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South Korea at a glance
- Did you know?
- The Korean Peninsular is divided into North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) and South Korea (Republic of Korea) at the 38th parallel. The four-kilometre wide Demilitarised Zone is one of the world’s most heavily-guarded borders. Many Koreans from both North and South have family and friends on the other side of the border whom they have not seen for over 50 years.
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- Region
- North Asia
- Population
- 48,846,823 (July 2006 est.)
- Land
- Geography: Mostly hilly and mountainous, with wide coastal plains in the west and south
- Climate: Temperate;
- People
- Religion: Christian 26%, Buddhist 26%, Confucianism 1%, no affiliation 46%, other 1%
- Language: Korean
- Economy
- GDP per person (PPP): $US24,200 (2006 est.)
- GDP by sector: Agriculture 3%; Industry 45%; Services 52%
- Government
- Republic
Land
Physical geography
South Korea, Republic of Korea, occupies the southern half of the Korean Peninsula . Over 80% of the land is mountainous but there are low-lying plains in the west which are extensively cultivated. About 3000 small islands lie off the west and south coasts, including Cheju-do on which the volcanic Halla-san, Korea 's highest peak rises to 1950 metres. With a land area of 98,190 square kilometres it is one and half times as large as Tasmania (68 401 square kilometres).
Climate
South Korea has a temperate climate with short, hot summers and long, cold winters. Seoul, in the north has an average temperature range from -5°C in January to 25°C in July with an average annual rainfall 1250 millimetres. Further south in Pusan it is slightly warmer and wetter with a range from 2.2°C in January and 24.4°C in July average annual rainfall 1407 millimetres. Typhoons bring heavy rain in the late summer.
Environment
War, deforestation and rapid industrialisation have reduced the natural forests in Korea . Air and water pollution are major concerns which Korea is beginning to address in cooperation with other countries in the region. The government is sponsoring the introduction of buses running on compressed natural gas (CNG) as a means of further cutting greenhouse gases.
South Korea is famous for camellias and rhododendrons, pines, firs, oak, beech, cedar and larch are also common. The south is home to ginkgo trees. Black bear, mandarin filed vole, Tristam's woodpecker, deer and various kinds of pheasants are Korea's indigenous fauna.
People
Nearly three quarters, 72%, of the population of 48,846,823 l ives in urban areas. Seoul, the capital, (9,551,800), Pusan (3,474,300) and Inchon (2,511,500) are the major cities.
People
Culture and identity
Koreans make up 99.9% of the population and Chinese less that 0.1% which makes it unusually uniform. Koreans have a long cultural heritage of arts such as dance, drama, painting and pottery which display their Buddhist or Confucian influences. The traditional dress, hanbok is similar for men and women consisting of long wide pants or skirt with short waistcoat and a top coat or gown worn over the top on formal occasions.
The national flag, symbolizes the ying yang principle of a universe in perfect balance and harmony of opposites with the central circle divided in two by an S-shaped line and the four trigrams at the corners. The three unbroken lines in the upper left trigram represent heaven while the three broken lines placed diagonally in the lower right corner represent the earth. The trigram in the upper right corner represents water while the one placed diagonally at the lower left corner represents fire.
Health
Nearly 19% of the population is aged 14 or under and 9.2% is over 65. The infant mortality rate is 6.16 deaths per 1,000 live births. The hospital system is modern although standards are higher in urban than in rural areas. People on low incomes get help from the state when they suffer from serious illnesses, and the government is extending the coverage of this medical aid. Some hospitals seek to attract foreigners for treatment in a health system which is low cost but high quality – in 2005 over 10,000 foreign patients were treated. About 8,300 people (less than 0.1% of the population) are HIV positive.
Religion and beliefs
The most prominent religions in South Korea are Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism and various local religions such as Cheondogyo and Shamanism. Religions strongly influence daily life and social relations. Christianity, introduced during the last two hundred years, is now followed by about one quarter of the population. It has spread quickly with its valuing of equality and human rights.
Food and shelter
Food is an important aspect of Korean life and there are many rules and ‘manners' to remember, such as how to sit and where to place various food bowls. Many people eat at a low table while sitting on the floor, using a spoon and chopsticks. Most meals are accompanied by rice and kimchi , a side dish of pickled vegetables (especially cabbage and daikon radish) strongly flavoured with red pepper powder. Meat is often barbecued and flavoured with soy sauce, garlic, sugar and sesame oil. Vegetables, other than kimchi, are eaten raw or steamed.
Traditional rural Korean houses were home for an extended family of three generations. They had straw or tile roofs depending on wealth. The traditional ondol floor was heated by channelling warm air and smoke through a system of under-the-floor flues from an exterior fireplace. There is great diversity of housing with the modernisation but the ondol floors are featured in the bedrooms of high-rise apartment blocks which dominate the cities.
Economy
Wealth and poverty
South Korea has a free market economy with a labour force in 2006 of 23.77 million and an unemployment rate of 3.3%. Its GDP per capita is $US24, 200, however, 15% of the population is below the poverty line. South Korea 's economy has boomed since the 1980s to become one of the four major economies in East Asia but this wealth is increasingly unevenly distributed. The poorest 10% of population share about 3% of the household income while the wealthiest 10% share 25%.
Education and work
In Korea, where the literacy rate is 97.9%, education is seen as the key to success in life. Korean parents will make tremendous sacrifices to get their children the best education possible. Education is free and compulsory until the end of middle school (age 14 or 15), however, most go on to finish high school and Korea has the highest rate of secondary school completion in the world (97%). Until recently schools were segregated by sex, but now they are mostly co-educational.
Education has helped to change the lives of Korean women. In traditional Korean society women received little education but today it is accepted that women are entitled to tertiary education. This in turn has meant more women in the workforce in higher paying jobs – over 41% of women are now in some form of employment.
Industries and products
Major South Korean agricultural products include rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit, cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs and fish. Major industries include electronics, automobile production, armaments, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel, textiles, clothing, footwear and food processing. South Korea is a world leader in steel production and th e Information Communication Technology industry is growing rapidly.
Trade
In 2005 South Korea exported semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment, motor vehicles, computers, steel, ships and petrochemicals worth $326 billion to China (21.8%), US (14.6%), Japan (8.5%) and Hong Kong (5.5%). It imported machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, organic chemicals and plastics worth $309 billion from Japan (18.5%), China (14.8%), US (11.8%) and Saudi Arabia (6.2%).
Achievements and challenges
Korea experiences occasional typhoons which bring heavy rain and high winds that can cause flooding and costly damage to farming and housing.
South Korea 's Forest Service has overseen a massive reafforestation effort that has restored 65% of its forests, helping to solve problems of flooding and erosion. It recovered financial stability after the financial crisis of 1997 in little more than a year and building foreign exchange reserves to record levels.
Although North and South Korea have been separated since 1948, some efforts have been made to establish friendly relations; the presidents have met, economic contacts have grown and South Korea supplies aid to the North
Overseas development assistance
South Korea, as an emerging donor in the international community, has been providing ODA since the late 1980s. Although ODA is modest, (0.05%) and predominantly loans rather than aid the Korean government is committed to extending the program and improving effectiveness.
Grants managed by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) are used for human resources programs – training, research and development projects and material aid projects. There are about 130 recipients of Korea 's ODA. However, more than 80% of the assistance went to Iraq, Afghanistan and Asian countries, including Vietnam, China and Cambodia, in 2005.
Links with Australia
The first contact between Australia and Korea took place in 1884, when Australian missionaries landed at Busan. The relationship was strengthened by Australia 's participation in the Korean War (1950-3). More than 18,000 Australian troops served under UN command, sustaining 339 deaths.
Australia and the ROK are important economic, political and strategic partners who share common values and interests. Education, tourism and cultural and media exchanges have increased over the past decade underpinned by strong support from the two governments.
South Korea was Australia's fourth largest merchandise trade partner overall in 2005 with Australia providing raw materials, foodstuffs and services to South Korea, and importing finished products, such as cars, telecommunications equipment and computers, from South Korea.
In 2001 there were 38,840 Korean-born people living in Australia . New South Wales had the largest number with 27,970 followed by Queensland (4,070), Victoria (3,510) and Western Australia (1,390).
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