South Korea

2008/9 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Asia; Asian Countries

대한민국 大韓民國 Daehan Minguk Republic of Korea
Image:South korea COA.svg Flag Coat of arms
Motto: 홍익인간(弘益人間) 널리 인간을 이롭게 하라 ("Benefit all mankind")
Anthem:  Aegukga (애국가; 愛國歌) Patriotic Hymn
Capital (and largest city)		Seoul
Official languages		Korean
Demonym		South Korean, Korean
Government		Presidential republic
-	President	Roh Moo-hyun
-	President-elect	Lee Myung-bak [Assuming office on February 25, 2008]
-	Prime Minister	Han Duck-soo
Establishment
-	Liberation declared	March 1, 1919 ( de jure)
-	Liberation	August 15, 1945
-	First Republic	August 15, 1948
-	United Nations Recognition	December 12, 1948
Area
-	Total	99,646 km² ( 108th) 38,492  sq mi
-	Water (%)	0.3
Population
-	2007 estimate	49,024,737 ( 24th)
-	Density	480/km² ( 19th) 1,274/sq mi
GDP ( PPP)		2007 estimate
-	Total	$1.206 trillion ( 12th)
-	Per capita	$25 000+ (2007) ( 31st)
HDI (2007)		▲ 0.921 (high) ( 26th)
Currency		Won ( KRW)
Time zone		Korea Standard Time ( UTC+9)
-	Summer ( DST)	not observed ( UTC+9)
Internet TLD		.kr
Calling code		+82
1	Mobile phone system CDMA, HSPDA & WiBro
2	Domestic power supply 220V/60 Hz, CEE 7/7 sockets

South Korea, officially known as the Republic of Korea (ROK; Korean: 대한민국, IPA:  [tɛː.han.min.ɡuk̚]), listen ) is an East Asian country occupying the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. To the north, it is bordered by North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), with which it was united until 1945. To the west, across the Yellow Sea, lies China and to the southeast, across the Korea Strait, lies Japan.

The Korean people trace their nation's founding back to 2333 BCE by the legendary Dangun Wanggeom. Archaeological research shows that the first Korean settlers have occupied the peninsula since the Lower Paleolithic period with territories expanding as far as mainland China and eastern Russia during the Gojosun period, the first nation established by Koreans. Korea's history has been turbulent at times with the last emperor of Korea dating back to the age of the Korean Empire. Since the establishment of the modern republic in 1948, South Korea has struggled with the aftermath of the Japanese control (1910-1945), the Korean War (1950-1953), and decades of authoritarian governments, undergoing five major constitutional changes. While the government officially embraced Western-style democracy from its founding, it was not until the December of 1987 that direct and fair elections were held and true democracy began to solidify.

South Korea has had one of the fastest growing economies in the world since the 1960s and is now the 3rd largest economy in Asia and the 11th largest economy in the world. In the late 20th century, many people referred to South Korea as a newly industrialized country and an Asian Tiger due to its exponential economic growth. Today, South Korea forms the G20 industrial nations and is a Next Eleven nation with many developing countries referring to its economic success as the " Miracle on the Han River," using South Korea's success story as a role model. South Korea has a "High" HDI of 0.912 and is part of both the CIA and IMF lists of advanced economies, being defined as a High Income Nation by the World Bank. International recognition of the country and its goods & services was boosted by the hosting of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul and further enhanced by the co-hosting of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

South Korea is one of the world's most technologically and scientifically advanced countries; it is the only country in the world with nationwide 100Mbit/s broadband internet access, full HDTV broadcasting, DMB, WiBro and 3G HSDPA. It is currently the most wired nation in the world, with more than 90 per cent of all homes connected to high speed broadband internet. South Korea is a global leader in electronics, computers, digital displays, semiconductor devices, mobile phones and hightech gadgets, headed by the two chaebols, Samsung and LG. South Korea also boasts the world's 3rd largest steel producer, POSCO and is the 5th largest automobile manufacturing nation, headed by Hyundai Kia Automotive Group. South Korea is the world's largest shipbuilder, lead by several multinational corporations such as Hyundai Heavy Industries and Samsung Heavy Industries. Other important industries of South Korea include robotics and biotechnology, with the world's second humanoid robot, EveR-1 and the world's first cloned dog, Snuppy.

Government

The government of South Korea is divided into three branches: executive, judicial, and legislative. The executive and legislative branches operate primarily at the national level, although various ministries in the executive branch also carry out local functions. Local governments are semi-autonomous, and contain executive and legislative bodies of their own. The judicial branch operates at both the national and local levels.

The South Korean government's structure is determined by the Constitution of the Republic of Korea. This document has been revised several times since its first promulgation in 1948 (see History of South Korea). However, it has retained many broad characteristics; with the exception of the short-lived Second Republic of South Korea, the country has always had a presidential system with a relatively independent chief executive.

As with most stable three-branch systems, a careful system of checks and balances is in place.

History

Before division

Archeological findings indicate that the Korean peninsula was occupied by humans as early in the Lower Paleolithic period.

Korea began with the legendary founding of Gojoseon in 2333 BCE by Dangun. Gojoseon expanded until it controlled much of the northern Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria. After numerous wars with the Chinese Han Dynasty, Gojoseon disintegrated, leading to the Proto-Three Kingdoms of Korea period.

In the early centuries of the Common Era, Buyeo, Okjeo, Dongye, and the Samhan confederacy occupied the peninsula and southern Manchuria. Of the various small states, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla grew to control the peninsula as rival kingdoms.

The Buddhism and other influences from China had profound effects on Korea, which later passed on these, as well as their own advances, to Japan.

The unification of the Three Kingdoms by Silla in 676 CE led to the North-South States period, in which the much of the Korean peninsula was controlled by Unified Silla, while Balhae succeeded northern parts of Goguryeo. In Unified Silla, poetry and art was encouraged, and Buddhist culture flowered. Relationships between Korea and China remained good during this time. Unified Silla weakened under internal strife, and surrendered to Goryeo in 935. Balhae, Silla's neighbour to the north, was formed as a successor state to Goguryeo. During its height, Balhae controlled most of Manchuria and parts of Russia. It fell to the Khitan in 926 CE.

After the North-South Period, successor states fought for control during the Later Three Kingdoms period. The peninsula was soon united by Wang Geon of Goryeo. Like Silla, Goryeo was a highly cultural state and it created the Jikji in 1377, using the world's oldest movable metal printing press.

The Mongol invasions in the 13th century greatly weakened Goryeo. However, Goryeo continued to rule the Korean peninsula as a tributary ally to the Mongols. After the fall of the Mognolian Empire (by this time the Yuan Dynasty), Goryeo continued its rule. After severe political strife and continued invasions, Goryeo was soon replaced by the Joseon Dynasty in 1388 CE following a rebellion by General Yi Seong-gye.

General Yi named his country Joseon (reference to Gojoseon) and moved the capital to Seoul. The first 200 years of the Joseon Dynasty were very peaceful and saw the creation of hangul by King Sejong the Great in the 14 century CE and the rise and influence of Confucianism.

In the latter of the 16th century CE, Joseon was invaded by a newly unfied Japan. During the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598), centuries of peace had left the dynasty unprepared, and the lack of technology and poor leadership from the government and generals led to the destruction of much of the Korean peninsula. However, continued Korean dominance at sea led by Admiral Yi, the rise of local militias, and intervention of Ming China put Japan under great pressure, which soon retreated in 1598 CE.

Today, Admiral Yi is celebrated as one of Korea's foremost heroes and his turtle ships, used with great success against the Japanese, are considered the world's first ironclad warships, although lack of hard evidence of iron plating sparks much debate.

During the last years of the Joseon Dynasty, Korea's isolationist policy earned it the name the " Hermit Kingdom," primarily for protection against Western imperialism. In 1910 CE, Korea was annexed by Japan and despite widespread resistance, remained under occupation until the end of World War II in 1945 CE.

After division

In the aftermath of World War II, Soviet Union and United States troops controlled the northern and southern halves of the country respectively. The two Cold War rivals established governments sympathetic to their own ideologies, leading to Korea's division into two political entities: North Korea and South Korea.

Despite the initial plan of a unified Korea in the 1943 Cairo Declaration, escalating Cold War antagonism eventually led to the establishment of two separate governments: the communist North and the capitalist South. In the North, a former anti-Japanese guerilla and communist activist, Kim Il Sung and in the South, freshly shipped from America, Syngman Rhee were installed as presidents. While North Koreans and South Koreans wanted a fully national election to choose a leader for the whole country, the division along Cold War faultlines prevented such an election.

On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded the South leading to the Korean War. The Soviet boycott of the United Nations at the time, and therefore, no veto, allowed the UN to intervene when it became apparent that the superior communist forces would easily take over the entire country. The Soviet Union and China backed North Korea, with the participation of millions of Chinese troops. After huge advances on both sides, the war eventually reached a stalemate. The 1953 armistice, never signed by South Korea, split the peninsula along the demilitarized zone near the original demarcation line. No peace treaty was ever signed and the two countries are still technically at war.

In 1960, a student uprising led to the resignation of the autocratic and corrupt President Syngman Rhee. A period of profound civil unrest and general political instability followed, broken by General Park Chung-hee's military coup (the "5.16 coup d'etat") against the weak and ineffectual government the next year. Park took over as president until his assassination in 1979, overseeing rapid export-led economic growth as well as severe political repression. Park is heavily criticized as a ruthless military dictator, although the Korean economy developed significantly during his tenure.

The years after Park's assassination were marked by, again, considerable political turmoil as the previously repressed opposition leaders all campaigned to run for president in the sudden political void. In 1980, there was a coup d'etat, by General Chun Doo-hwan against the transitional government of Choi Gyu Ha, the interim president and a former prime minister under Park. Chun assumed the presidency. His seizure of power triggered nationwide protest demanding democracy, in particular the city of Gwangju, in South Cholla province where Chun sent in special forces to violently suppress the city, in what is now known as the Gwangju Massacre. Until 1987, he and his government held Korea under despotic rule when Park Jong Chul - a student attending Seoul National University - was tortured to death. The Catholic Priests' Association for Justice revealed that Park was tortured, igniting huge demonstrations around the country. The demonstrations snowballed when another student from Yonsei University, Lee Han Yeol, was killed by a police-fired tear gas bomb while he was demonstrating against the military government. The period of resistance is called the Resistance of June when all joined the national movment. Eventually, Chun's party, the Democratic Justice Party, and its leader, Roh Tae Woo announced the 6.29 Declaration, which included the direct election of the president.

In 1988, Seoul hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics, cause of national celebrations in contrast to great turmoil of the past. In 1996, South Korea became a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and in 1997, suffered the Asian financial crisis but after swift recovery , the country was able to re-emerge and continue its growth towards a major economic power.

In June 2000, as part of South Korean president Kim Dae Jung's Sunshine Policy of engagement, a North-South summit took place in North Korea's capital Pyongyang. That year, Kim received the Nobel Peace Prize "for his work for democracy and human rights in South Korea and in East Asia in general, and for peace and reconciliation with North Korea in particular"

In 2004, South Korea joined the "trillion dollar club" of world economies.

Foreign relations

In its foreign relations, South Korea is primarily concerned with North Korea and the neighboring countries of China, Japan, and Russia, as well as its main ally, the United States.

United States

The United States of America was the primary driver in the establishment and initial sustainment of the South Korean government before and after the Korean War. Since the 1990s, the two nations have often been at odds with regard to their policies towards North Korea, and over the rise of anti-American sentiment often expressed toward members of the U.S. military,sometimes violently. Nevertheless, most South Koreans are friendly towards the United States. Korea concluded a Free Trade Agreement agreement with the United States in April 2007.

China

Korea usually had close relations with the Chinese since historic times. Korean independence fighters also worked with Chinese soldiers during the period of Japanese occupation. However, after World War II, the Chinese embraced communism while South Korea became a republic with the help of the United Nations. The Korean War and its aftermath made the relationship between South Korea and China almost nonexistent. However, South Korea and China established formal diplomatic relations on August 24, 1992. The two countries sought to improve the economy and lifted the trade embargo. Korean and Chinese relations have expanded steadily since 1992.

Japan

South Korea and Japan signed the Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea in 1965. However South Korea has heavy Anti-Japanese sentiment due to a number of unsettled Korean-Japanese disputes, many of which stemmed from the period of Japanese occupation. During World War II, more than 100,000 Koreans were forced to serve in the Imperial Japanese Army. Longstanding issues such as Korea under Japanese rule against Korean civilians, the visits by Japanese politicians to the Yasukuni Shrine honoring Japanese soldiers killed at war, including class A war criminals like Hideki Tojo, the re-writing of Japanese textbooks to overlook Japanese aggression during World War II, and the territorial disputes over Liancourt Rocks continue to trouble Korean-Japanese relations. In response to then- Prime Minister Jun'ichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the Yasukuni shrine, the President of South Korea Roh Moo-hyun suspended all summit talks between South Korea and Japan. At present, South Korea and Japan's political relations are unstable but thawing progressively.

North Korea

Both North and South Korea continue to officially claim sovereignty over the entire peninsula. With longstanding animosity following the Korean War from 1950-1953, North Korea and South Korea signed an agreement to pursue peace on October 4, 2007.

On October 4th, 2007, Roh Moo-Hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il signed an 8-point peace agreement on issues of permanent peace, high-level talks, economic cooperation, renewal of train, highway and air travel, and a joint Olympic cheering squad.

Despite the Sunshine Policy and efforts at reconciliation, the progress was complicated by North Korean missile tests in 1993, 1998, and another in 2006.

Other nations

South Korea maintains diplomatic relations with approximately 170 countries. The country has also been a member of the United Nations since 1991, when it joined at the same time as North Korea. On January 1, 2007, South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon assumed the post of UN Secretary-General. It has also developed links with Association of Southeast Asian Nations as both a member of "ASEAN Plus three" and the East Asia Summit (EAS).

South Korea started negotiations with the European Union about Free Trade Agreement, which is the second largest importer of Korean goods. The negotiations are ongoing.

Military

The South Korean military is composed of the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA), Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN), Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF), and Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC) together with reserve forces . Many of these forces are concentrated near the border with North Korea, near and around the demilitarized zone. All South Korean males are constitutionally required to serve in the military, typically for a period of two years. However, there has been debates about shortening the length of the military services, and even dismissing the requirement itself. The government recently allowed some male students who earned university bachelor's degree to dismiss the military requirements to let them to further study and research on their fields.

From time to time, South Korea has sent its troops overseas to assist American forces. It has participated in every major conflict the United States has been involved in the past 50 years. South Korea dispatched 320,000 troops to fight alongside American and South Vietnamese soldiers in the Vietnam War, with a peak strength of 50,000. Most recently, South Korea sent 3,300 troops in the form of the Zaytun Division to help re-building in northern Iraq, and is the largest contributor after the U.S. and Britain.

The United States has stationed a substantial contingent of troops in the ROK since the Korean War to defend South Korea in case of an attack from North Korea. There are also approximately 29,000 US soldiers stationed in Korea, most of them serving one year unaccompanied tours. The American Troops are stationed in bases, of which most are camps. They are considered camps not for their lack of buildings or support structure but in order to represent a lack of permanence for the ROK Government.

A still functioning UN Command controls all forces in South Korea, including the US forces and the entire Korean military.

(See List of United States Army installations in South Korea and USFK for more information on these military bases.)

Currently, its navy is working towards a blue-water navy. It has recently equipped its King Sejong the Great class destroyer with the Aegis Combat System. South Korea is the fifth country operating the Aegis Combat System .

Administrative divisions

	Namea	Hangul	Hanja
Special cities (Teukbyeolsi a)
1	Seoul (National Capital)	서울특별시	서울特別市
Metropolitan cities (Gwangyeoksi a)
2	Busan	부산광역시	釜山廣域市
3	Daegu	대구광역시	大邱廣域市
4	Incheon	인천광역시	仁川廣域市
5	Gwangju	광주광역시	光州廣域市
6	Daejeon	대전광역시	大田廣域市
7	Ulsan	울산광역시	蔚山廣域市
Provinces
8	Gyeonggi-do	경기도	京畿道
9	Gangwon-do	강원도	江原道
10	Chungcheongbuk-do	충청북도	忠淸北道
11	Chungcheongnam-do	충청남도	忠淸南道
12	Jeollabuk-do	전라북도	全羅北道
13	Jeollanam-do	전라남도	全羅南道
14	Gyeongsangbuk-do	경상북도	慶尙北道
15	Gyeongsangnam-do	경상남도	慶尙南道
Special self-governing province (Teukbyeoljachi-do a)
16	Jeju	제주특별자치도	濟州特別自治道

^a Revised Romanization.
^b.

Geography and climate

South Korea occupies the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula, which extends some 680 miles (1,100 km) from the Asian mainland. This mountainous peninsula is flanked by the Yellow Sea to the west, and the Sea of Japan (East Sea) to the east. Its southern tip lies on the Korea Strait and the East China Sea. The country's total area is 38,462.49 square miles (99,617.39 km²).;

South Korea can be divided into four general regions: an eastern region of high mountain ranges and narrow coastal plains; a western region of broad coastal plains, river basins, and rolling hills; a southwestern region of mountains and valleys; and a southeastern region dominated by the broad basin of the Nakdong River.

South Korea's land is mountainous, and most of it is not arable. Lowlands, located primarily in the west and southeast, constitute only 30% of the total land area.

About three thousand islands, mostly small and uninhabited, lie off the western and southern coasts of South Korea. Jeju Island is located about 100 kilometers (about 60 mi) off the southern coast of South Korea. It is the country's largest island, with an area of 1,845 square kilometers (712 sq mi). Jeju is also the site of South Korea's highest point: Halla-san, an extinct volcano, reaches 1,950 meters (6,398 ft) above sea level. Other islands of South Korea include Ulleungdo and Dokdo, which is South Korea's farthest claimed territory to the east and Marado, which is the ROK's southernmost point. However, Dokdo is one of many disputes with Japan. Ulleungdo is inhabited.

Climate

Climate chart for South Korea
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
23   1 -7	25   3 -5	47   10 0	94   17 7	92   23 13	134   26 17	369   29 22	294   30 22	169   26 17	50   20 10	53   11 3	21   4 -4
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm source: http://www.climate-charts.com/Locations/k/KO47108.html
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     0.9