South Korea

Political science Project

Presented By

Kirollos Adel

Ahmed Wagdy

Yassin Nasr

Introduction

Location

South Korea is located in East Asia, on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula

jutting out from the far east of the Asian land mass. The only country with a land

border to South Korea is North Korea, lying to the north with 238 kilometres

(148 mi) of border running along the Korean Demilitarized Zone. South Korea is

mostly surrounded by water and has 2,413 kilometres (1,499 mi) of coast line

along three seas. To the west is the Yellow Sea, to the south is the East China Sea,

and to the east is Ulleung-do and Liancourt Rocks in the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

Geographically, South Korea's land mass is approximately 100,032 square

kilometres (38,623 sq. mi). 290 square kilometres (110 sq. mi) of South Korea

are occupied by water

Currency

South Korean won

Flag

Main cities 1. Seoul2. Busan3. Daegu4.  Daejeon5.  Gwangju6. Incheon7.  Ulsa

Economy

South Korea is one of the world's wealthiest nations. South Korea has a

market economy that ranks 15th in the world by nominal GDP It is a

developed country, with a developed market and high-income economy.

Nominal: $1.449 trillion (2014)

GDP per capita 32,020$

GDP growth rate 2.1%

Media

The South Korean media consist of several different types of public

communication of news: television, radio, cinema, newspapers,

magazines, and Internet-based Web sites.

Political System

Politics of the Republic of Korea takes place in the framework of a

presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President is

the head of state, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is

exercised by the government.

Legislative power is in hands of both the government and the National

Assembly. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the

legislature.

Since 1948, the constitution has undergone five major revisions, each

signifying a new republic. The current Sixth Republic began with the last

major constitutional revision in 1987.

Political Parties

Party Name Seats in National assembly

Political direction

Saenuri Party (NFP - New Frontier Party)

158 Centre right to right wing

New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD)

130 Centre to Centre left

Justice Party 5 Centre left

Constitution

The Constitution of the Republic of Korea calls for a liberal democratic

political system. Its principles are based on the sovereignty of the people,

with all the authority of state emanating from its citizens: Separation of

powers among the three branches of government, the rule of law, and the

responsibility to promote citizens' welfare, as well as the attainment of a

peaceful unification of Korea. 

Consisting of 130 articles, the Constitution provides for an executive

branch headed by a president and an appointed prime minister, a

unicameral legislature called the National Assembly, and a judiciary

consisting of the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court and lower courts.

The President is elected by direct popular vote, and limited to a single

five-year term. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President with the

consent of the National Assembly. Although not required by the

Constitution, the President also appoints members of the cabinet..

The National Assembly consists of at least 200 (presently 300) members

elected to four-year terms. The Supreme Court's chief justice is appointed

by the president and up to 13 other justices appointed by the president on

recommendation of the chief justice with the approval of the National

Assembly. The President serves a six-year term.

Last Presidential elections

Held in 2012

Candidate Party Votes %

Park Geun-hye Saenuri Party 15,773,128 51.55

Moon Jae-in Democratic United Party 14,692,632 48.02

Kang Ji-won Independent 53,303 0.17

Kim Soon-ja Independent 46,017 0.15

Kim So-yeon Independent 16,687 0.05

Park Jong-sun Independent 12,854 0.04

Last national assembly elections

Held in October 2012

Parties Total seats

Saenuri Party  (NFP)  152

Democratic United Party  (DUP) 127

Unified Progressive Party  (UPP) 13

Liberty Forward Party  (LFP) 5

New Progressive Party  (NPP) 0

Korea Vision Party  (KVP) 0

Creative Korea Party  (CKP) 0

Independents 3

Total 300

Political leaders and Opposition

The Democratic Party (DP), until 2013 known as the Democratic United

Party (DUP), is a socially liberal political party in South Korea, and

currently the country's main opposition force in the 18th Assembly, Kim

Han-gil is the party's chairman (since 4 May 2013)

The president Park Geun-hye and the prime minister Jung Hong-won

belong to Saenuri Party (NFP)

Minorities

South Korea is a relatively similar society with an absolute majority of the

population of Korean ethnicity (The Korean ethnic group accounts for

approximately 96% of the total population of the Korean Republic). With

the economic growth immigration increased since 2007, the number of

foreign citizens resident in South Korea passed the million for the first

time in history, 440,000 of them came from China, with more than half of

them being ethnic Koreans of Chinese citizenship. The next largest group

was from the United States with 117,000 residents

With respect to religion the following are the religious groups within the

country

1. Nonreligious: 46.5%

2. Buddhism: 22.8%

3. Protestantism: 18.3%

4. Catholicism: 10.9%

5. Other: 1.4%

Media and Freedom of Press

In the twentieth century, the successive governments of the colonial

Japanese authorities, the U.S. military authorities, and the Republic of

Korea all restricted freedom of the press.

Today, after decades of state control and heavy censorship, the press (in

print, on television, and online) is experiencing a period of relative

freedom. The repressive Basic Press Law was repealed in 1987, and since

1990 the television market has expanded significantly. Whereas in 1980

there were only 28 national newspapers, today there are 122. In 2002

satellite broadcasting brought multi-channel commercial television to

homes across South Korea. According to most outside observers, political

discourse is unrestricted in South Korea; however, persistent concerns

are worth noting. The National Security Law allows the government to

limit the expression of ideas deemed pro-North Korean or communist;

broad interpretations of this statute place a chill on peaceful dissent. In

addition, in 2003 President Roh brought a libel suit against four of the

major national newspapers, and the government has stated that editorials

are subject to legal action if they are found to contain falsehoods. Outside

observers have criticized pressure tactics used by both the South Korean

government and the business community to influence reporting. Major

newspapers include Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo, Joong-Ang Ilbo, and

Hankook Ilbo , all published in Seoul. The five nationwide television

networks are KBS-1 and KBS-2 (public broadcast), MBC (run as a public

organization), EBS (state-funded), and SBS (a commercial broadcaster).

Some 70 percent of South Korean households have broadband Internet

access, and the online media marketplace is growing rapidly. Popular

news Web sites (such as OhMyNews.com) register as many as 15 million

visits per day.

South Korea is ranked as number 57 in the press freedom index

Human Rights

Human rights in South Korea have evolved significantly from the days of

military dictatorship and reflects the state's current status as a

constitutional democracy. Citizens regularly choose the President and

members of the National Assembly in free and fair multiparty elections.

Every citizen over the age of 21 has the right to vote.

There is no state religion in South Korea. There are no government-

established requirements for religious recognition. The Traditional

Temples Preservation Law protects cultural properties including

Buddhist temples, which receive some subsidies from the government for

their preservation and upkeep. Buddha's Birthday and Christmas are the

only national holidays that are religious in nature.

The government does not permit religious instruction in public schools.

Private schools are free to conduct religious activities.

Official censorship is in place. The National Security Law makes it a crime

to express sympathies with North Korea, and though it is not consistently

enforced, there are over 100 people imprisoned under it annually. A play

about the Yodok political prison camp in North Korea has come under

significant pressure from authorities to tone down its criticism and the

producers have allegedly been threatened with prosecution under the

security law.

Some conservative groups have complained that police keep a tight watch

on their demonstrations and that some people were prevented from

attending rallies. Former Unification Minister Chung Dong-young was

once accused of attempting to distract reporters from a meeting of

activists for human rights in North Korea.

South Korea is one of the most ethnically homogeneous countries in the

world, and it is difficult for outsiders to be fully accepted. Legal

protections for the rights of minority populations are often weak. The

large population of workers from Southeast Asia, over half of whom are

estimated to be in the country illegally, face considerable discrimination

both in and out of the workplace.

The law prohibits all forms of trafficking in persons; however, there were

reports that persons were trafficked to, from, and within the country.

Women from Russia, other countries of the former Soviet Union, China,

Mongolia, the Philippines, and other Southeast Asian countries were

trafficked to the country for sexual exploitation and domestic servitude.

They were recruited personally or answered advertisements and were

flown to Korea, often with entertainer or tourist visas. In some instances,

once these visa recipients arrived in the country, employers illegally held

victims' passports. In addition some foreign women recruited for legal

and brokered marriages with Korean men ended up in situations of sexual

exploitation, debt bondage, and involuntary servitude once married.

Korean women were trafficked primarily for sexual exploitation to the

United States, sometimes through Canada and Mexico, as well as to other

countries, such as Australia and Japan. Relatively small numbers of

migrants seeking opportunities in the country were believed to have

become victims of trafficking as well, although the MOL Employment

Permit System reduced the number of workers trafficked into the

country. There were reports that human traffickers exploited ROK

passports for the purpose of human trafficking. There was no credible

evidence that officials were involved in trafficking.

The law prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention, and the government

generally observed these prohibitions. However, the National Security Act

grants the authorities broad powers to detain, arrest, and imprison

persons who commit acts the government views as intended to endanger

the "security of the state." Critics continued to call for reform or

abolishment of the law, contending that its provisions did not define

prohibited activity clearly. The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) maintained that

the courts had established legal precedents for strict interpretation of the

law that preclude arbitrary application. The number of NSL investigations

and arrests has dropped significantly in recent years.According to the

Freedom house South Korea is classified as Free considering political

freedom with 2 points declined compared to 2012

Political conflicts and problems

By 1950, the conflicts on the border of North and South Korea led to the

beginning of the Korean. On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South

Korea and almost immediately the United Nations member states began

to send aid to South Korea. North Korea was however, able to quickly

advance south by September 1950. By October though, U.N. forces were

able to again move the fighting north and on October 19, North Korea's

capital, Pyongyang was taken. In November, Chinese forces joined North

Korean forces and the fighting was then moved back south and in January

1951, South Korea's capital, Seoul was taken. In the months that followed,

heavy fighting ensued but the center of the conflict was near the 38th

parallel. Although peace negotiations began in July of 1951, fighting

continued throughout 1951 and 1952. On July 27 1953, peace

negotiations ended and the Demilitarized Zone was formed. Shortly

thereafter, an Armistice Agreement was signed by the Korean People's

Army, the Chinese People's Volunteers and the United Nations Command,

which was led by the U.S. South Korea however, never signed the

agreement and to this day an official peace treaty has never been signed

between North and South Korea.

Since the end of the Korean War, tensions between North and South

Korea have remained. For example according to CNN, in 1968, North

Korea unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate South Korea's president. In

1983, a bombing in Myanmar that was linked to North Korea, killed 17

South Korean officials and in 1987, North Korea was accused of bombing

a South Korean airplane. Fighting has also repeatedly occurred both land

and sea borders because each nation is continually trying to unify the

peninsula with its own system of government.

In 2010, tensions between North and South Korea were especially high

after a South Korean warship was sunk on March 26. South Korea claims

that North Korea sunk the Cheonan in the Yellow Sea off the South Korean

island of Baengnyeong. North Korea denied responsibility for the attack

and tensions between the two nations have been high ever since.

Most recently on November 23, 2010, North Korea launched an artillery

attack on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong. North Korea claims that

South Korea was conducting "war maneuvers" but South Korea states that

it was conducting maritime military drills. Yeonpyeong was also attacked

in January 2009. It is located near a maritime border between the

countries that North Korea wants moved south. Since the attacks South

Korea began practicing military drills in early December.

Membership in International Organization

South Korea is a member in a large number of international

organization ,most importantly :

1. United Nations

2. World Trade Organization

3. G-20 (Group of 20 world largest economies )

4. Security council

5. G-8(Group of great 8 industrialized countries

6. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

7. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)

8. International Finance Corporation (IFC)

9. World health organization

10. International Monetary Fund (IMF)

11. Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Relations with Egypt

Both countries established diplomatic relations on April 13, 1995. Egypt

has an embassy in Seoul and South Korea has an embassy in Cairo.

It is clear that both countries share excellent relations in all possible

spheres of interaction, and post revolution Egypt for sure has a lot to

learn and gain from the Korean side. In return, Egypt offers to Korea a

source for raw materials and energy that are needed to fuel its Economic

growth, as well as a consumers’ market of 90 million Egyptians, reaching

up to more than a billion consumers in Africa, Europe and the Middle East

when thinking of Egypt as a gateway to those markets while benefiting

from the free trade agreements Egypt maintains with the latter sides

.

Looking back at its own relatively recent democratic transformation and

economic development, the Republic of Korea is one of the most suited

countries to understand the current position and aspirations of Egypt and

Egyptians. In Cairo, the Korean example is amongst the first models of

development that are being studied to make use of this experience where

and when applicable in the Egyptian case. This scrutiny in the Korean

model led to the belief that education and vocational training should be at

the focus of social restructuring. During the visit of the Minister of Foreign

Affairs of Egypt to Seoul in March 2012, to chair Egypt’s participation in

the Nuclear Security Summit, bilateral meetings were arranged to pave

the way for the direct engagement of the competent authorities in both

countries to share the Korean example for education and vocational

training, as well as in other fields of interest for further cementing of

relations between Egypt and Korea.

Since the Republic of Korea officially became a donor country, Egypt has

been the leading African recipient of official Korean Development

Assistance, especially in the form of technical assistance for capacity

building and human development. Egypt appreciates receiving this

assistance, and is keen to maintain its position as the leading African

recipient of Korean aid, with the view to diversify the beneficiary sectors

to assist in the post-revolutionary Egypt planning, and in line with the

commitments agreed during the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid

Effectiveness which was held in Busan in November/December 2011.

Likewise, Egypt encourages the Korean government to formulate three-

way partnerships in aid assistance to other needy Arab, African and

Islamic countries. Egypt maintains such successful programs with other

donor countries, and is hopeful to cooperate in such manner with the

Republic of Korea for the benefit of third countries in need of foreign

assistance, and where understanding and catering for social and religious

structures might be of special emphasis.

In addition to the official aspects of the relationship of both countries,

cultural cooperation and exchange is of great importance, and in the

Egyptian Embassy in Seoul we try to make it a pivotal point of focus,

mindful that the Korean public at large has much enthusiasm to learn of

and explore the Egyptian culture. By this understanding we maximize

participation in all official cultural exchanges hosted in Korea, and

welcome dearly all Koreans traveling to Egypt to enjoy its multi-faceted

tourist attractions, and remain confident that over the coming years the

number of Korean tourists to Egypt can exponentially increase. It is also

worth noting that a recent approval has been granted to establish a

Korean cultural center in Cairo to promote its rich culture to the People of

Egypt, and perhaps at a later stage, a similar Egyptian specialized center

can be opened in Seoul. Until then, the Embassy invites the Korean

audience to enjoy the taste of Egyptian culture in the annual events such

as the Hi-Seoul, the Seongbok festival, and the Korean Arab Society World

Travel Fair. Furthermore, this year in the Egyptian booth in Yeosu Expo,

one of Egypt’s top traditional dance troupes will perform during

celebration of the Egyptian National day at the Expo, and all Koreans are

welcome to share this moment of celebration and enjoy a taste of

Egyptian folklore.

In 2013 an agreement to establish a petrochemical complex in Ain Sukhna

at $4.8 billion cost.The complex is expected to provide 50,000 job

opportunities. The complex will be carried out by international

consortium led by the Korean Company "SK", and will produce Ethylene

and Polythene.