Asia and Oceania

Korea, Republic of (ROK)
Last reviewed: 1 December 2010

Country information

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Map of South Korea

Area: 99,222 sq km (45% of the peninsula)
Population: 48.747 million (2009 estimate)
Capital city: Seoul (population: 10m)
People: Korean with a small Chinese minority
Language(s): Korean
Religion(s): Wide range of religion from Shamanism, the oldest, to Buddhism, Confucianism, Chondoism, Catholicism, and Protestantism.
Currency: ROK Won (KRW)
Major political parties: Grand National Party (GNP); Democratic Party; Liberty Forward Party (LFP); Pro-Park Alliance (PPA); Democratic Labour Party (DLP).
Government: Presidential system backed by unicameral (one chamber) National Assembly of 299 members elected for 4 years.
President: Lee Myung-bak (elected December 2007).
Prime Minister: Kim Hwang-sik (since 1 October 2010)
Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister: Kim Sung-hwan (since 8 October 2010)
Membership of international groupings/organisations: African Development Bank (AFDB), Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Colombo Plan, Co-ordinating Committee on Export Controls, Customs Co-operation Council, OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAO), Interpol, International Finance Corporation (IFC), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Maritime Organisation (IMO), International Mobile Satellite Organisation, International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Organisation for Migration (IOM), International Standards for Organisation, International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Intelsat), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), International Whaling Commission, International Wheat Council, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Organisation of American States and the Community of Andean Nations (OAS - observer), Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), United Nations (UN), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Universal Postal Union (UPU), World Health Organisation (WHO) World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), World Trade Organisation (WTO).