South Korea Engages With North Korea

South Korea’s new overtures to Kim Jong II are part of a broader regional diplomatic initiative. Moon visited China, a North Korean ally and key trading partner, in December 2017, and called for better South Korea-China relations.

 
 
Source
Central bank

N/A

International Reserves

N/A

Gross Domestic Product - GDP

N/A

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)

N/A

Real GDP growth
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017    
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A    

*Estimate

GDP per capita - current prices

N/A

GDP per capita - PPP

N/A

GDP (PPP) - share of world total
1980 1990 2000 2010 2017
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

 

 
 
Source
GDP - composition by sector
  • agriculture: 22.5% 
  • industry: 47.6% 
  • services: 29.9%

(2017 estimate)

Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP)

N/A

Inflation
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

*Estimate

Unemployment rate
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

*Estimate

Household saving rates

N/A

Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

*Estimate

Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

*Estimate

Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: N/A

Moody's: N/A

Standard & Poor's / Moody's 

Market value of publicly traded shares
2016 2017 2018
N/A N/A N/A
Largest companies

N/A

 
 
Source
Current account balance

N/A

Current account balance by percentage of GDP

N/A

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services)

N/A

Shares in world total merchandising export

N/A

Shares in world total commercial services export

N/A

Total exports

USD 4.2 billion (2015 estimate)

Export commodities

Minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments), textiles, agricultural and fishery products

Total imports

N/A

 
 
Source
Import commodities

Petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment, textiles, grain

Exports - major partners

China 86.3% (2017)

Imports - major partners

China 91.9% (2017)

FDI inflows
2016 2017 2018
USD 89 million USD -13 million USD 52 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
2015 2016 2017 2018
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014

N/A

Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015

N/A

Best countries for doing business

Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking: N/A

Subcategories:

Starting a business: N/A

Enforcing Contracts: N/A

Registering Property: N/A

Getting credit: N/A

Protecting investors: N/A

Trading across border: N/A

Paying Taxes: N/A

Dealing with Construction Permits: N/A

Getting Electricity: N/A

Resolving Insolvency: N/A

Global competitiveness ranking

N/A

Index of Economic Freedom

Ranking: 180 / Score: 5.9 (Repressed)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

 
 
Source
Time zone

UTC+9

Total area

120,538 sq km

Capital

Pyongyang

Currency

North Korean won (KPW) per US dollar (average)

Government type

Dictatorship, single-party state; official state ideology of "Juche" or "national self-reliance"

Languages

Korean

Religions

Traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)

Total population
1980 1990 2000 2015 2020
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

*Estimate

 
 
Source
Urban population as % of total population
1960 1980 2000 2018
40.2% 56.9% 59.4% 61.9%
Population median age

34.2 years 

Population growth rate

0.52% (2018 estimate)

Life expectancy

71 years (2018 estimate)

Literacy

Total population: 100% 
Male: 100% 
Female: 100%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)

% of population living on less than $3.10 a day

N/A

Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)

N/A

Freedom House rating

Not Free
Political Rights: 7
Civil Liberties: 7 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)

Source
Total telephone subscribers as % of population

Fixed: 50.6% Mobile: 129.7% (2018)

(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)

Internet users as % of total population

95.9 % (2018)

Mercer Cost of living index

Seoul: 4th (2019)

CO2 emissions

11.57 metric tons per capita (2014)