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NORTH KOREA (Continued) Government and party leaders: KIM Il-song, President DPRK and General Secretary of the Korean Workers Party; Yl Chong-ǒk, Premier

Suffrage: universal at age 17

Elections: election to SPA every four years, but this constitutional provision not necessarily followed—last election February 1982

Political party: Korean Workers (Communist) Party; claims membership of about 2 million, or about 11% of population

Member of: FAO, IAEA, ICAO, IPU, IRCS, ITU, UN (observer status only), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

ECONOMY
GNP: $14.1 billion (1979), $750 per capita

Agriculture: main crops—corn, rice, vegetables; food shortages—meat, cooking oils; production of foodstuffs adequate for domestic needs at low levels of consumption

Major industries: machine building, electric power, chemicals, mining, metallurgy, textiles, food processing

Shortages: complex machinery and equipment, coking coal, petroleum

Crude steel: 3.5 million metric tons produced (1979), 187 kg per capita

Electric power: 5,428,000 kW capacity (1980); 35.915 billion kWh produced (1980), 1,829 kWh per capita

Exports: $1,320 million (1979); minerals, chemical and metallurgical products

Imports: $1,300 million (1979); machinery and equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, coking coal

Major trade partners: total trade turnover $2.6 billion (1979); 43% with non-Communist countries, 57% with Communist countries

Aid: economic and military aid from the USSR and China

Monetary conversion rate: 1.79 won=US$1

Fiscal year: calendar year

COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: 4,535 km total operating in 1980; 3,870 km standard gauge (1.435 m), 665 km narrow gauge (0.762 m); 159 km double tracked; about 2,940 km electrified; government owned

Highways: about 20,280 km (1980); 98.5% gravel, crushed stone, or earth surface; 1.5% concrete or bituminous

Inland waterways: 2,253 km; mostly navigable by small craft only

Ports: 6 major, 26 minor

DEFENSE FORCES
Military manpower: males 15-49, 4,658,000; 2,852,000 fit for military service; 231,000 reach military age (18) annually

 

LAND
98,913 km$2$; 23% arable (22% cultivated), 10% urban and other, 67% forested

Land boundaries: 241 km

WATER
Limits of territorial waters: 12 nm (fishing 200 nm)

Coastline: 2,413 km

PEOPLE
Population: 41,092,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 1.6%

Nationality: noun—Korean(s); adjective—Korean

Ethnic divisions: homogeneous; small Chinese minority (approx. 20,000)

Religion: strong Confucian tradition; pervasive folk religion (Shamanism); vigorous Christian minority (16.6% Christian population); Buddhism (including estimated 20,000 members of Soka Gakkai); Chondokyo (religion of the heavenly way), eclectic religion with nationalist overtones founded in 19th century, claims about 1.5 million adherents

Language: Korean

Literacy: about 90%

Labor force: 14.2 million (1979); 36% agriculture, fishing, forestry; 24% mining and manufacturing; 40% services and other; average unemployment 3.8% (1979)

Organized labor: about 13% of nonagricultural labor force

GOVERNMENT
Official name: Republic of Korea

Type: republic; power centralized in a strong executive

Capital: Seoul

Political subdivisions: 9 provinces, 2 special cities; heads centrally appointed

Legal system: combines elements of continental European civil law systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical 127