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

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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Main cities
Seoul
Busan
Daegu
Daejeon
Gwangju
Incheon
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

Saenuri Party (NFP - New

Frontier Party)
New Politics Alliance for
Democracy (NPAD)
Justice Party

Seats in
National
assembly
158
130
5

Political
direction
Centre right
to right wing
Centre to
Centre left
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
Park Geun-hye

Party
Saenuri Party

Votes
15,773,1

%
51.55

Moon Jae-in

Democratic United

28
14,692,6

48.02

Kang Ji-won
Kim Soon-ja
Kim So-yeon
Park Jong-sun

Party
Independent
Independent
Independent
Independent

32
53,303
46,017
16,687
12,854

0.17
0.15
0.05
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)

New Progressive Party (NPP)

Korea Vision Party (KVP)

Creative Korea Party (CKP)

Independents

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 Egypts
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 HiSeoul, the Seongbok festival, and the Korean Arab Society
World Travel Fair. Furthermore, this year in the Egyptian booth
in Yeosu Expo, one of Egypts 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.