South Korea
Officially the Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Demilitarized Korean Zone. To the west is the Yellow Sea while on the east is the Sea of Japan. South Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula and the adjacent islands.
It has a population of nearly 62 million people with nearly half this number living in its capital, Seoul, making it the fourth most populous metropolitan area in the world.
The Korean peninsula was inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period. Its first Kingdom was established sometime around the early 7th Century BCE. Later that same period, there was the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea into Silla and Balhae. Korea was ruled between 987-1392 by the Goryeo dynasty and the Joseon dynasty between 1392-1387. The succeeding Korean empire 1897-1910 was annexed by 1910 into the Empire of Japan. The Japanese rule ended following that country's surrender in World War II. Korea was then divided into two zones: the northern zone was occupied by the Soviet Union and the southern zone the United States.
South Korea is a unitary presidential republic with a unicameral legislature. It has a president, a prime minister, a speaker of the National Assembly, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and a president Of the Constitutional Court. Ninety-five percent of this country's population are Koreans with just under 5% being the ethnic minority. Fifty-six percent of North Koreans are non-religious, with 27.6% identifying as Christians. Buddhist make up 15.5% with the remainder considered as other. Its most popular sports are: baseball, football(soccer), golf, swimming, and basketball.
The economy of South Korea is driven by its strong competitiveness in the electronic world boasting such brands as LG and Samsung, which are internationally known. Other outputs are Hyundai and Kia motors, Hyundai Heavy Industries, SK Holdings, and Samsung Life Insurance. This country's GDP stands at 2.924 trillion USD.
Officially the Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Demilitarized Korean Zone. To the west is the Yellow Sea while on the east is the Sea of Japan. South Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula and the adjacent islands.
It has a population of nearly 62 million people with nearly half this number living in its capital, Seoul, making it the fourth most populous metropolitan area in the world.
The Korean peninsula was inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period. Its first Kingdom was established sometime around the early 7th Century BCE. Later that same period, there was the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea into Silla and Balhae. Korea was ruled between 987-1392 by the Goryeo dynasty and the Joseon dynasty between 1392-1387. The succeeding Korean empire 1897-1910 was annexed by 1910 into the Empire of Japan. The Japanese rule ended following that country's surrender in World War II. Korea was then divided into two zones: the northern zone was occupied by the Soviet Union and the southern zone the United States.
South Korea is a unitary presidential republic with a unicameral legislature. It has a president, a prime minister, a speaker of the National Assembly, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and a president Of the Constitutional Court. Ninety-five percent of this country's population are Koreans with just under 5% being the ethnic minority. Fifty-six percent of North Koreans are non-religious, with 27.6% identifying as Christians. Buddhist make up 15.5% with the remainder considered as other. Its most popular sports are: baseball, football(soccer), golf, swimming, and basketball.
The economy of South Korea is driven by its strong competitiveness in the electronic world boasting such brands as LG and Samsung, which are internationally known. Other outputs are Hyundai and Kia motors, Hyundai Heavy Industries, SK Holdings, and Samsung Life Insurance. This country's GDP stands at 2.924 trillion USD.
