Portal:South Korea
대한민국 포털
The South Korea Portal
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 about 52 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 BC. From the mid first century BC, various polities consolidated into the rival kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. The lattermost eventually unified most of the peninsula for the first time in the late seventh century AD, while Balhae succeeded Goguryeo in the north. The Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) achieved lasting unification and established the basis for the modern Korean identity. The subsequent Joseon dynasty (1392–1897) generated cultural, economic, and scientific achievements and also established isolationism starting from the mid-17th century. The succeeding Korean Empire (1897–1910) sought modernization and reform but 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: the Soviet-occupied northern zone and the United States-occupied southern zone. 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 and left three million Koreans dead and the economy in ruins; due to the lack of a peace treaty, the Korean conflict is still ongoing. 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...)
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Changwon (Korean: 창원; Korean pronunciation: [tɕʰaŋ.wʌn]) is the capital and largest city of South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea (with a population of 1,025,702 as of 2023), and the 11th largest city of the country. A port city, Changwon is bordered by Masan Bay to the south, and the cities of Busan and Gimhae to the east. The city of Miryang lies to the northeast, and Jinju to the west.
The region has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, and its urban areas have been renamed and re-organized many times throughout history. In 1974, with the creation of the Changwon National Industrial Complex, the three historically interdependent cities of Masan, Jinhae District, and Changwon began to undergo significant economic development, growing into an important industrial centre. On 1 July 2010, the cities of Changwon, Jinhae, and Masan merged to form the current city of Changwon.
As Korea's first planned city, modeled after Canberra, Australia, Changwon uses accessible urban planning including many parks and separate residential and industrial areas. The city has also branded itself an "environmental capital" with the municipal government actively participating in climate change conferences and committing to the development of sustainable policies like the globally recognized bike-sharing program, Nubija. (Full article...)
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Girls' Generation (Korean: 소녀시대; RR: Sonyeo 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.
More did you know -
- ...that Shin Sang-ok, a South Korean film director was kidnapped in 1978 under orders from future North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il and forced to direct a giant-monster film, Pulgasari?
- ...that South Korean United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Tanzanian Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro previously worked together as foreign ministers?
- ...that Song Du-yul, a professor of philosophy and sociology at the University of Münster in Germany, was the only South Korean to attend the 1994 funeral of North Korean leader Kim Il-sung?
In the news
- 15 December 2025 – Laos–South Korea relations
- Laos and South Korea agree to upgrade their bilateral relations to a comprehensive partnership. (Reuters)
- 11 December 2025 –
- Two people are killed and two others are trapped when an under-construction library collapses in Gwangju, South Korea. (Reuters)
- 23 November 2025 – International Paderewski Piano Competition
- South Korean pianist Roh Hyunjin wins the 13th International Piano Competition held at the Pomeranian Philharmonic in Bydgoszcz, Kuyavia–Pomerania, Poland. (Portal Kujawski)
- 13 November 2025 –
- A truck crashes into pedestrians at an outdoor market in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, killing two people and injuring 18 others. (AP)
- 11 November 2025 – 2024 South Korean martial law crisis
- A high court in Seoul, South Korea, issues an arrest warrant for former National Intelligence Service director Cho Tae-yong for allegedly tampering with evidence regarding former president Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law, among other charges. (Reuters)
- 10 November 2025 – 2024 South Korean martial law crisis
- Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol, former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun, and former Defense Counterintelligence Command leader Yeo In-hyung are indicted on additional charges related to Yoon's attempt to invoke martial law last December alleging that they ordered surveillance drones to be sent into North Korea to stoke tensions and justify their plans. (DW) (The Chosun Ilbo)
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The Air Battle of South Korea was an air campaign early in the Korean War occurring roughly from 25 June to 20 July 1950 over South Korea between the air forces of North Korea and the United Nations, including the countries of South Korea, the United States and the United Kingdom. The month-long fight for air supremacy over the country included several small engagements over airfields in Seoul and Taejon and ultimately ended in victory for the UN air force, which was able to destroy the small North Korean People's Air Force. (Full article...)
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Did you know (auto-generated)
- ... that South Korean sources reported in January 2024 that several thousand North Korean migrant workers occupied a factory and took hostages?
- ... that 30 royal portraits of Korean kings were completely destroyed in a 1954 fire in Busan, South Korea?
- ... that a South Korean actor sold his belongings and went $7 million into debt to keep his amusement park running?
- ... that North Korean child prodigy Ri Jong-yol defected to South Korea after winning silver at the 2016 International Mathematical Olympiad in Hong Kong?
- ... that a memorial park was planned in South Korea for composer Zheng Lücheng, despite controversy over his collaboration with North Korea and China?
- ... that after the Seongsu Bridge collapsed in Seoul, radiographic testing found that 110 of the 111 connections in the bridge were filled with defects?
WikiProjects
See WikiProject Korea for collaborating on South Korea topics, and more broadly, on all things Korea-related.
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East Asia
Associated Wikimedia
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Wiktionary
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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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