NationStates Jolt Archive

South Korea

Current Relations(with RPed nations)

USA VF
Russia F
Germany N
UK N
China F
Pakistan N
Australia N
Thailand N
Lithuania N
Italy N
Nigeria N
Venezuela N

A = Ally
VF = Very Friendly
F = Friendly
N = Normal
NG = Not Good
B = Bad
W = War

Overview:
Population (2006) = 48,846,823.
Area = 98,477 sq. Km.
Main Religions = Christianity, Buddhism, Shamanism, Confucianism, Chondogyo.
National GDP (average) = $811.1 billion.

Govrenment:
The SK Government is made up of three main branches:
The Presidency
The Legislature
The Judiciary

Policies and Laws are decided by the Presidency and Legislature, however the Presidency traditionally has the final say in these matters and has the most valued/important input in day - to - day proceedings.

The Presidency is also considered the "commander - in - chief" of the SK Armed Forces (see section: "Military:")

The Judiciary is mostly independent of the Presidency and Legislature. It comprises of The Supreme Court - with Justices appointed by the President personally and approved by the National Assembly and the less powerful Constitutional Court - which presides on matters which concern SK's Constitution.

Military:

Most Estimates place:
the number of troops on Active Duty at:
686,000
and the number of troops on leave or in barracks at:
5,209,000
There are also:
9,323,026 Fit for Military Service.

All males of age and fitness are conscripted to Military Service, usually for a period of:
24 months.

The national Expenditure on the Military is:
$21.6 billion which is 2.5% of Overall GDP.

The SK Armed Forces are comprised of 6 main branches:
Republic of Korea Army (ROKA),
Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN),
Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF),
Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC),
Republic of Korea Homeland Reserve Forces (ROKHRF),
Republic of Korea Civil Defence Corps. (ROKCDC).

Most of these forces are positioned on or near the border with North Korea however South Korea has been a member of the UN since 1991, and as such has been actively involved in peace-keeping missions across the globe.

Note:
Due to South Korea's strong diplomatic ties with the USA, there are several US military bases throughout SK, especially on the border with NK to ensure a solid defence in case of attack.

Economy:
The South Korean economy is the 10th largest in the world, and has the 14th largest in terms of "purchasing power".
It is also one of the strongest economies in the entire Asian region.

Note:
The average GDP of SK is around 12x (times) that of NK.

Diplomacy:
Due to the close military proximity of Russia, China and Japan to South Korea, it has actively pursued friendly relations with these countries. These relations have improved in recent years due to Russia, China and Japan's economies' dependance on South Korean exports.

South Korea has also had a strong diplomatic and military relationship with the United States of America since around WW2, due to mutual interests, defence and economic ties.

Links:

Various Links can be followed from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_korea

and:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2800.htm

UN Peace Report(RP)

There are reports that there have been substantial troop movements within South Korea today, as reported by International Observers, although surprisingly not on the border with North Korea....

The Office of the South Korean Defence Ministry released the following statement:

"These troop movements are not and should not be seen as an act of aggression, by North Korea or any other of our neighbours. They are simply an exercise in re-structuring and preparation in order to meet demands of an ever changing world. The re-organisation will mean that our country's troops will be able to be mobilised more quickly and effectively in response to threats within and without South Korean borders. Those troops involved in Peacekeeping missions around the world and also the troops stationed on the border with North Korea should not be affected."

SIC to South Korean military command:
The US hopes that any movements of allied troops will be relayed to us. We will need to be in the know incase the North Koreans begin doing the same. What are you doing?

Leaked Document Confirms Press Release(RP)

A memo was leaked today from a source within the South Korean Defence Ministry. It is a memo sent to the United States Department of(OOC Foreign Ministry? Not sure who to send this to Ebedron.) in response to questions raised by their allies as to the true nature of the troop movements seen earlier today. It was feared that the troop movements were simply a smokescreen for a secret attack on North Korea or one of South Korea's neighbouring country's however since this is a leaked memo, it seeme that the Press Release made earlier by South Korea was actually telling the truth.

***Memo to United States Department Of () - TOP SECRET***
Dear........,
We appreciate your efforts of support against our neighbours North Korea, however as was said in the press release, the movement of our troops earlier today were simply in order to re-structure combat units and also to equip our soldiers with more modern weaponry and technology which have been in development for some time. Also this was not in reaction to or in preparation for a specific threat, but simply to improve our country's security as a whole. As to our North Korean neighbours, we have actually noted an improvement in relations between our two countries. This peace and friendship will hopefully continue to be built upon. Thank you again for your offer of support.

Yours sincerely,
Mr.Kim.

(OOC sorry about this massive post, but the reason for it is because this is really important to how SK reacts to the other countries, since at this point they would prefer to stay neutral and like to build friendships with other countries and also that their troops are better equipped and organised for the future etc.)

ooc: thats not that big of a post, you can post as big as you want. Also, if it deals with military its the Department of Defense, if its diplomacy or international affairs its probably the Department of State.