South Korea

KR / KOR 36.0°, 128.0°

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. 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, with other major cities being Busan, Daegu, and Incheon.

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Capital

Seoul

Population

51,466,201

Area

100,295 km2

Climate

Temperate

Government

Presidential republic

Currency

won

Languages

Korean, English

Sells

integrated circuits, cars, refined petroleum, plastics

Sells to

China 25%, USA 18%, Hong Kong 4%

Land borders

1: North Korea

Drives on the

right

Calling code

+82

Founded

1948

Hemisphere

Northern

Where it is

Languages

Share of the population that speaks each. Click one to see every country that speaks it.

Koreanofficial

—

English

—

What it sells, and to whom

Every line is a thread: click a commodity or a partner to see who else trades in it.

Farms and fisheries

rice
vegetables
cabbages
milk
onions
pork

Largest cities

Seoul capital	10,349,312
Busan	3,285,147
Incheon	3,015,482
Daegu	2,365,523
Daejeon	1,441,203

Wars and conflicts

Click one to see everyone else who fought in it.

World War II1939–1945 Russo-Japanese War1904–1905 Vietnam War1955–1975 Korean War1950–1953 Iraq War2003–2011 Indochina Wars1946–1989

Form of government

Presidential republic.

republic presidential system

Money, belief and alliances

Money

won

Belief

Buddhism Catholicism Protestantism

Belongs to

World Meteorological Organization International Civil Defence Organisation United Nations International Development Association Antarctic Treaty System International Energy Agency International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Australia Group Asian Development Bank Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Missile Technology Control Regime Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency UNESCO International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Climate and geography

temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter; cold winters

Climate zone

Temperate

Highest point

Hallasan

Landmarks and landscapes

Gyeongbokgung Jeju Island Bukhansan

Northern hemisphere.

Land borders (1)

North Korea

In charge right now

Lee Jae Myung Head of state and government

Han Seong-sook Head of government

Figures from its history

Park Chung-hee President who drove industrialisation Park Chung Hee was a South Korean politician and army officer who served as the third president of South Korea from 1962 after he seized power in the May 16 coup of 1961 until his assassination in 1979.

Kim Dae-jung Nobel laureate president Kim Dae-jung was a South Korean politician, activist, and statesman who served as the eighth president of South Korea from 1998 to 2003.

Sejong the Great King who created the Korean alphabet Sejong, commonly known as Sejong the Great, was the fourth monarch of the Koreanic state Joseon.