973)
Ethnic divisions: Homogenous; small Chinese minority (approx. 20,000)
Religion: Strong Confucian and Buddhist tradition; pervasive folk religion (Shamanism); vigorous Christian minority (13% of the population); Chondokyo (religion of the heavenly way), eclectic religion with nationalist overtones founded in 19th century, estimated 718,000 members (1972)
Language: Korean
Labor force: 10.2 million (1971); agriculture, fishing, forestry, 48.5%; manufacturing and mining, 14.2%; transportation and communication, 3.6%; construction, 3.4%; commerce and other services, 30.3%
Organized labor: About 10% of nonagricultural labor force
GOVERNMENT:
Legal name: Republic of Korea
Type: Republic; power centralized in a strong executive
Capital: Seoul
Political subdivisions: 9 provinces, 2 special cities; heads centrally appointed
Legal system: Combines elements of continental European civil law systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought; constitution approved late 1972; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Branches: Executive, legislative (unicameral), judiciary, National Conference for Unification (NCU)
Government leaders: President Pak Chong-hui; Prime Minister Kim Chong-p'il
Suffrage: Universal over age 20
Elections: Presidential every 6 years indirectly by the NCU; last election December 1972. Two-thirds of the 219-member National Assembly is elected directly for the same period within 6 months of the presidential election, remaining one-third nominated by the President and elected by the NCU for a 3-year term. Last election February 1973: Revitalization Group, 73 seats; Democratic Republican Party (DRP), 73 seats; New Democratic Party (NDP), 52 seats; Democratic Unification Party, 2 seats; Independents, 19 seats
Political parties and leaders: Revitalization Group (appointed), chairman Pak Tu-chin; Democratic Republican Party (DRP), acting chairman Yi Hyo-sang; New Democratic Party (NDP), chairman Yu Chin-san; Democratic Unification Party (DUP), chairman Yong Il-tong
Voting strength: Popular vote in December 1972 election, 11,196,484; DRP 38.8%, NDP 32.8%, DUP 10.2%, Independents 18.1%, Invalid 0.1%
Communists: Communist activity banned by government
Other political or pressure groups: Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU); Korean Veteran's Association; large potentially volatile student population concentrated in Seoul
Member of: ADB, Colombo Plan, ECAFE, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IHB, IMCO, IMF, INTELSAT, Inter-Parliamentary Union, INTERPOL, ITU, UNESCO, U.N. Special Fund, UPU, WHO, WMO, World Anti-Communist League (WACL); does not hold U.N. membership
ECONOMY:
GNP: US$9.7 billion (1972 current prices); per capita CNP $300 (1972)
Food: Not self-sufficient in foodgrains; grain imports reached 2.92 million tons in 1972
Electric power: Production 11.8 billion kw.-hr. (1972) or 370 kw.-hr. per capita; installed capacity 3,871,000 kw. (1972)
Major industries: Textiles and clothing, food processing, plywood, coal mining, fishing, cement, chemicals, and chemical fertilizers
Exports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1972); textiles and clothing; veneer and plywood; wigs; electrical equipment, fish, and raw silk
Imports: $2.5 billion (c.i.f., 1972); machinery and transport equipment; foodgrains; chemicals; wood, petroleum, textiles, and iron and steel
Major trade partners (1972): Exports—U.S. 47%, Japan 25%; imports—U.S. 26%, Japan 41%
Exchange rate: Bank of Korea average annual exchange rate: 393 won per US$1 (1972); rate fixed at 400 won per US$1 at the end of 1972
Fiscal year: Same as calendar year
COMMUNICATIONS:
Railroads: 1,987 route miles: 19,910 miles 4'8" gag (325 miles double tracked); 77 miles 2'6" (narrow) gage; all government owned
Highways: About 25,650 miles: 1,845 miles concrete or bituminous surfaced (including bituminous surface treatment), 18,610 miles gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized soil, 3,200 miles improved earth roads; 1,995 miles unimproved earth roads
