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Essay on South Korea: A Socioeconomic Survey
After World War II, a republic was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a Communist-style government was installed in the north. During the Korean War (1950-1953), USA and other UN forces intervened to defend South Korea from North Korean attacks supported by the Chinese. An armistice was signed in 1953, splitting the Peninsula along a demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel. Thereafter, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth with per capita income rising to roughly 20 times the level of North Korea.
South Korea has maintained its commitment to democratize its political processes. In June 2000, a historic first North-South summit took place between the South's President KIM Dae-jung and the North's leader KIM Chong-il.
Korea forms a peninsula that extends some 1,100 km from the Asian mainland, flanked by the Yellow Sea to the west and the Sea of Japan (called the East Sea by Koreans) to the east, and terminated by the Korea Strait and the East China Sea to the south.
According to Koreans, Japan never returned back the name of Sea of Korea/Corea, which had been used throughout 18th/19th century western maps after being defeated in World War II.
Geographic coordinates of South Korea are 37 00 N, 127 30 E. Total area South Korea consists is 98,480 sq km (Land 98,190 sq km) surrounded by water 290 sq km. The land boundaries 238 km. border countries North Korea 238 km on the North.
Coastline 2,413 km. Maritime claims contiguous zone 24 nm and exclusive economic zone 200 nm. Territorial sea: 12 nm between 3 nm and 12 nm in the Korea Strait. Climate is temperate; with rainfall heavier in summer than winter, mostly hills and mountains wide coastal plains in west and south. Elevation extremes lowest point East Sea 0 m. highest....
