Korea, South [+]Compare [E]dit [H]istory

Aliases: Han'guk, Republic of Korea, South Korea, Taehan-min'guk

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Object «Korea, South» has attributes

Attribute Value
Geography
Area 99,720 km²
Continent Asia
Land area 96,920 km²
Water area 2,800 km²
Land boundaries 237 km
Border countries
  • North Korea
Coastline 2,413 km
Mean elevation 282 m
Lowest point 0 m
Highest point 1,950 m
People
Population 51,835,110
Official languages Add
Religion Protestant
Government
Long country name Republic of Korea
Short country name South Korea
Long local name Taehan-min'guk
Short local name Han'guk
Former name Add
Government type Presidential republic
Capital Seoul
Economy
GDP (PPP) 2,035,000,000,000 USD
GDP (OER) 1,540,000,000,000 USD
GDP (real growth rate) 3.1 %
GDP - per capita (PPP) 39,500 USD
Gross national saving 36.6 % of GDP
Labor force 27,750,000
Unemployment rate 3.7 %
Population below poverty line 14.4 %
Budget revenues 357,100,000,000 USD
Budget expenditures 335,800,000,000 USD
Military expenditures 2.62 % of GDP
Taxes and other revenues 23.2 % of GDP
Budget surplus or deficit 1.4 % of GDP
Public debt 39.5 % of GDP
Inflation rate 1.9 %
Central bank discount rate 1.5 %
Commercial bank prime lending rate 3.48 %
Stock of narrow money 793,900,000,000 USD
Stock of broad money 793,900,000,000 USD
Stock of domestic credit 2,986,000,000,000 USD
Market value of publicly traded shares 1,305,000,000,000 USD
Current account balance 78,460,000,000 USD
Exports 577,400,000,000 USD
Imports 457,500,000,000 USD
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 389,200,000,000 USD
External debt 384,600,000,000 USD
National currency South Korean won
National currency (code) KRW
National currency (symbol)
National currency rate to USD 1

An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was occupied by Japan beginning in 1905 following the Russo-Japanese War. In 1910, Tokyo formally annexed the entire Peninsula. Korea regained its independence following Japan's surrender to the US in 1945. After World War II, a democratic government (Republic of Korea, ROK) was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a communist-style government was installed in the north (Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK). During the Korean War (1950-53), US troops and UN forces fought alongside ROK soldiers to defend South Korea from a DPRK invasion supported by communist China and the Soviet Union. A 1953 armistice split the Peninsula along a demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel. PARK Chung-hee took over leadership of the country in a 1961 coup. During his regime, from 1961 to 1979, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth, with per capita income rising to roughly 17 times the level of North Korea in 1979. South Korea held its first free presidential election under a revised democratic constitution in 1987, with former ROK Army general ROH Tae-woo winning a close race. In 1993, KIM Young-sam (1993-98) became the first civilian president of South Korea's new democratic era. President KIM Dae-jung (1998-2003) won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 for his contributions to South Korean democracy and his "Sunshine" policy of engagement with North Korea. President PARK Geun-hye, daughter of former ROK President PARK Chung-hee, took office in February 2013 as South Korea's first female leader. In December 2016, the National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against President PARK over her alleged involvement in a corruption and influence-peddling scandal, immediately suspending her presidential authorities. The impeachment was upheld in March 2017, triggering an early presidential election in May 2017 won by MOON Jae-in. South Korea hosted the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in February 2018, in which North Korea also participated. Discord with North Korea has permeated inter-Korean relations for much of the past decade, highlighted by the North's attacks on a South Korean ship and island in 2010, the exchange of artillery fire across the DMZ in 2015, and multiple nuclear and missile tests in 2016 and 2017. North Korea’s participation in the Winter Olympics, dispatch of a senior delegation to Seoul, and three inter-Korean summits in 2018 appear to have ushered in a temporary period of respite, buoyed by the historic US-DPRK summits in 2018 and 2019.  

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There was one edit, no edits waiting approval. Last edited by wilkinson.michael(9581), Sep 16, 2019 (64 fields were changed)
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