The economic gap between South and North Korea remains wide with Seoul outperforming its northern neighbor in income level, trade and many other areas, data showed Tuesday.
According to Statistics Korea, South Korea's nominal gross national income (GNI) came to $1.015 trillion at the end of 2010, about 39 times larger than the $26 billion tallied for the North.
The South's per-capita GNI stood at $20,759, which is 19.3 times larger than the North's $1,074.
South Korea also outperformed North Korea in trade volume. Its trade totaled $891.6 billion in 2010, compared with $4.2 billion for the North.
South Korean companies exported $466.4 billion worth of products during the cited year, while imports reached $425.2 billion. The North's exports and imports totaled $1.5 billion and $2.7 billion, respectively.
In industrial output, infrastructure and other areas, South Korea also stayed far ahead of its communist neighbor.
The South produced 4.27 million units of vehicles in 2010, compared with 4,000 cars manufactured in the North.
Steel and cement production by the South came to 58.91 million tons and 47.42 million tons, much more than the 1.28 million tons and 6.28 million tons for the North.
The total length of roads in South Korea stood at 105,565 kilometers, 4.1 times longer than 25,950 kilometers for the North. Power generation by South and North Korea came to 473.9 billion kilowatts and 23.7 billion kilowatts.
The North, however, outdid the South in coal production. It produced 25.5 million tons of coal in 2010, compared with 2.08 million tons for the South, according to the data.
The statistics agency has been providing such information on the North every year since 1995 as a way to provide a glimpse into the economic and industrial conditions of the reclusive communist country.
The two Koreas remain technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a ceasefire, not a peace treaty.