FAST FACTS
Area: 99,020 sq km
1997 population: 45,868,000
Capital (population): Seoul (10,628,000)
Government: Multiparty republic
Ethnic groups: Korean 99%
Languages: Korean (official)
Religions: Buddhism 28% and Christianity (Protestant
19%,
Roman Catholic 6%)
Currency: Won = 100 chon
1997 GDP per capita: US$ 11,276
Korea is an ancient kingdom, which for most of its
history was an isolated vassal state under the protection
and virtual control of the Chinese emperor. As such,
not only was its Chinese influence very strong, but
its isolation meant that exposure to the west, and western
commerce, came later to Korea than it did to the rest
of Asia.
Part of this isolation was the Korean peninsula's geography,
being mostly mountainous, with a harsh climate in the
interior. The high mountains along the Manchurian border
made the peninsula a virtual island, only easily accessed
by sea.
Imperialist traders from the west, having opened-up
China, were in a position also to open-up Korea, though
to a lesser extent, and in the face of very strong local
resistance. The Japanese invasion during the Second
World War, followed by the Korean War (1950-1953) which
left the country split between the communist north,
and capitalist south, left Korea in need of rebuilding,
a burden taken on by the US in the south, China in the
north.
North Korea remains a totalitarian communist state,
and still one of the world's most isolated countries.
The south, however, has flourished under the tutelage
of the US, into an increasingly potent industrial force,
despite paranoia regarding its communist brother to
the north, and a level of governmental corruption which
has been exposed as being as deep rooted and pervasive
as in any other Asian country.
Koreans have become sophisticated consumers, their
increasing wealth allowing them to afford the kind of
goods they have long been exposed and aspired to thanks
to their US connections (the US still has military bases
in the country).Koreans have been quick to travel abroad
too, showing a strong inclination to find out how the
rest of the world works. This outward view is mirrored
by its large corporations (chaebols), such as Lucky
Goldstar (now know as LG), which is competing strongly
in the electrical appliances market in western Europe.
KOREAN LINKS
http://www.chosun.com
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr
