By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
South Korea's gross land topped 100,000 square kilometers for the first time as of July, thanks to active reclamation works. The total population stood at 48.6 million, increasing 150,000 from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs.
``With the nation's western shores being reclaimed easily on shallow waters, large-scale reclamation works are underway, including the Saemangeum project. The country has also enlarged or built man-made islands on the western coast to construct new cities and public infrastructure works,'' a ministry official said. ``These projects are expected to steadily expand the size of our land for a while.''
Total land expanded by 42 square kilometers from a year earlier to reach 100,032 square kilometers, the ministry said.
The population density rate reached 487 people per square kilometer, ranking the country third in the world after Bangladesh and Taiwan.
The population is expected reach it highest at 49.3 million in 2018 and head downward on falling birthrate. ``After hitting its peak in 2018, the population will steadily fall on decreasing birthrate and is expected to reach about 48.6 million in 2030,'' the ministry official said.
The nation has been moving to an aging society as elderly citizens aged 65 and older make up 10.3 percent, up from 9.9 percent the previous year.
Webs of train tracks and roads now connect different parts of the country. The total length of the road nationwide has increased to 103,019 kilometers with the additional construction of new roads of 958 kilometers. The railways have extended by 7-kilometers, totaling 3,399 kilometers.
Of the total land, farmland occupies 21,024 square meters, accounting for 21 percent, while the area of forests is 64,638 square meters, making up 65 percent.
The nation has seen fast urbanization, which has soared to 90.5 percent, indicating nine out of ten Koreans live in a city. The urbanization rate was recorded at 50.1 percent in 1970 but has drastically increased over the past three decades ― 81.9 percent in 1990 and 88.3 percent in 2000.