South Korea – country information

Country name	South Korea
Official name	the Korean republic
Capital	Seoul
Continent	Asia
Area	99,538 km2
Population	50,219,669 (2013)
Foundation of a state	8/15/1945
The highest mountains	Hallasan (on Jeju Island) 1950 m
Longest rivers	Naktongkang 525 km
State system	a pluralist republic with a unicameral parliament
The biggest cities	Seoul (capital) 14,500,000, Busan 4,050,000, Daegu 2,325,000
Official language	Korean
Ethnicity/National Composition	Koreans 99.9%, others 0.1%
Religious affiliation	Buddhist 28%, Protestant 19%, Roman Catholic 5.5%, Confucian 1%, Wonbulgjo 0.3%, Chondogjo 0.2%, other 0.5%, no religion and atheist 45.5%
Currency	1 won (W) = 100 won
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$31,950 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	77.04 years (2006)
Structure of GDP	agriculture and fishing 7%, mining 0.5%, industry 37%, construction 9%, services 46.5%

South Korea – Neighboring States

State	Capital	Area	Population
North Korea	Pyongyang	120,538 km2	24,895,000

Country overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, South Korea occupies the southern half of the Korean Peninsula in the east of the Asian mainland. It includes the island of Jejudo on the edge of the East China Sea 100 km south of the coast.

Country data

Location: East Asia

Time zone: CET + 8 (during summer time: CET + 7)

Total area: 99,720 km²

Land area: 96,920 km²

Water area: 2,800 km²

Length of the state border: 238 km

Bordering countries: North Korea: 238 km

Coastline: 2,413 km

Capital: Seoul

Provinces: 15
Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto, Cholla-namdo, Ch’ungch’ong-bukto, Ch’ungch’ong-namdo, Inch’on-gwangyoksi, Kangwon-do, Kwangju-gwangyoksi, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang -bukto, Kyongsang-namdo, Pusan-gwangyoksi, Soul-t’ukpyolsi, Taegu-gwangyoksi, Taejon-gwangyoksi

Electricity: 110, 220 V / 50 Hz

Telephone code: 00 82 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m

Population

Population: approx. 49 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 0.2% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 491

Life expectancy: 77 (male), 83 (female)

Official language: Korean

Religions:

• 32% Christian
• 24% Buddhists
• 44% other

Climate

The climate in South Korea is almost the same as in Central Europe.

The summer months are warm and humid. Most of the rain falls at this time of year, with temperatures around 25 ° C.

In winter it is dry and there is occasional snow at temperatures down to -10 ° C.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: Won (KRW)

Division: 1 won = 100 chon

ATMs: Available in the major cities.

International credit cards: These are accepted in larger hotels and shops.

Regulations: There is no limit to the amount of foreign currencies that can be imported. The export is permitted in the amount of the declared import. The declaration obligation should be taken very seriously.

The import of the local currency is limited to an amount of 500,000 KRW. The export to the amount declared upon import.

All bill of exchange should be retained until departure.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 200 cigarettes or 250 g tobacco
• 1 liter of alcoholic beverages

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

The import of pornographic newspapers and magazines, food, plants, drugs and weapons of all kinds is prohibited.

Antiques and valuable art objects may only be exported with a special permit.

Travel advice

Due to the recurring tensions with North Korea, you should avoid traveling to the border region.

Economy

The economy in South Korea has developed very diversely over the past decades.

Where previously almost only agriculture was practiced, there are now international companies.

The automotive industry, shipbuilding and the development and production of technology products have become the most important economic sectors.

Industries: clothing industry, chemistry, electronics, vehicle construction, food production, shipbuilding, steel processing, textiles

Natural resources: lead, graphite, coal, molybdenum, hydropower, tungsten

Land use:

• Usable land: 19%
• Grain cultivation: 2%
• Pasture area: 1%
• Forests: 65%
• other: 13%

Plants

From tree species that would be common in Central Europe to subtropical plants, almost everything can be found in South Korea.

There are birch, beech and oak trees almost all over the country. There are also many conifers in the higher regions.