| Head of State |
President Roh Moo-Hyun (since 25 February 2003) |
| Population (2007E) |
49,044,790 |
| Location |
Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea |
| Independence |
15 August 1945 (from Japan) |
|
| Currency/Exchange Rate (May 29, 2007) |
$1 = 929.925 South Korean Won |
| Inflation Rate (2006E) |
2.8% |
| Gross Domestic Product (2006E) |
$888.0 billion |
| Real GDP Growth Rate (2006E) |
5.0% |
| Exports (2006E) |
$383.8 billion |
| Exports – Commodities |
semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment, motor vehicles, computers, steel, ships, petrochemicals |
| Exports - Partners (2005E) |
China 21.8%, US 14.6%, Japan 8.5%, Hong Kong 5.5% |
| Imports (2006E) |
$374.1 billion |
| Imports - Commodities |
machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, organic chemicals, plastics |
| Imports - Partners (2005E) |
Japan 18.5%, China 14.8%, US 11.8%, Saudi Arabia 6.2% |
| Current Account Balance (2006E) |
$5.8 billion |
|
| Minister of Commerce, Energy, and Industry (MOCIE) |
Young-Ju Kim |
| Proven Oil Reserves (January 1, 2007E) |
None |
| Oil Production (2006E) |
7,400 barrels per day, all of which was refinery gain |
| Oil Consumption (2006E) |
2.2 million barrels per day |
| Crude Oil Distillation Capacity (January 1, 2007E) |
2.6 million barrels per day |
| Natural Gas Production (2004E) |
None |
| Natural Gas Consumption (2004E) |
983 billion cubic feet |
| Recoverable Coal Reserves (2004E) |
88 million short tons |
| Coal Production (2004E) |
3.5 million short tons |
| Coal Consumption (2004E) |
90.6 million short tons |
| Electricity Installed Capacity (2004E) |
58.8 gigawatts |
| Electricity Production (2004E) |
343 billion kilowatt hours |
| Total Energy Consumption (2004E) |
9.0 quadrillion Btus*, of which Coal (24%), Hydroelectricity (<1%), Oil (50%), Natural Gas (12%), Nuclear (14%), Other Renewables (<1%) |
| Total Per Capita Energy Consumption (2004E) |
185.5 million Btus |
| Energy Intensity (2004E) |
12,567 Btu per $2000-PPP** |
|
| Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions (2004E) |
496.8 million metric tons, of which Coal (39%), Oil (49%), Natural Gas (12%) |
| Per-Capita, Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions (2004E) |
10.3 metric tons |
| Carbon Dioxide Intensity (2004E) |
0.69 Metric tons per thousand $2000-PPP** |
| Environmental Issues |
air pollution in large cities; acid rain; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing |
| Major Environmental Agreements |
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
|
| Organization |
Korea National Oil Corporation(KNOC); Korea Electric Power Company (KEPCO); Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) |
| Major Ports |
Pusan, Inchon, Kunsan, Mokpo, Ulsan |
| Major Refineries (capacity, bbl/d) |
Ulsan (817,000 bbl/d); Yosu (650,000); Onsan (520,000 bbl/d); Daesan (310,000 bbl/d); Inchon (270,000 bbl/d) |
|
* The total energy consumption statistic includes petroleum, dry natural gas, coal, net hydro, nuclear, geothermal, solar, wind, wood and waste electric power. The renewable energy consumption statistic is based on International Energy Agency (IEA) data and includes hydropower, solar, wind, tide, geothermal, solid biomass and animal products, biomass gas and liquids, industrial and municipal wastes. Sectoral shares of energy consumption and carbon emissions are also based on IEA data.
**GDP figures from OECD estimates based on purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates.
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