Introduction korea

The Koreans are the offspring of a tribe who came down to the Korean peninsula, passing through Central Asia, Manchuria, and Siberia over many centuries before Christ. Anthropologically, they belong to the Tungus of the Mongolian family. They have preserved a unique language, culture and customs in their history of five millenniums as a single people

The Koreans are known for their creativity and originality as evidenced in their invention of the world’s first metal printing type and iron-clad ship (called Turtle Ship) as well as their diligence with which they have achieved remarkable economic growth. Especially, in 1988, they successfully hosted the Seoul Olympics which provided a venue for world harmony despite such adverse condition as division of the peninsula, gaining recognition of the whole world of their excellence and strong potential.

According to the ‘Global and Korean Population Status’ released by the National Statistical Office on July 10, 2003 on the occasion of the World Population Day (July 11), the population of the Republic of Korea as of July 1, 2003 is 47.93 million, which ranks 26th in the world. In addition, the combined population of the two Koreas ranks 17th in the globe with 70.45 million. The population of the ROK, which accounts for 0.8% of total global population in 2003, is projected to go down to 0.6% in 2030. The portion of the combined population of the two Koreas is expected to decrease from 1.2% to 0.9%.

According to the data of the National Statistical Office, the number of children per woman of child-bearing age is sharply dwindling each year. Thus, it is expected that the total population of the ROK will shrink from 2024, going down to 44.34 million in 2050 with its rank at the 42nd. The sex ratio at birth which represents the birth ratio of boys to girls was 110.0 in 2002, up 1.0 point from the preceding year. This is higher than the normal ratio of 105 to 107. In addition, it is forecast that the aged population (65 or over) in the ROK will take up 14% of its total population in 2019 and 20% in 2026, making the country a super-aged society.

In the ROK, the portion of people at the age of 0 to 14 is 21.1%, a level on a par with industrialized countries, while that of people at the age of 65 or over remains at the world’s average. Its population aged 15 to 64 stands at the world’s highest level.

In addition, the ROK saw its aged population at the age of 65 or over exceed 7% of its total population in 2000, which opened the age of an aging society in full swing. It is expected that the portion of its aged population will reach 14.4% in 2019 and 20.0% in 2026, rapidly transforming the country into an aged and super-aged society respectively. It will take only 19 years until the percentage of the aged population grows from 7% to 14% and merely 7 years until it increases from 14% to 20%, much faster than the pace of aging in industrialized countries.

In every part of the world, Korean people are deemed to be diligent, faithful, enthusiastic about their children’s education and bright.