The official name is the Republic of Korea (RK). It occupies the southern part of the Korean Peninsula from the 38th parallel. The area is 99.2 thousand km2, or 45% of the entire territory of Korea. The population is 47.340 million people. (2001). The official language is Korean. The capital is Seoul (10.3 million people, 2000). Public holiday – Liberation Day on August 15. On this day in 1945, Korea was liberated from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule. This day also marks the anniversary of the establishment of the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, formed in 1948. Other important public holidays are Sol, or Lunar New Year (the first day of the first month according to the lunar calendar), Independence Movement Day (March 1), Buddha’s Birthday (the eighth day fourth month according to the lunar calendar), Memorial Day (fallen in wars, celebrated on July 6), Constitution Day (adopted in 1948, celebrated on July 17), Chuseok (the day of remembrance of the ancestors, celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth month according to the lunar calendar), State Formation Day (the formation of the first Korean state is celebrated in 2333 BC, celebrated on October 1), Christmas (celebrated on December 25). The monetary unit is won.
Member of the UN (since 1991) and its specialized organizations, OECD (since 1996), WTO (since 1995), APEC (since 1989), etc.
Population of South Korea
Population density is 476 people per 1 km2. In terms of population, Kazakhstan ranks 26th in the world, and 3rd in terms of population density. In the 1960s, which became the first peaceful decade after many years of wars and post-war reconstruction, there was a high rate of population growth (about 3% per year). In the 1970s this figure dropped to 2%, and in the 1990s. and the first years of the 21st century. – to less than 1%. In the next quarter of a century, according to existing forecasts, the population growth rate may drop to zero. The ratio of the male and female population is close to one: in 2001, the number of men was 28.8 million people, and women – 28.5 million people. Urban population 79%.
According to Countryaah, average life expectancy is 76 years. For women, this figure is 79.5 years, for men – 72 years. The economically active population (aged 15-64) is 72%. The population of the Republic of Kazakhstan is homogeneous, with non-Koreans accounting for less than 1% of the population.
Slightly more than half of the population of the country consider themselves to be stable adherents of any religious denomination. Of these, 51% are followers of Buddhism, 34% of Protestantism, 11% of Catholicism, 2% of Confucianism, 2% of other faiths.
Economy of South Korea
The main foreign economic partners of the Republic of Kazakhstan are the USA, Japan and China. In 2001, the United States accounted for 20.7% of exports and 14.6% of imports, for Japan, the same figures are 11 and 18.9%, and for China, respectively, 12.1 and 9.4%. The share of trade turnover with the Russian Federation is approx. one%.
The dynamic development of the South Korean economy since the beginning. 1960s led to a significant improvement in the material situation of the population. The average monthly wage in 2000 was 1.75 million won (approx. $1,400) with an average working week of 46.6 hours..4 hours
Serious shifts have taken place in providing South Koreans with housing. In the Republic of Kazakhstan, 79% of the population lives in cities (38% in 1960). The government developed a program for the construction of 922 million apartments in 1988, which was successfully overfulfilled: 2.7 million apartments were built in these years. Between 1992 and 1997, 500,000 to 600,000 apartments were built annually, which made it possible to lower housing prices and improve the living conditions of South Koreans. Half of the population of the 7 largest cities of the Republic of Kazakhstan lives in apartment buildings.
Social insurance in the Republic of Kazakhstan on a large scale began to be applied only from the end. 1980s Since 1988, the state pension system was originally extended to employees of institutions and companies of 10 people. and more, since 1992 – with the number of employees 5 people. and more, since 1995 began to cover also those employed in agriculture and rural residents who are self-employed. The system of medical insurance began to be introduced in the Republic of Kazakhstan only in 1988-89. Over the past period, medical care for the population has improved significantly. The number of medical institutions increased in 1996–2001 from 31,000 to 41,300, and the average number of beds in them increased from 209 to 304. Great efforts are being made to prevent certain (viral) and early diagnosis of other (oncological) diseases. In 2001, within the framework of the national program for the fight against oncological diseases (1st place among the causes of death in the Republic of Kazakhstan), the National Cancer Center-Hospital was opened, which is entrusted with the function of coordinating the relevant research and treatment activities. The program of free screening and early diagnosis of cancer covers 20% of the country’s population.
Traditionally, women have played a minor role in business and in the public life of the country. However, in the 1990s the opposite trend began to clearly manifest itself: marriage and the birth of children for a growing number of young Korean women does not become a reason for abandoning a business or public career. Supporting the growing activity of women, the government initiated in 2000 an increase in the quota of civil service positions reserved for women to 20%.
