Portal:South Korea

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South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone; though it also claims the land border with China and Russia. The country's western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eastern border is defined by the Sea of Japan. South Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands. It has a population of 51.96 million, of which roughly half live in the Seoul Capital Area, the ninth most populous metropolitan area in the world. Other major cities include Incheon, Busan, and Daegu.

The Korean Peninsula was inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period. Its first kingdom was noted in Chinese records in the early 7th century BCE. Following the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea into Silla and Balhae in the late 7th century, Korea was ruled by the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) and the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897). The succeeding Korean Empire (1897–1910) was annexed in 1910 into the Empire of Japan. Japanese rule ended following Japan's surrender in World War II, after which Korea was divided into two zones: a northern zone occupied by the Soviet Union, and a southern zone occupied by the United States. After negotiations on reunification failed, the southern zone became the Republic of Korea in August 1948, while the northern zone became the communist Democratic People's Republic of Korea the following month.

In 1950, a North Korean invasion began the Korean War, which ended in 1953 after extensive fighting involving the American-led United Nations Command and the People's Volunteer Army from China with Soviet assistance. The war left 3 million Koreans dead and the economy in ruins. The authoritarian First Republic of Korea led by Syngman Rhee was overthrown in the April Revolution of 1960. However, the Second Republic was incompetent as it could not control the revolutionary fervor. The May 16 coup of 1961 led by Park Chung Hee put an end to the Second Republic, signaling the start of the Third Republic in 1963. South Korea's devastated economy began to soar under Park's leadership, recording the one of fastest rises in average GDP per capita. Despite lacking natural resources, the nation rapidly developed to become one of the Four Asian Tigers based on international trade and economic globalization, integrating itself within the world economy with export-oriented industrialization. The Fourth Republic was established after the October Restoration of 1972, in which Park wielded absolute power. The Yushin Constitution declared that the president could suspend basic human rights and appoint a third of the parliament. Suppression of the opposition and human rights abuse by the government became more severe in this period. Even after Park's assassination in 1979, the authoritarian rule continued in the Fifth Republic led by Chun Doo-hwan, which violently seized power by two coups and brutally suppressing the Gwangju Uprising. The June Democratic Struggle of 1987 ended authoritarian rule, forming the current Sixth Republic. The country is now considered among the most advanced democracies in Continental and East Asia. (Full article...)

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Anyang city from Suri mountain.
Anyang (Korean pronunciation: [a.njaŋ]) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. With a population of approximately 600,000, it is the 20th largest city in South Korea. It is a satellite city of Seoul and located approximately 21 km (13 mi) south of Seoul, and 19 km (12 mi) north of Suwon. It is connected to Seoul via the Seoul Subway Line 1 and Line 4. The City motto of Anyang is "Livable city, Proud citizens". City symbols are a grape mascot named 'Podong-i', Forsythia (flower), Ginkgo (tree), and eagles. (Full article...)
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The Gold crown from Seobongchong Tumulus
The Gold crown from Seobongchong Tumulus
Credit: National Museum of Korea

The Gold crown from Seobongchong Tumulus (Korean서봉총 금관; Hanja; RRSeobongchong geumgwan; MRSŏbongch'ong kŭmgwan), National Treasure of South Korea No. 339, is a gold crown of Silla origin that is now housed at the Gyeongju National Museum.

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In the news

21 March 2024 –
The death toll of the capsized South Korean-flagged tanker Keoyoung Sun increases to nine with one person still missing. (Reuters)
20 March 2024 –
Eight people are killed, one is injured, and two are missing after the South Korean-flagged tanker Keoyoung Sun loaded with 980 tons of acrylic acid capsizes near Mutsure Island, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. (Al Jazeera)
5 March 2024 –
An appeals court in Montenegro overturns a decision to extradite South Korean cryptocurrency mogul Do Kwon to the United States on fraud charges. Kwon was arrested in March 2023 in Montenegro. (AP)
14 February 2024 – Foreign relations of Cuba, Foreign relations of South Korea
Cuba and South Korea establish diplomatic relations after exchanging letters via their United Nations representatives. (Reuters)

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This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

Seo curtain call for The Moor's Pavane on 8 November 2013

Hee Seo (Korean서희; Hanja; born 13 March 1986) is a South Korean ballet dancer who is a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), one of the three leading classical ballet companies in the United States. She became the company's first Korean ballerina to be promoted to principal dancer in ABT's 75-year history. She is also one of the youngest dancers in ABT history to be promoted to principal at the age of twenty-six. The New York Times has described her style and dancing to "exude an unhurried purity that sums up all that is lovely about ballet" and by Vogue as "unspeakably lissome". Several critics have noted her style as "lyrical and open" and she has been critically acclaimed for her "humility" and "unique feminine strength".

Seo began training in Russian ballet at the age of twelve; a relatively late start for a ballet dancer. Seo has stated on numerous occasions that she did not have aspirations of becoming a professional ballet dancer. Her teachers identified her skills and talents early on and within a short period of time she was offered full scholarships to study abroad at prestigious ballet schools. She gained further notice by winning a scholarship at the 2003 Prix de Lausanne as well as the Grand Prix at the 2003 Youth America Grand Prix.

She was rapidly promoted from the ABT Studio Company and joined the full company in May 2005. She was again quickly promoted into the corps de ballet in March 2006 and then to soloist in August 2010 before finally being named as principal dancer in July 2012 by Kevin McKenzie, the artistic director of ABT. During her time at ABT, she has performed numerous lead roles in classical and contemporary ballet. (Full article...)

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WikiProjects

See WikiProject Korea for collaborating on South Korea topics, and more broadly, on all things Korea-related.

South Korea topics
History By period Timeline of Korean history | Prehistoric Korea | Gojoseon (Dangun Joseon / Gija Joseon / Wiman Joseon / Jin) | Proto–Three Kingdoms of Korea (Buyeo / Okjeo / Dongye / Samhan / Four Commanderies of Han) | Three Kingdoms of Korea (Goguryeo / Baekje / Silla / Gaya confederacy) | North–South States Period (Later Silla / Balhae) | Later Three Kingdoms (Taebong / Later Baekje / Silla) | Goryeo | Joseon | Korean Empire | Korea under Japanese rule (Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea | Division of Korea (United States Army Military Government in Korea / Soviet Civil Administration) | History of South Korea | History of North Korea
By event Battle of Fengwudong | Korean War | United States expedition to Korea | French expedition to Korea | Jungjong coup  | Imjin War | Goryeo–Khitan War
By tophic Military history | History of cuisine | History of Korean language
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Politics Constitution | Foreign relations | Human rights | Armed Forces | Elections | Preaidential elections | Legislative elections | Political parties | National Assembly | Judicial system | Law | LGBT rights
Culture Cinema | Food | Globalization | Martial arts | Mythology | Philosophy | Sword | Tea ceremony | Education | Religion | Smoking | Korean Wave | K-pop | Marriage | Media | Sexuality | Chuseok | Seollal | Festivals | Holidays | Language | Media | National symbols | Aegukga
Art Architecture | Calligraphy | Drama | Literacture | Music | Painting | Pottery and porcelain | Theatre (Pansori) | Manhwa | Webtoon | K-Beauty | Korean poetry | Woodblock printing (Tripitaka Koreana / The Great Dharani Sutra)
Sports Ssireum wrestling | Taekwondo | Football (K League / Football champions / WK League / AFC Champions League) | Baseball (KBO League / National baseball team)
Economy Energy | Telecommunications | Tourism | Chaebol | Financial services | Fishing industry | Miracle on the Han River | Squatting | Trade unions | 1997 Asian financial crisis | Currency | Korea Stock Exchange | Companies | Housing in South Korea
Transport Subways (Seoul Metro / Incheon Metro / Busan MetroDaegu Metro / Gwangju Metro / Daejeon Metro) | Rail transport (KTX / SRT / Mugunghwa-ho / Nuriro) / Railway companies | Expressways | Airport
Science and technology Electronics | Automative industry | Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) | Nuclear power | Robotics
Geography Korean Peninsula | Island | Lake | Mountain | River | Province | Region | Administrative divisions | Enviornment | City | Special city | World Heritage Site
Demographics Koreatown | Name | Demographics | Aging | Low birth rate | International adoption | Korean language (Hangul / Hanja)
Other Seoul | Jeonju | Namsan Tower | Lotte World | Fashion | Coffee in South Korea | Etiquette

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Administrative divisions of South Korea
Seoul Busan Daegu Incheon Gwangju
Daejeon Ulsan Sejong Gyeonggi Province Gangwon State
North Chungcheong Province South Chungcheong Province Jeonbuk State South Jeolla Province North Gyeongsang Province
South Gyeongsang Province Jeju Province

Related portals


East Asia

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

Web resources

  • The official website of the Republic of Korea (Korea.net)
  • The Official Korea Tourism Guide Site
  • Korea National Statistical Office
  • Video on South Korea-US Relations from the Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archives
  • "South Korea". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency.
  • A Country Study: South Korea in the Library of Congress
  • South Korea at Curlie
  • South Korea from UCB Libraries GovPubs
  • Korea OECD
  • South Korea profile from the BBC News
  • South Korea Encyclopædia Britannica entry
  • The War Memorial of Korea
  • Key Development Forecasts for South Korea from International Futures

Sources

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