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 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 51.71 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 BCE. From the mid first century BCE, various polities consolidated into the rival kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla, with the lattermost unifying the peninsula for the first time in the late seventh century CE. The Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) achieved lasting unification and established the basis for modern Korean identity. The subsequent Joseon dynasty (1392–1897) saw the height of cultural, economic, and scientific achievement as well as prolonged peace and isolationism from the mid 17th century. The succeeding Korean Empire (1897–1910) sought modernization and reform by 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, which was occupied by the Soviet Union, and a southern zone, which was 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 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 but no peace treaty, leading to the ongoing Korean conflict, and left three million Koreans dead and the economy in ruins. 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...)

Official presidential portrait, c. 1970

Park Chung Hee (Korean박정희, pronounced [pak̚.tɕ͈ʌŋ.çi] ; November 14, 1917 – October 26, 1979) was a South Korean politician and army officer who served as the third president of South Korea from 1962 until his assassination in 1979, after he seized power in the May 16 coup of 1961. He is regarded as one of the most consequential leaders in Korean history, although his legacy as a military dictator continues to cause controversy.

Before his presidency, Park was the second-highest-ranking officer in the South Korean army. His coup brought an end to the interim Second Republic of Korea. After serving for two years as chairman of the military junta, he was elected president in 1963, ushering in the Third Republic. A firm anti-communist, he continued to maintain close ties with the United States, which had maintained a large Army garrison in the country since the end of the Korean War. He supported American military involvement in Southeast Asia, and sent South Korean troops to fight in Vietnam soon after seizing power. Park began a series of economic reforms that eventually led to rapid and unprecedented economic growth and industrialization, a phenomenon that is now known as the Miracle on the Han River. This made South Korea one of the fastest growing economies of the 1960s and 1970s, albeit with costs to labor rights. This era also saw the formation of chaebols: family companies supported by the state similar to the Japanese zaibatsu. Examples of significant chaebols include Hyundai, LG, and Samsung.

Although popular during the 1960s, Park's popularity started to plateau by the 1970s, with closer than expected victories during the 1971 presidential election and the subsequent legislative elections. In 1972, Park declared martial law after carrying out a self-coup. He then introduced the highly authoritarian Yushin Constitution, ushering in the Fourth Republic. Now ruling as a dictator, he constantly repressed political opposition and dissent and completely controlled the military. He also had much control over the media and expressions of art. In 1979, Park was assassinated by his close friend Kim Jae-gyu, director of the KCIA, following the Busan–Masan Uprising. Whether the assassination was spontaneous or premeditated remains unclear to this day. Economic growth continued in spite of the 1979 coup d'état and considerable political turmoil in the wake of his assassination. He was soon afterwards succeeded by Choi Kyu-hah, who ruled for only a year before being deposed by career army officer Chun Doo-Hwan. The country eventually democratized with the June Democratic Struggle in 1987. (Full article...)

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South Korean pop group Girls' Generation
South Korean pop group Girls' Generation
Credit: LG Electronics

Girls' Generation (Korean소녀시대; RRSonyeo Sidae), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. Its nine original members were (pictured, from left to right): Taeyeon, Hyoyeon, Seohyun, Sooyoung, Yoona, Jessica, Tiffany, Sunny, and Yuri. Jessica later departed from the group in September 2014.

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In the news

28 January 2025 – Air Busan Flight 391
Seven people are injured when an Air Busan Airbus A321-200 aircraft catches fire before taking off from Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea. All 169 people on board are evacuated from the aircraft. (Korea Herald)
26 January 2025 – 2024 South Korean martial law crisis
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is formally indicted on insurrection charges over his declaration of martial law in December 2024. (The Washington Post)
19 January 2025 – 2024 South Korean martial law crisis
Arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol
Yoon Suk Yeol becomes the first sitting president of South Korea to be formally arrested, following his declaration of martial law in December. (Yonhap)
Following Yoon's arrest, pro-Yoon protesters raid the Seoul Western District Court, resulting in 41 injuries and property damage. (Yonhap)
15 January 2025 – 2024 South Korean martial law crisis
Arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol

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

"Why" is a song recorded by South Korean singer Taeyeon for her second extended play of the same name. It was released as the EP's second single on June 28, 2016 by SM Entertainment. The song's lyrics were penned by Jo Yoon-kyung, while its music was composed and arranged by LDN Noise, Lauren Dyson, and Rodnae "Chikk" Bell. Musically, as opposed to Taeyeon's signature balladic styles, "Why" is described as a hybrid of EDM and R&B with elements of tropical house. The track's lyrics address a desire to escape a suffocating life.

The single received positive reviews from music critics, who were favorable towards the song's refreshing musical styles as well as Taeyeon's vocal performance. Commercially, "Why" peaked at number seven on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart and reached number six on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart. As of December 2016, the song has sold 689,209 digital units in South Korea.

Two music videos for the song were released; the first one was directed by Im Seong-gwan and was premiered simultaneously with the release of the single. Filmed in California, the video depicts Taeyeon going on a trip to re-energize herself. The second one–a dance version featuring Taeyeon performing the choreography to the song was released on July 4, 2016. To promote "Why", Taeyeon held an event called "Countdown Night" prior to the song's release on Naver's V app. She also appeared and performed on music shows including Music Bank, Show! Music Core, and Inkigayo. The song was also included on the setlist of Taeyeon's concert Butterfly Kiss in South Korea in July and August 2016. (Full article...)

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

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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
Government President | Prime Minister | Ministry of Economy and Finance | Ministry of Education | Ministry of Science and ICT | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Ministry of Unification | Ministry of Justice | Supreme Prosecutors' Office | Ministry of National Defense | Ministry of the Interior and Safety | Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs | Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism | Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs | Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy | Ministry of Health and Welfare | Ministry of Environment | Ministry of Employment and Labor | Ministry of Gender Equality and Family | Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport | Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries | Ministry of SMEs and Startups
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 | Manufacturing | 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 | Space program | Robotics
Geography Korean Peninsula | Island | Lake | Mountain | River | Province | Region | Administrative divisions | Environment | 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

Categories

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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

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 (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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