Seoul: Facts and Figures

Geography

The Korean peninsula is located between the Chinese mainland and Japan. Its overall length from north to south is approximately 1,000 km while its narrowest point stretches 216 km.70% of the peninsula is covered by hills. Only 20% of the total surface can be used for agricultural purposes. It faces the sea on the eastern, southern, and western sides. The Korean peninsula is divided just slightly north of the 38th parallel into two countries: the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), which are separated by the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). South Korea consists of nine provinces (do), its capital Seoul and six metropolitan cities: Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon, and Ulsan. In total, there are 77 cities (si) and 88 counties (gun).

History

The first civilization in Korea was centered on the state of Go-Joseon which developed in the northwest comer of the peninsula in the second century EC. Go Joseon steadily expanded until it encroached upon the territory of the more advanced Yen, a feudal empire that governed much of northern China.

At the beginning of the first century BC, China, now ruled by the Han Dynasty, attacked and destroyed Go Joseon and governed the northern part of the peninsula for the next 400 years. A number of independent rival kingdoms evolved, of which the most important was Shilla in the southeast. Shilla in alliance with the Chinese Tang Dynasty, which had taken over in northern China in AD 618, defeated their rivaling neighbors and for the first time created a single political entity in Korea in AD 668.

Around AD 870, a wave of rebellions broke out across Shilla controlled territory. This triggered the gradual disintegration of the Shilla Dynasty and a period of chaos in which rival forces struggled for control.

The eventual victor in the early tenth century was Wang Kon (Teaejo, the "Great Progenitor") who established the Goryeo Dynasty, an advanced cultural and technological society, whose most prominent invention was moveable metal type printing in 1234, two centuries before its discovery in the West.

The Goryeo Dynasty was then followed in the late l4th century by the Joseon Dynasty (also known as the Yi or "Yi-Joseon Dynasty) which governed Korea until the early 20th century. The early years of the Joseon Dynasty saw Korea enter a period of outstanding cultural and intellectual achievement, especially under King Sejong (1418-1450), the father of Hangul, and the modem phonetic Korean alphabet.

However, the Japanese invasion of the peninsula in 1910 ended the Joseon Dynasty. The Japanese colonial period lasted until the end of the World War II.

After Japan's withdrawal from the peninsula, Korea was divided in half into South Korea and North Korea. The Korean War started in the early morning on June 25, 1950 and an armistice agreement was signed three years later on July 27, 1953. Since its establishment on August 15, 1948, the Republic of Korea has put every effort in promoting national prosperity and stability.

People

Korea is one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogenous countries in the world. Except for the small Chinese community, (about 20,000 people) virtually all Koreans share a common cultural and linguistic heritage.

South Korea's major population center is the capital, Seoul, with a population of about 10 million.

With 48.2 million people (2004), South Korea is one of the world's most densely populated countries (denser than even India or Japan) while North Korea has only 22 million people in a larger territory.

Ethnic Koreans living abroad reside mostly in China (2 million), the United States (2 million), Japan (700,000), and the countries of the former Soviet Union (500,000).

The median age of the South Korean population is 33.7 years. 20% of the population is under 14, 72% between 15 and 64, and 8% are older than 64. The population is fairly young in comparison to other economically developed countries, such as the United States, Japan, Germany, and Canada.

In 2004, the fertility rate was 1.56 children per family and the life expectancy is 75.58 years.

Government

The Republic of Korea was established on August 15, 1948.

In 1960, Syngman Rhee, the first President of South Korea, resigned under the pressure of increasing unrest and public demonstrations.

In 1961, a military government was established by General Park Chung-Hee. During Park's governance, Korea's economy blossomed. Giant chaebol (conglomerates) such as Hyundai, Samsung, and LG developed.

On October 26, 1979 President Park was assassinated by the head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency.

Months of political and economical uncertainty followed until General Chun Doo-Hwan's coup on December 12, 1979.

Chun's regime was seen as even more oppressive than Park's. Particularly brutal were crackdowns on demonstrations that took place in Gwangju in 1980. He officially took over the Presidency on March 3, 1981.

In 1987, President Roh Tae-Woo (also an ex-general) succeeded President Chun. President Roh was the first Korean President to be elected through a popular vote. In 1992, Kim Young Sam, a former opposition leader who switched to the ruling party, was elected President of the first "civilian government" of South Korea.

In 1997, Kim Dae-Jung was the first opposition leader to be elected president. During the same period Korea was suffering from the effects of the Asian economic crisis of 1997. In 2000, President Kim won the Nobel Peace Prize for his success in reducing tension and in establishing a new form of dialogue between the two countries.

President Roh Moo-Hyun succeeded President Kim Dae-Jung in February 2003.

Economy

Korea is one of the "tiger economies" of the Pacific Rim, which underwent rapid growth and industrialization starting in the 1960s.

Today, Korea's major strengths are shipbuilding, steel, chemicals, automobiles, electronic goods, semi-conductors, and construction. Rice-growing and fisheries dominate the agricultural sector, which is important for export as well as for meeting domestic demand.

Tourism dominates the relatively small but growing service sector. Compared with the North, which has extensive coal and mineral deposits, the South is relatively poor in natural resources. However, there have been offshore discoveries of natural gas, which could help to reduce South Korea's dependence on imported energy.

The Asian economic crisis in the autumn 1997 had a very serious effect on the South Korean economy. The economy of Korea, however, was saved from further damage at the beginning of 1998 by a USD 60 billion financial rescue package put together by the IMF. The Korean economy has now settled at an average annual growth rate of about 3%.

The United States, China, and Japan are South Korea's main trading partners. Korean companies have also been making inroads into new and emerging markets such as China and Russia.

Language

The Korean language is classified as a member of the Ural-Altaic family. Other members of this family include the Mongolian, Finnish and Hungarian languages. Until the early 1400s, most documents were written in classical Chinese characters, which only the educated people could read and write. King Sejong, the 4th ruler of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), set up a special committee of scholars in 1443 to create a new writing system specifically suited to the Korean language. The outcome was the phonetic alphabet called Hangul with 10 vowels and 14 consonants.

Climate

Korea has a moderate climate with four seasons. The hottest months are July and August. The rainy season starts in late June and usually continues into early August.

In winter, temperatures often go below -10 degrees Celsius, however, winter is also when Korea is incredibly scenic with snow-covered landscapes under a brilliantly blue sky.

Spring and autumn are mild and relatively dry. Most Koreans consider spring, with its cherry blossoms, and autumn, with its changing foliage, to be the most beautiful seasons. Seoul enjoys its best weather from eptember through November.

Religion

Korea's traditional religions, Buddhism, Shamanism, and Confucianism, have all played an integral role in the country's social and cultural development, since its introduction in the late 18th century, Christianity has also been widely embraced by a large segment of the Korean population.

The breakdown of Korean population by religion is as follows: no affiliation 46%, Christian 26%, Buddhist 26%, Confucianist l%, other l% (source: world fact book)

To learn more about these religions and their place in Korea, the Korea National Tourism Organization (KNTO) website at: http://english.tour2korea.com is a great place to start.