Реферат: Korea in focus
Реферат: Korea in focus
A People and History in Harmony
Introduction
In the past two decades, Korea has been one of the fastest
developing nations in the world - both in economic and social terms. Rapid
industrial and economic growth has seen the Republic nearly reach developed
nation status in a remarkably short time. The Korean people also find
themselves in the midst of a new era of democratic development following the
birth of the civilian Administration of President Kim Young Sam on February 25,
1993. This wiped out the negative legacy of decades of military-backed
authoritarian rule. The country has since been implementing bold political and
economic reforms to eradicate corruption and revitalize and restructure the
economy with the goal of building a New Korea - a mature and vibrant industrial
democracy.
This rapid economic and social development has brought Korea
increased international exposure and recognition, as the Republic begins to
expand its role on the international stage. Testifying to this was the
successful hosting of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the largest held in history up to
that time. This was following by the 1993 hosting of an international
exposition, the Taejon Expo ‘93. Both the Seoul Olympics and the Taejon Expo
played an important role in deepening ties between Korea and countries all over
the world and gave an impetus to the Korean economy.
This era of stability and expanding international ties represents
the most exciting period in the country’s history - and yet, in retrospect,
Korea has, in its 5,000-year history, quite an enviable record for governments
of longevity and stability. The country’s last dynasty, the Yi Dynasty of the
Choson Kingdom, lasted 500 years.
The Koreans of today, while enormously proud of their country’s
past, look at Korea’s role and reputation from a more recent historical
perspective; but, in order to understand today’s Korea - its land, people,
culture, history, and recent economic and political transitions - it is
necessary to look at both the past and the present. “Korea In Focus” aims to
give you a brief overview to help in your general awareness of Korea today.
More detailed information can be obtained from individual organizations or
government offices.
Land
The Korean Peninsula, located in Northeast Asia, is bordered on
the north by China and Russia and juts towards Japan to the southeast. Since
1948, the 221,487 square kilometers which make up the entire Peninsula have
been divided, roughly along the 38th parallel, into the Republic of Korea in
the south and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the north. The
Republic of Korea covers 99,221 square kilometers, a land area a little more
than twice the size of Switzerland.
Seoul is the capital of the country which is made up of nine
provinces; other major cities include Pusan, Taegu, Inch’on, Kwangju, and
Taejon.
The landscape is spectacular in its variations and about 70
percent of it is mountaneous. The oceans around the Peninsula are a major
source of livelihood and recreation for Koreans. The shoreline is dotted by
more than 3,000 islands.
The Peninsula’s longest river is the Amnokkang (790 km) in the
North. One of the South’s major waterways is the Han-gang River, which flows
through Seoul to the West Sea (Yellow Sea).
History
A look back at the 5,000 years of Korean history reveals triumphs
and tragedies, successes and struggles which have been instrumental in shaping
the Korea and Koreans of today. One remarkable fact that emerges from such a
historical examination is that Korea has largely been ruled by long-term,
stable governments. Korea’s kindoms and dynasties generally lasted about 500
years or more.
Although Korea’s traceable history began considerably earlier that
the seventh century, it was the Shilla Unification in 668 that Korea, as a
historical entity with a cohesive culture and society, came to occuрy most of the Peninsula as it exists today.
It was almost a decade after the end of the war before the
Republic of Korea had recovered sufficiently to establish stability and start
the momentum for its now remarkable recovery and development. The three decades
since then have been a time of spectacular progress which has seen the creation
of a modern, industrialized nation.
People
Korea is homogeneous society, although there have been historic
and prehistoric migrations of Chinese, Mongols and Japanese. Koreans are very
conscious of the ethnic differences and cultural distinctions which give them
their unique identity.
The population of the Republic of Korea was estimated at 44.1
million in 1993. Its population density is among the world’s highest and Seoul,
the capital, has more than 10 million inhabitants. The annual population growth
in the Republic has dropped from an average of 2.7 percent in the 1960-66
period to only 0.90 percent in 1993. The slowdown is also partly the result of
the increasing number of young working women.
The country’s rapid industrialization is responsible for today’s
concentration of population in urban centers. The proportion of Koreans living
in cities has jumped from only 28 percent in 1960 to 74.4 percent as of 1990 -
very similar to the 73 to 76 percent levels in the United States, Japan and
France.
Language
The Korean language is spoken by some 60 million people living on
the Peninsula and its outlying islands as well as some 1.5 million Koreans
living in other parts of the world.
Korean belongs to the Ural-Altaic language group, which is found
in an narrow band from Korea and Japan across Mongolia and central Asia to
Turkey. Korean is a non-tonal language, with agglutinative and polysynthetic
elements.
Religion
Religion in today’s Korea covers a broad spectrum of faiths and
beliefs. Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Islam and numerous other
indigenous religions exist in Korea. Although none of them dominates, they all
influence contemporary culture.
Education
Education has been at the heart of Korea’s growth by training and
supplying the manpower needed for rapid industrial and economic expansion.
A multi-tiered educational system is currently in use,
encompassing elementary school (six years), middle school (three years), high
school (three years), and college (four years), as well as various graduate and
professional programs.
The government has eased regulations on overseas study. This new
policy also encourages those in the teaching profession to take advantage of
opportunities for training abroad.
Transportation
The tremendous pace of domestic economic growth in the past two
decades has been reflected in the expansion of transportation facilities and
the increases in Korea’s annual passenger and cargo volumes. The annual volume
of passenger transportation rose from 1.6 billion persons in 1996 to 14.24
billion in 1993.
Seoul has a well-developed mass transit system of subways, buses,
and taxis. Airport shuttles or city buses are conveniently available and
operate throughout the city. The subway system is the eighth longest in the
world, carrying 1,388 million people in 1993. Its four lines reach most major
locations in the city.
Korea has three international airports in Seoul (Kimpo), Pusan
(Kimhae) and Cheju (Cheju), all of which are equipped with modern air traffic
control facilities and support systems. Korean Air’s worldwide network serves
43 cities in 24 nations, including recently inaugurated flights to Rome. The
newly launched Asiana Airlines recently started international flights with
regular service to fourteen cities in Japan, the U.S., Singapore, Hong Kong,
Taipei and Bangkok.
All expressway system also connects Seoul with provincial cities
and towns, putting any place in mainland South Korea within a one-day round
trip of the capital. Express buses transport passengers to and from all
principal cities and resorts in the country.
The railway also serve the entire country through an efficient and
extensive network. The super-express train, Saemaul, runs 444.5 kilometers from
Seoul to Pusan in four hours and 10 minutes. There are also ordinary express
and local trains.
Ocean liners, cruise ships, and passenger-carrying freighters
visit Korean ports. A ferry service links Pusan with Chejudo Island and the
Japanese ports of Shimonoseki, Kobe and Hakada. Another ferry service recently
started between Inch’on and Tianjin China.
Telecommunications
Telephone services have rapidly expanded during the last decade,
particularly during the last 5 Years (1988-”92). During these years, with the
investment of US$2.64 billion in communications annually, 1.76 million new
telephone circuits were installed each year, increasing the total number of
telephone lines to 10.14 million as of 1993. Virtually every home in the
country now has its own telephone and all the telephone circuits are connected
by automatic switching systems.
Also, through the launch of KOREASAT scheduled in 1995, Korea will
be able to provide satellite communication services by using its own satellite
from October 1995.
THE ECONOMY
Looking Ahead to the 21st
Century
In the last quarter century, Korea’s economic growth has been
among the fastest in the world. The country has overcome obstacles and
challenges to transform itself from a subsistence-level economy into one of the
world’s leading newly industrialized countries. Today, however, the Korean
economy faces the new challenges of internationalization and globalization in
an increasingly complex global economic environment.
Past Performance and Policies
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