Portal:South Korea
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대한민국 포털
The South Korea Portal
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and the Sea of Japan to the east. Like North Korea, South Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands. It has a population of about 52 million, of which half live in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, the ninth most populous metropolitan area in the world; other major cities include Busan, Daegu, and Incheon.
The Korean Peninsula was inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period. Its first kingdom was noted in Chinese records in the early seventh century BC. From the mid first century BC, various polities consolidated into the rival kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. The lattermost eventually unified most of the peninsula for the first time in the late seventh century AD, while Balhae succeeded Goguryeo in the north. The Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) achieved lasting unification and established the basis for the modern Korean identity. The subsequent Joseon dynasty (1392–1897) generated cultural, economic, and scientific achievements and also established isolationism starting from the mid-17th century. The succeeding Korean Empire (1897–1910) sought modernization and reform but 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: the Soviet-occupied northern zone and the United States-occupied southern zone. 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 triggered the Korean War, one of the first major proxy conflicts of the Cold War, which saw extensive fighting involving the American-led United Nations Command and the Soviet-backed People's Volunteer Army from China. The war ended in 1953 with an armistice and left three million Koreans dead and the economy in ruins; due to the lack of a peace treaty, the Korean conflict is still ongoing. South Korea endured a series of dictatorships punctuated by coups, revolutions, and violent uprisings, but also experienced a soaring economy and one of the fastest rises in average GDP per capita, leading to its emergence as one of the Four Asian Tigers. The June Democratic Struggle of 1987 ended authoritarian rule and led to the establishment of the current Sixth Republic. (Full article...)
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The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI; Korean: 한국항공우주연구원), established in 1989, is the aeronautics and space agency of South Korea. Its main laboratories are located in Daejeon, in the Daedeok Science Town. KARI's vision is to continue building upon indigenous launch capabilities, strengthen national safety and public service, industrialize satellite information and applications technology, explore the Moon, and develop environmentally-friendly and highly-efficient cutting-edge aircraft and core aerospace technology. Current projects include the KSLV-2 launcher. Past projects include the 1999 Arirang-1 satellite. The agency was founded in 1989. Prior to South Korea's entry into the Institute for Advanced Engineering (IAE) in 1992, it focused primarily on aerospace technology. As of May 2024, KARI is an affiliated research institute of the Korea AeroSpace Administration. (Full article...)
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South Korea is located in East Asia, on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula jutting out from the far east of the Asian land mass. The only country with a land border to South Korea is North Korea, lying to the north with 238 kilometres (148 mi) of border running along the Korean Demilitarized Zone. South Korea is mostly surrounded by water and has 2,413 kilometres (1,499 mi) of coast line along three seas; to the west is the Yellow Sea, to the south is the East China Sea, and to the east is the East Sea. Geographically, South Korea's land mass is approximately 100,032 square kilometres (38,623 sq mi). 290 square kilometres (110 sq mi) of South Korea are occupied by water. The approximate coordinates are 37° North, 127° 30 East. Notable islands include Jeju Island (Jejudo), Ulleung Island (Ulleungdo), and Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo).
More did you know -
- ...that Shin Sang-ok, a South Korean film director was kidnapped in 1978 under orders from future North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il and forced to direct a giant-monster film, Pulgasari?
- ...that South Korean United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Tanzanian Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro previously worked together as foreign ministers?
- ...that Song Du-yul, a professor of philosophy and sociology at the University of Münster in Germany, was the only South Korean to attend the 1994 funeral of North Korean leader Kim Il-sung?
In the news
- 8 August 2025 – 2024 South Korean martial law crisis
- The Seoul Central District Court rejects a petition brought by former interior minister Lee Sang-min regarding the arrest warrant against him over his alleged involvement in former president Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law attempt on December 3, 2024. (The Korea Times)
- 6 August 2025 –
- Former South Korean first lady Kim Keon Hee appears for questioning by a special prosecutor in central Seoul. The investigation concerns allegations of stock manipulation, bribery, and interference in People Power Party nominations. (AP)
- 2 August 2025 –
- Four-term National Assembly lawmaker Jung Chung-rae is elected as the leader of the Democratic Party in South Korea during the national party convention at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, defeating his rival Park Chan-dae with 61.74% of the votes. (Yonhap News Agency)
- 1 August 2025 – 2024 South Korean martial law crisis
- The Seoul Central District Court issues an arrest warrant for former interior minister Lee Sang-min on charges of conspiring with former president Yoon Suk Yeol in his failed martial law attempt on December 3, 2024, becoming the second Yoon cabinet minister to be arrested after Kim Yong-hyun. (Yonhap News Agency)
- 31 July 2025 – Tariffs in the second Trump administration, Liberation Day tariffs
- South Korea–United States relations
- South Korea and the United States reach a trade agreement that places a 15% tariff on U.S. imports from South Korea. South Korea also promises to invest US$350 billion into American biotech, semiconductors, and shipbuilding over an unspecified time. (Yonhap) (CBS News)
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Snuppy (Korean: 스너피, romanized: Seuneopi, a portmanteau of "SNU" and "puppy"; April 24, 2005 – May 2015) was an Afghan hound, the first dog clone. The puppy was created using a cell from an ear from an adult Afghan hound and involved 123 surrogate mothers, of which only two produced pups (Snuppy being the sole survivor). The Department of Theriogenology and Biotechnology at Seoul National University, which cloned Snuppy, was led by Woo Suk Hwang. Snuppy has since been used in the first known successful breeding between cloned canines after his sperm was used to artificially inseminate two cloned females, which resulted in the birth of 10 puppies in 2008. In 2017, 4 clones of Snuppy were made by Sooam, and were the first clones made of a cloned dog, to investigate potential health effects of cloning. (Full article...)
General images -
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President Park Chung Hee, who ruled South Korea from 1961 to 1979 (from History of South Korea) -
Syngman Rhee, the 1st President of South Korea (from History of South Korea) -
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South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan with U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Seoul, November 1983 (from History of South Korea) -
Yoon takes the presidential oath of office outside the National Assembly, 10 May 2022. (from History of South Korea) -
President Park Geun-hye with chaebol business magnates Lee Kun-hee and Chung Mong-koo, May 2013 (from History of South Korea) -
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shaking hands inside the Peace House on 27 April 2018 (from History of South Korea) -
Burial grounds of the victims of the Gwangju Uprising at Mangwol-dong cemetery (from History of South Korea) -
Inauguration of the 21st President of South Korea Lee Jae-myung. (from History of South Korea) -
An Internet cafe in Seoul (from Culture of South Korea) -
Lee Myung-bak, President of South Korea from 2008 to 2013 (from History of South Korea) -
Korean newspapers (from Culture of South Korea) -
Fireworks during the closing ceremonies of the 1988 Summer Olympics (from History of South Korea) -
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A card portrait of Park Chung-hee during a military parade on Armed Forces Day, 1 October 1973 (from History of South Korea) -
Sinchon movie theatre (from Culture of South Korea) -
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President Kim Dae-jung, the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient for advancing democracy and human rights in South Korea and East Asia and for reconciliation with North Korea, was sometimes called the "Nelson Mandela of Asia." (from History of South Korea) -
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Samsung Galaxy Tab (from Culture of South Korea)
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Did you know (auto-generated)
- ... that anti-Korean sentiment, due to South Korea's economic growth, motivated Djuna to write the sci-fi novel Counterweight?
- ... that Cho Myung-chul was the first North Korean defector to be elected to the South Korean National Assembly?
- ... that the DJ NewJeansNim has been credited with reviving interest in Buddhism among South Korean youths?
- ... that a 700-year-old fortification in present-day South Korea was mostly destroyed during the construction of a coastal road?
- ... that Singaporean former lawyer David Yong learned Korean and moved to South Korea to become a K-pop singer?
- ... that South Korean sources reported in January 2024 that several thousand North Korean migrant workers occupied a factory and took hostages?
WikiProjects
See WikiProject Korea for collaborating on South Korea topics, and more broadly, on all things Korea-related.
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East Asia
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Wiktionary
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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 (2025 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency.
- A Country Study: South Korea in the Library of Congress
- 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
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