KOREA
Located in East Asia, it occupies the Korean Peninsula, the adjacent part of the continent, and about 3,500 coastal islands. The territory is 222,15 thousand km². The population is 71.3 million (2004), mainly Koreans.
Korea is a country with an ancient history (Korean: Choson, literally - the land of morning freshness). Koreans count the history of their country as 5,000 years. The emergence of the first slave-owning states dates back to the 8th-4th centuries BC. The process of forming a unified state was completed in 668 AD. The last royal dynasty, the Lee dynasty, existed from 1392 to 1910. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, Korea was occupied by Japan. From 1910 to 1945, it was part of the Japanese Empire as a general-governorship.
In August 1945, Korea north of the 38th parallel was liberated by the Red Army. According to the decisions of the Allies, it was established that the 38th parallel would become the dividing line between the Soviet and American troops that arrived to capture and disarm the Japanese armed forces on the territory of the Korean Peninsula. The advance units of the American corps landed in southern Korea in early September 1945 and did not participate in combat operations. In December 1945, the Moscow meeting of the foreign ministers of the USSR, the USA, and Great Britain decided to establish a trusteeship over Korea for a 5-year period. (The Kuomintang government of China later joined this decision.) With the aim of reviving Korea as a unified democratic independent state, the meeting advocated the formation of a temporary central Korean government. The preparation of specific proposals was entrusted to a joint commission of representatives from the Soviet and American commands. The commission worked in 1946-47, but due to sharp disagreements, it was unable to fulfill its mission.
On August 15, 1948, the Republic of Korea (ROK) was officially proclaimed in Seoul, and on September 9, 1948, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was proclaimed in Pyongyang. In September 1948, the Soviet Union satisfied the appeal of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK to the governments of the USSR and the USA and by the end of that year withdrew its troops from its territory. The USA evacuated its troops from South Korea by mid-1949.
The Korean War of 1950-53 was the result of acute ideological confrontation between the DPRK and the ROK. The war was preceded by numerous armed conflicts provoked by both sides. They gained the most intensity in the second half of 1949 and continued until the start of full-scale military operations. In the absence of a representative from the USSR, the UN Security Council on June 25, 1950, adopted a resolution accusing the DPRK of unprovoked aggression against the ROK, and two days later another resolution recognized the need for urgent military assistance to South Korea from UN member states.
On the side of the DPRK, Chinese People's Volunteer troops (about 1 million) entered the war. The Soviet Union also assisted the DPRK, including in repelling American air raids on the rear areas of the republic. After fierce confrontations, by mid-1951, both sides switched to defense, having exhausted their capabilities to achieve victory in the war. In terms of achieving political goals, the war ended inconclusively for both the DPRK and the ROK. On July 27, 1953, an armistice agreement was signed in Korea. A demilitarized zone 4 km wide was established between the DPRK and the Republic of Korea. The state of the armistice remains to this day.
Since the early 1970s, the DPRK and the ROK have been establishing contacts to seek ways to resolve mutual relations and achieve the reunification of the country. The first significant political contacts led to the signing of the Joint Statement of the North and the South (July 1972), which recorded the principles of national reunification.
The entry of the two Korean states into the UN (September 1991) became possible after the DPRK abandoned its previous position on this issue: "two delegations for one seat."
In December 1991, an Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-Aggression, Cooperation, and Exchanges was signed between the DPRK and the ROK, and in February 1992, a Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was signed, according to which the parties renounced testing, production, import, storage, and deployment of nuclear weapons. The four-party negotiations (DPRK, ROK, USA, China) held from 1996 to 1999, aimed at forming a new system for maintaining peace in Korea, ended without results.
The North and South of Korea managed to significantly bring their positions closer after the first meeting in Pyongyang between ROK President Kim Dae-jung and Chairman of the State Defense Committee of the DPRK Kim Jong-il (June 2000). In the Joint Declaration of the North and the South signed as a result of the meeting, the parties agreed to "independently resolve the issue of national reunification," noted the similarity of the North's proposal to create a confederation and the South's proposal for a commonwealth of the South and the North, and confirmed commitments for mutual non-aggression. After that, a series of meetings of military representatives from the North and the South took place, sessions of the Committee for Economic Cooperation of the North and the South, and meetings of representatives of the Red Cross and separated relatives. Athletes from the North and the South performed together at the opening and closing of the 5th Asian Winter Games in Japan in 2003, and at the opening of the 28th Summer Olympic Games in Athens in August 2004.
The volume of trade between the South and the North in 2004 amounted to about $697 million, and the volume of humanitarian aid provided by the South to the North reached $197.5 million. As part of inter-Korean cooperation, work is being carried out to create a South Korean industrial park on the territory of the DPRK in Kaesong (total area of the site - 66 million m²). In the Kumgang Mountains, the construction of a Center for the Reunification of Divided Families has begun (capacity up to 1,000 people).
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
A state on the Korean Peninsula. Territory - 122.8 thousand km². Capital - Pyongyang (3.2 million). Administrative-territorial division - 9 provinces, city of central subordination - Pyongyang. Special administrative status is held by the "Rason" trade and economic zone (central district of subordination), Kaesong and Kumgangsan special economic zones, and the city of Nampo (city of special subordination within South Pyongan province). Population - 23.3 million (2004); Koreans, with several thousand Chinese living there. The official language is Korean. Religions - Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity. The currency is the DPRK won.
It has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR in 1948).
National holidays: September 9 - Day of the Establishment of the DPRK (1948), April 15 - Day of the Birth of Kim Il-sung (1912; Sun Festival), February 16 - Day of the Birth of Kim Jong-il.
According to the new edition of the constitution of 1998, the DPRK is a "socialist homeland of Juche (Juche - self-reliance. According to the ideas of Juche, all questions in "revolution and construction" should be solved from the position of independence relying on one's own forces), which is the embodiment in practice of the ideas and guidance of the great leader Comrade Kim Il-sung," the late Kim Il-sung (1994) is recognized as the "eternal president of the DPRK."
The highest governing body of the country is declared to be the State Defense Committee of the DPRK. Its chairman, Kim Jong-il, is the "highest official," the supreme commander of the Korean People's Army (KPA), and exercises "command over all political, military, and economic forces of the DPRK."
The highest legislative body is the unicameral Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) of the DPRK, elected for 5 years, and between sessions, the work is led by the Presidium of the SPA. The last elections to the SPA were held in August 2003. The chairman of the Presidium of the SPA is Kim Yong-nam (represents the DPRK in foreign relations), and the chairman of the SPA is Choi Tae-bok. The highest administrative-executive body of power is the cabinet of ministers. The chairman of the cabinet of ministers is Pak Pong-ju.
The Workers' Party of Korea (general secretary - Kim Jong-il), which has more than 3 million members, has played a special role in North Korean society for more than half a century (established on October 10, 1945). Its last, VI congress took place in October 1980. The center and the party's printed organs are the newspaper "Rodong Sinmun" (1.5 million copies) and the magazine "Kyllochja."
The United Democratic National Front (established in 1949) unites political parties, mass public organizations, and creative unions. Along with the WPK, it includes the Social Democratic Party of Korea, the Chondoist Chongu Party (Party of Young Friends of the Heavenly Path); mass public organizations: the United Trade Unions of Korea (1.9 million), the Union of Agricultural Workers of Korea, and other organizations.
The DPRK has diplomatic relations with 158 countries, as well as the European Union, and is a member of more than 250 international organizations. In 1991, the DPRK joined the UN simultaneously with the ROK.
The priority of the DPRK's foreign policy is to expand ties with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, primarily with China, as well as with developing countries. The country is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement (since 1975). The DPRK advocates the principle of state sovereignty in international relations and opposes any actions aimed at exerting military pressure and interfering in the internal affairs of independent states.
In 1945-48, land reform, nationalization of industry, transport, communications, banking, and foreign trade were carried out in North Korea, and democratic rights and freedoms of citizens were proclaimed. Economic construction was interrupted by the war of 1950-53. In the post-war period, with technical assistance from the USSR, China, and Eastern European countries, about 200 national economic facilities were restored or built free of charge, as well as on credit. With Soviet assistance, more than 70 facilities were built, on which a significant share of the electricity, iron ore, steel products, aluminum, petroleum products, and other goods produced in the country is produced.
After the completion of "socialist transformations in the city and countryside" (1958) and the resolution of the main tasks of industrialization (1970), the DPRK took a course to accelerate ideological, technical, and cultural revolution. The VI congress of the WPK (October 1980) set the task of "creating a solid material and technical base corresponding to a society where socialism has completely triumphed and a sharp rise in the material and cultural living standards of the people."
The economy of the DPRK is closed in nature, and industry is mainly based on outdated technology. The level of production of consumer goods is low.
The DPRK has significant reserves of ores of non-ferrous, ferrous, precious metals, coal, graphite, magnesite, and other minerals. The basis of the economy is heavy industry, with leading sectors being electric power, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, mining (including coal), and chemical industry, as well as the production of building materials and machine engineering; attention is paid to the development of light and food industries.
The situation in the national economy remains tense. In 2004, the GDP of the DPRK, according to estimates, amounted to $10.18 billion ($443 per capita). Some innovations initiated in 2002 to overcome negative phenomena in the economy have not yet yielded visible positive results. There is an acute shortage of electricity, fuel, raw materials, and food.
The basis of agriculture is grain production. The main agricultural crops are rice and corn, as well as wheat, barley, soybeans, potatoes, and tobacco. Vegetable growing, horticulture, poultry farming, fish farming, and sericulture are developing. Animal husbandry has not developed. The total cultivated area is 2.27 million hectares (18% of the total territory of the country). There is a program for the development of coastal areas and the exploration of new lands.
In recent years, agriculture has been experiencing a decline. Despite the fact that in the agricultural sector, production growth in 2004 amounted to 3%, and the grain harvest (including potatoes) reached 4.24 million tons, the problem of food shortages remains acute. The main problems of the agricultural complex are the lack of cultivated land, soil depletion, and fertilizer shortages, as well as weak technical equipment.
The volume of international humanitarian aid provided to the DPRK in 2004 exceeded $250 million. The country maintains a system of rationed supply of the population with food products and consumer goods.
About 90% of cargo transportation is carried out by rail transport. The length of paved roads is insignificant.
Foreign trade relations are poorly developed, and export potential is limited. Mainly raw materials are exported.
The main trading partners are the Republic of Korea, China, Japan, and Russia. The country has significant external debt (to the governments of Western Europe, Japan, and Russia).
In 2004, the trade turnover between the Russian Federation and the DPRK amounted to about $146 million. The main items of Russian exports to the DPRK (about $138 million) are petroleum products, ferrous metals and steel products, machinery, equipment and spare parts, timber, and cellulose, while the main imports from Russia are seafood, re-exported goods of Japanese and Chinese origin, and synthetic fabrics. The total amount of the DPRK's debt to the former USSR is about 4 billion rubles (at 1991 prices).
Since 1975, a mandatory 11-year education system (including one year of preschool) has been in place in the country. There are more than 10,000 general education schools, 480 technical schools, and more than 200 higher educational institutions. The largest university is Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang (more than 12,000 students).
There are 1.5 million specialists with higher and secondary specialized education in the country.
Newspapers published include: "Rodong Sinmun" (organ of the WPK), "Minju Choson" (organ of the government), "Choson Inmingun" (organ of the KPA).
The main news agency is the Central Telegraph Agency of Korea (CTAK).
Broadcasting is carried out by the Central Radio Station of Korea and the Pyongyang Radio Station. The Central Television of Korea and Kaesong Television are also operational.
Republic of Korea
A state on the Korean Peninsula south of the 38th parallel. Territory - 99.35 thousand km². Capital - Seoul (11 million).
Administrative-territorial division - 9 provinces and 7 cities of central subordination. Population - 48 million (2003); Koreans, as well as about 30,000 Chinese and people of other nationalities. The official language is Korean. Religions - Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, and part of the population adheres to traditional beliefs. The currency is the ROK won.
It has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on September 30, 1990). In November 1992, a Treaty on the Foundations of Relations between the ROK and the Russian Federation was signed.
National holidays: August 15 - Day of the Restoration of the Republic (1948), October 3 - Day of the Foundation of the State (Ancient Choson in 2333 BC).
On August 15, 1948, the Republic of Korea was proclaimed. For four decades, a dictatorial regime persisted in the ROK.
Initially, it was embodied by Syngman Rhee (overthrown in April 1960), then by Park Chung-hee (assassinated in October 1979). From 1980 to 1987, the presidential chair was held by Chun Doo-hwan. A nationwide referendum held in October 1987 approved a new constitution, which came into force on November 25, 1988. The constitution introduced direct presidential elections instead of multi-tiered ones, expanded the rights of parliament, and enshrined freedom of the press, the right to form trade unions, and to hold meetings and demonstrations. Under pressure from the opposition, a provision was included in the constitution regarding the undesirability of military participation in politics.
The ROK is a republic with a presidential form of government. The president is the head of state and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, serving a 5-year term and cannot be re-elected for a second term.
On December 19, 2002, the president of the country was elected, a well-known figure of the ruling Democratic Party of the New Millennium, Roh Moo-hyun. He took office on November 25, 2003.
Legislative power in the country belongs to a unicameral parliament - the National Assembly, consisting of 299 deputies, of which 243 are elected from single-member territorial districts, and 56 seats are distributed among parties in proportion to the number of votes cast for them nationwide. The term of office for deputies is 4 years. Elections to the 17th National Assembly took place on April 15, 2004. The speaker of the National Assembly of the ROK is elected for 2 years (currently - Kim Won-ki).
The parliament includes: the pro-government "Yeollin Uridan" (Our Open Party) (144 seats), opposition parties such as the Grand National Party (125), the Democratic Party of the New Millennium (11), the United Liberal Democrats (3), and also for the first time the Democratic Labor Party (9) entered the National Assembly of the ROK. The remaining deputies are independents.
The Cabinet of Ministers. The government of the ROK includes the Prime Minister and 3 Vice Prime Ministers - the Minister of Finance and Economy, the Minister of Education and Human Resource Development, and the Minister of Science and Technology, along with 17 ministers, the chairman of the State Service Committee, and the chairman of the Financial Supervisory Committee. Members of the Cabinet of Ministers are appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly.
In 1995, local self-government was restored in South Korea after a 34-year break.
The main priorities of the ROK's foreign policy are to create favorable conditions for ensuring peaceful coexistence of the two Korean states, to promote the development of the country's economy based on the principles of "open market," to actively participate in globalization processes, and to strengthen the role and authority of the ROK in Asia and the world community. It is a member of the OECD, IEA, and several other international organizations and associations.
The current administration of the ROK emphasizes the need for a more balanced approach in relations with its four main foreign policy partners - the USA, Japan, China, and Russia. At the same time, the allied relations with Washington remain the "cornerstone" of the ROK's foreign policy course. Based on the US-Korean mutual defense treaty of 1954, American troops totaling 32,500 are stationed in the ROK. In 2004, the American military command announced plans for a phased reduction, starting in 2005, of its contingent and the number of military bases in South Korea.
The ROK belongs to the so-called new industrial countries. Annual economic growth rates in the late 80s and 90s were around 8%. However, negative phenomena that accumulated in the ROK's economy, as well as shocks in the financial markets of Southeast Asia, led to a serious financial and economic crisis in 1997, for overcoming which the ROK appealed to the IMF in November of that year for urgent credit. According to the agreement reached, the ROK, in exchange for financial assistance from the IMF (about $57 billion), agreed to accelerate financial and economic reforms and take measures to liberalize the investment climate in the country.
In 2000, the country largely overcame the crisis and entered a phase of stable economic growth. By mid-2001, the IMF loan was repaid ahead of schedule.
In 2003, the GDP of the ROK increased by almost 5% and amounted to $606 billion ($12,600 per capita), with inflation and unemployment kept within 3%.
Among minerals, the most significant are deposits of coal, and the development of iron, zinc, and copper ores, as well as tungsten (one of the leading places in the world) and tin. However, the mining industry does not play a significant role in the country's economy, and most of the industrial raw materials are imported.
The leading role in the economy belongs to the manufacturing industry. The ROK ranks among the top countries in the world in shipbuilding, steel production, passenger car manufacturing, and the production of electronics and electrical engineering. The country has its own aerospace industry development program and is actively conducting scientific and technical research in biotechnology, genetic engineering, lasers, and the creation of composite materials. Eleven South Korean companies are included in the list of the 500 leading global corporations.
The comprehensive promotion of exports and stimulation of foreign investment inflows are the main components of the ROK's foreign economic policy. In 2004, the volume of foreign trade of the ROK reached $478.4 billion (exports - $253.9 billion), with 95% of exports being finished products. The main trading partners are China, the USA, Japan, EU countries, and ASEAN. In 2004, the trade volume between the Russian Federation and the ROK amounted to more than $6 billion. The gold and foreign exchange reserves of the ROK in 2004 exceeded $199 billion.
The main agricultural crops are rice (over 50% of arable land) and barley, as well as sweet potatoes, vegetables, soybeans, and others. Small land ownership predominates. In recent years, agriculture has faced difficulties largely due to the ROK's commitments to the WTO to open the agricultural market.
The length of railways in the country is 7,500 km, and the length of roads is 97,300 km.
In South Korea, there is a system of compulsory primary education. There are more than 500 higher educational institutions (of which 400 are private), where about 1.5 million students study, and more than 100 colleges and universities. Among the largest are the state Seoul National University and private universities such as Yonsei, Kyunghee, Konkuk, Kukmin, Korea, Hanguk, and Hanyang.
More than 70 daily newspapers are published with a total circulation of up to 14 million copies, of which about half are published in Seoul. Leading newspapers include "Dong-A Ilbo" (over 1 million copies), "Chosun Ilbo" (2 million), "Hankook Ilbo" (2 million). In English, there are "Korea Herald" (150,000) and "Korea Times" (140,000).
The news agency Yonhap was founded in 1980. The largest radio and television broadcasting corporations are "Korean Broadcasting System" (KBS) and "Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation" (MBC). Among the leading radio stations in the country are "Christian Broadcasting System," "KBS," and "Asia Broadcasting System" (broadcasting to foreign countries in the Far East, including Russia).