환영합니다! / Welcome To The South Korea Portal!

The Flag of South Korea

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. 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 fourth 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 saw extensive American-led United Nations intervention in support of the South, while China intervened to support the North, with Soviet assistance. After the war's end in 1953, the country entered into a military alliance with the U.S., which continues to this date, and its devastated economy began to soar, recording the fastest rise in average GDP per capita in the world between 1980 and 1990. 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; currently being one of the largest exporting nations in the world, along with having one of the largest foreign-exchange reserves in the world. The June Democratic Struggle led to the end of authoritarian rule in 1987 and the country is now considered among the most advanced democracies in Asia. (Full article...)

Selected article - show another

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...)
List of selected articles

Selected image

2010 G-20 Seoul summit
2010 G-20 Seoul summit
Credit: Presidencia de la Nacion Argentina

The 2010 G-20 Seoul summit was the fifth meeting of the G-20 heads of government to discuss the global financial system and the world economy. It was held in Seoul, South Korea.

More did you know - show different entries

In the news

16 August 2023 –
United States federal judge James V. Selna rejects a proposed $200 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit prompted by a rise in thefts of vehicles manufactured by South Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia. (AP)
12 August 2023 – Fukushima nuclear disaster
South Koreans gather in central Seoul to protest against Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean. (Reuters)
8 August 2023 – 2023 Pacific typhoon season
The South Korean government evacuates over 36,000 participants of the 25th World Scout Jamboree from their campsite at Saemangeum, North Jeolla, ahead of Khanun's expected landfall. (AFP via The Australian)
3 August 2023 –
South Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia announce that they have recalled over 113,000 vehicles in the United States due to the risk of fire. (Reuters)
25 July 2023 – 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
Casey Phair, participating as part of the South Korean football team in a match against Colombia, becomes the youngest player to appear at a FIFA Women's World Cup game at 16 years old. (NPR)
24 July 2023 – North Korea–United States relations, North Korea–South Korea relations, South Korea–United States relations
North Korea shoots two ballistic missiles into a sea, hours after the arrival of USS Annapolis at a port on South Korea's Jeju Island. (AP via The Guardian)

Good article - show another

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

The ABU Radio Song Festival 2012 was the first edition of the biennial ABU Radio Song Festivals, organised by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU). The festival took place in the KBS Hall, which is located in the South Korean capital of Seoul and coincided with the 49th general assembly of the ABU. The ABU Radio Song Festival attracted twenty-six original entries representing eighteen radio broadcasters from fifteen countries, which competed in a preliminary jury round. The juries selected thirteen entries from twelve radio broadcasters in ten countries to qualify for the final show which was held on 11 October 2012. Fifteen entries were originally selected to participate in the grand final. However, Fiji and Sri Lanka withdrew from the radio competition prior to the final show, and thus only thirteen entries participated in the competition on 11 October 2012.

South Korea won the Grand Prix award with the song "For a Rest" performed by boy band Billy Acoustie. Danielle Blakey representing Australia won the gold award with the song "Fearless", Brunei received the silver award with the song "Yang Terindah (So Beautiful)" performed by Maria Aires, with Sammy Ray Jones also representing Australia receiving the bronze award with his song "Rinet". K-Town Clan representing Malaysia received the special jury award with their song "Party Animal". The next edition was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (Full article...)

General images - show another

The following are images from various South Korea-related articles on Wikipedia.

Did you know (auto-generated)

WikiProjects

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

Topics

Categories

Category puzzle
Category puzzle
Select [►] to view subcategories

Related portals

Associated Wikimedia

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

Web resources

Sources

Discover Wikipedia using portals

Purge server cache