About Korea

Country: South Korea,
officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), and often referred to as Korea
Location: Strategically located at the crossroads of Northeast Asia, Korea is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and the Russian Far East to the north.
Territory: 99,678 sq km (2006)
Capital City: Seoul
Demographics - Population: 47,041,434 (2005)
- Median Age: 37.0 years
- Life Expectancy: male, 75.14 years; female, 81.89 years on average, 78.63 years
Political System: - Democracy with president elected by direct popular vote for a single 5-year term - Division of power among the executive, legislature (unicameral National Assembly) and judiciary
Suffrage: Universal suffrage, minimum voting age of 19
Currency: Korean Won (KRW), won U.S. Dollar to Korean Won Exchange Rate= 929.2 won (average rate during 2007)
Foreign Exchange Reserves: US$239.7 billion (Sep. 2008)
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): KRW 243.4 trillion (Q2, 2008)
GDP Growth Rate: 4.8 percent (Q2, 2008)
Per Capita GNI: US$20,045 (2007Production: Services, 57.2 percent; Mining and manufacturing, 28.2 percent; Construction, 9.1 percent; Agriculture, forestry and fishing, 3.2 percent; Electricity, gas and water supply, 2.3 percent (2006)
Export: US$36,789 million (Aug.2008)
Import: US$40,601 million (Aug.2008Major Products: Semiconductors, automobiles, ships, mobile telecommunications devices, consumer electronics, steel and chemical products
Leading companies: Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor, POSCO, LG Electronics, Hyundai Heavy Industries
Science and Technology: Korea vaunts of the highest broadband subscription rate in the world (29.1 per 100 inhabitants), and one of the world's most advanced mobile telecommunications infrastructure.
Military Spending: KRW 26,649 billion (2008)