예멘소식 KOREA - YEMEN CENTER NEWSLETTER No.4

Forward
Korean Economy	Korea Became 29th OECD Member
Korean Economy	North-South Economic Gap Widen to 20.3 Times in 1995
Yemen Study
Activities
KYC	The Korean Alphabet

Forward

Korean Economy

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) formally accepted Korea as its 29th member, the second Asian country to be affiliated with the organization on October 11, 1996. The council agreed that Korea had successfully passed entry qualification requirements such as reviews by 11 Committees. Yet the council reportedly has decided to review the liberalization progress of Korea's 51 revised items, including the bond market opening, again in 1998, two years after Korea's affiliation with OECD. Upon OECD's formal invitation, the government intends to sign an affiliation accord with OECD at the next OECD council meeting slated for October 25 in Paris after Korea's entry plan is passed through the cabinet council council and approved by the Chief Executive.

Recent economic differences between North and South is wider and heavier than 1980s. South Korea's GNP increased conspicuously by 150.6 times to $451.7 billion last year since 1965, while the North's remained lax with a growth of only 11.7 times to $22.3 billion during the same period. This is a selected text from The Korea Economic Weekly, December 9, 1996.

According to a recent report comparing the North-South economic and social aspects announced by the National Statistical Office, South Korea's GNP difference with the North last year widened by 20.3 times in 1995 from 17.8 times in 1994.

In particular, North Korea's real GNP recorded a minus growth of 4.5 percent on a yearly average during 1990-1995, with 1995's GNP reaching only 76% of 1989's figure. The South, on the contrary, enjoyed a robust growth of 7.8 percent over the same six years. Last year's real GNP increased by 1.6 times from 1989, widening the North-South economic difference as a consequence.

As for per capita GNP of the two Koreas, the South recorded $10,076 last year, 10.5 times that of North Korea, which was a scant $957. In 1994, the gap differentiated by 9.2 times. Per capita GNP in the South was just $105 in 1965, reaching only 64.8 percent of the North, which was $162. But in the following years, the South's economy grew sharply by 96 times, making a drastic contrast with the North, with a mere 5.9 times growth.

In terms of trade, South Korea's trade volume last year was $260.18 billion, leaving North Korea far behind at $2.05 billion, a 126.9 times difference. This showed a great disparity between the two Koreas since 1965, when the difference was only 1.6 times. Meanwhile, overall North-South trade totalled $287.29 million last year, making South Korea the North's third largest trading partner, following Japan($590 million) and China($550 million).


Country Year	1965	1975	1985	1995
South Korea	30	209	911	4,517
North Korea	19	65	151	223
(Times of S/N)	(1.6)	(3.2)	(6.0)	(20.3)

Yemen Study

Activities

KYC

The Korean alphabet, which is considered one of the most scientific writing systems in use in the world, consists of 10 vowels and 14 consonants, which can be combined to form numerous syllabic groupings. It is simple, but systematic and comprehensive at the same time. Han-gŭl(한글), Korean language, is easy to learn and print, which has greatly contributed to Korea's high literacy rate and advanced publication industry. It is also easily appliable to computer system.