Asia and Oceania

Korea, Republic of (South Korea)
Last reviewed: 1 June 2009

Country information

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Map of South Korea

Area: 99,222 sq km (45% of the peninsula)
Population: 48.49 million (2007 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, Chondogyo, Catholicism, and Protestantism.
Currency: ROK Won (KRW)
Major political parties: Grand National Party (GNP); United New Democratic Party; Libert Forward Party (LFP); Pro-Park Alliance (PPA); Democratic Labour Party (DLP).
Government: Presidential system backed by unicameral National Assembly of 299 members elected for 4 years.
President: Lee Myung-bak (elected December 2007).
Prime Minister: Han Seung-soo (since 29 February 2008)
Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister: Yu Myung-hwan (since 29 February 2008)
Membership of international groupings/organisations: African Development Bank (AFDB), Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Colombo Plan, Co-ordinating Committee on Export Controls, Customs Co-operation Council, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Group of 77 at the United Nations (G77), 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).