ABSTRACT
The Republic of Korea is a rather small and compact peninsula covering 98 799 sq.km. Although largely overshadowed by the spectacular growth of the industrial sector, the performance of the agricultural sector has been satisfactory considering Korea's limited land resources and adverse natural circumstances. The rapid economic development is mainly attributable to an outward-looking strategy of industrialisation. The agricultural sector was greatly affected by this rapid industrial growth. Irrigation pumping and farm mechanisation, principally tilling and threshing, are the most important end uses for commercial energy in Korean agricultural production. One important consequence has been that Korean agricultural production has become more energy-intensive. Farm households use energy for cooking, home heating, lighting, and operating electric appliances. In Korean residences it is common for energy to have simultaneous uses for space-heating, cooking, and water-heating, particularly during the winter. Korea's energy resources are limited to anthracite coal, hydropower, and fuelwood.
