South Korea

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"Republic of Korea" redirects here. For the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, see North Korea. For other uses, see Korea (disambiguation).
"Daehanminguk" redirects here, for the government in exile that used the
same name, see Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
Coordinates: 36°N 128°E
Republic of Korea
대한민국/大韓民國 (Korean)
Daehan Minguk

Flag Emblem
Motto:
"홍익인간"("弘益人間") (de facto)
"Hongik Ingan"
"Benefit broadly the human world /
Devotion to the Welfare of Humanity"[1]
Anthem:
"애국가"("愛國歌")
"Aegukga"
"Patriotic Song"

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National seal
국가 인감 (國家印鑑)
 Territory controlled (dark green)
Territory claimed but uncontrolled (light green)
Capital Seoul
and largest city 37°33′N 126°58′E
Official languages Korean (Pyojun-eo)
Korean Sign Language[2]
Official script Korean
Ethnic groups Predominantly Korean, no official
statistics[a]
Religion (2015)[4][5] 56.1% No religion
27.6% Christianity[b]
15.5% Korean Buddhism
0.8% Others
Demonym(s) • South KoreanKorean
Government Unitary presidential
constitutional republic

• President Moon Jae-in

• Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun
• Speaker of the National Assembly Park Byeong-seug
• Chief Justice Kim Myeong-soo
• President of the Constitutional Court Yoo Nam-seok
Legislature National Assembly
Establishment history

• First Kingdom c. 7th century BC

• Declaration of Independence 1 March 1919
• Provisional Government 11 April 1919
• Independence from Japan 15 August 1945
• US administration of Korea south of the 8 September 1945
38th parallel
• ROK established 15 August 1948
• Current constitution 25 February 1988
• Admitted to the UN 17 September 1991
Area
• Total 100,363 km2 (38,750 sq mi) (107th)
• Water (%) 0.3 (301 km / 116 mi )
2 2

Population
• 2019 estimate 51,709,098[6] (27th)
• Density 507/km2 (1,313.1/sq mi) (13th)
GDP (PPP) 2020 estimate
• Total $2.418 trillion[7] (14th)
• Per capita $46,451[7] (29th)
GDP (nominal) 2020 estimate
• Total $1.626 trillion[7] (12th)
• Per capita $31,246[7] (27th)
Gini (2016) 35.7[8]
medium · 93rd
HDI (2018) 0.906[9]
very high · 22nd
Currency Korean Republic won (₩) (KRW)
Time zone UTC+9 (Korea Standard Time)
Date format yyyy년 m월 d일
yyyy. m. d. (CE)
Mains electricity 220V–60 Hz
Driving side right
Calling code +82
ISO 3166 code KR
Internet TLD • .kr.한국
South Korea
South Korean name
Hangul 남한
Hanja

show
 Transcriptions
North Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl 남조선
Hancha

show
Transcriptions
Korea
South Korean name
Hangul 한국
Hanja

show
Transcriptions
North Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl 조선
Hancha

show
Transcriptions
Republic of Korea
South Korean name
Hangul 대한민국
Hanja

show
Transcriptions
South Korea (Korean: 한국/韓國, RR: Hanguk; literally 남한/南韓, RR:
Namhan, or 남조선, MR: Namchosŏn in North Korean usage), officially the
Republic of Korea (ROK; Korean: 대한민국/大韓民國, RR: Daehan Minguk),
is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean
Peninsula[10] and sharing a land border with North Korea. Half of the
country's over 51 million people live in the Seoul Capital Area, the fourth
largest metropolitan economy in the world.[11]
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 BC. 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 was annexed into the Empire of Japan in 1910. After World
War II, Korea was divided into Soviet and U.S.-administered zones, with the
latter becoming the Republic of Korea in August 1948. In 1950, a North
Korean invasion began the Korean War and after its end in 1953, the
country's economy began to soar, recording the fastest rise in average
GDP per capita in the world between 1980 and 1990. The June Struggle led
to the end of authoritarian rule in 1987 and the country is now the most
advanced democracy and has the highest level of press freedom in
Asia.[12][13] South Korea is a member of the OECD's Development Assistance
Committee, the G20 and the Paris Club.
South Korea is a highly developed country, ranked the third highest in Asia
after Singapore and Japan.[14][15] It has the world's 12th-largest economy by
nominal GDP. Its citizens enjoy one of the world's fastest Internet
connection speeds and the most dense high-speed railway network. The
country is the world's 5th largest exporter and 8th largest importer. Since
the 21st century, South Korea has been renowned for its globally influential
pop culture, particularly in music (K-pop), TV dramas and cinema, a
phenomenon referred to as the Korean Wave.[16][17][18][19][20]