Long-form name: Republic of Korea; abbreviated ROK

Type: republic

Capital: Seoul

Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4 special cities* (jikhalsi, singular and plural); Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto, Cholla-namdo, Ch'ungch'ong-bukto, Ch'ungch'ong-namdo, Inch'on-jikhalsi*, Kangwon-do, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto, Kyongsang-namdo, Pusan-jikhalsi*, Soul-t'ukpyolsi*, Taegu-jikhalsi*; note--there may be a new special city of Kwangju-jikhalsi

Independence: 15 August 1948

Constitution: approved by voters on 27 October 1987 to take effect on 25 February 1988; requires direct presidential elections and protects human rights

Legal system: combines elements of continental European civil law systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: Independence Day, 15 August (1948)

Branches: strong presidency, unicameral legislature (National Assembly), judiciary

Leader: @m5Chief of State--President ROH Tae Woo (since 25 February 1988); @m5Head of Government--Prime Minister LEE Hyun Jae (since 25 February 1988); Deputy Prime Minister RAE Woong Bae (since NA 19 )

Suffrage: universal over age 20

Elections: president elected every five years by direct vote; last election December 1987; four-year National Assembly election last held April 1988

Political parties and leaders: major party is government's Democratic Justice Party (DJP), Roh Tae Woo, president, and Park June Kyu, chairman; opposition parties are Peace and Democracy Party (PPD), Kim Dae Jung; Korea Reunification Democratic Party (RPD), Kim Young Sam; New Democratic Republican Party (NDRP), Kim Jong Pil; several smaller parties

Voting strength: 1987 presidential election--DJP 36%, RPD 27%, PPD 26%, NDRP 8%, others 3%; April 1988 parliamentary election (299 seats total)--DJP 125 seats (34%), PPD 71 seats (19%), RPD 59 seats (24%), NDRP 35 seats (15%), others 9 seats (8%)

Communists: Communist party activity banned by government

Other political or pressure groups: Korean National Council of Churches; large, potentially volatile student population concentrated in Seoul; Federation of Korean Trade Unions; Korean Veterans' Association; Federation of Korean Industries; Korean Traders Association

Member of: ABD, AfDB, Asian-African Legal Consultative Committee, Asian Parliamentary Union, APACL--Asian People's Anti-Communist League, ASPAC, CCC, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, Geneva Conventions of 1949 for the protection of war victims, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, IWC--International Whaling Commission, IWC--International Wheat Council, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNIDO, UN Special Fund, UPU, WACL--World Anti-Communist League, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO; official observer status at UN

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Tong-Jin PARK; Chancery at 2320 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-5600; there are Korean Consulates General in Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle; US--Ambassador-Designate Donald GREGG; Embassy at 82 Sejong-Ro, Chongro-ku, Seoul (mailing address is APO San Francisco 96301); telephone Õ82å (2) 732-2601 through 2618; there is a US Consulate in Pusan

Flag: white with a red (top) and blue yin-yang symbol in the center; there is a different black trigram from the ancient @m5I Ching (Book of Changes) in each corner of the white field

NOTE: The information regarding Korea, South on this page is re-published from the 1989 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Korea, South Government 1989 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Korea, South Government 1989 should be addressed to the CIA.