Portal:South Korea
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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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Chung Ju-yung or Jung Joo-young (Korean: 정주영; 25 November 1915 – 21 March 2001) was a South Korean entrepreneur and the founder of Hyundai Group, one of the largest chaebols in South Korea. As the eldest son of a poor Korean farmer, Chung founded Hyundai Heavy Industries and is considered influential in the development of the South Korean economy. Under his leadership, Hyundai became the world's largest shipbuilder while Hyundai Motor Group expanded to become the largest automobile manufacturer in Korea and the third-largest worldwide. (Full article...)
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The 2010 G-20 Seoul summit was the fifth meeting of the G-20 heads of government to discuss the global financial system and the world economy. It was held in Seoul, South Korea.
More did you know -
- ... that Sin Chang-won, a South Korean fugitive criminal famous for his close escapes, was first arrested at the age of 15 after being turned in by his father for stealing a watermelon?
- ...that South Korean actress Jang Jin-young was only the second winner of two Blue Dragon Film Awards for Best Actress, having won in 2001 for Sorum, and again in 2003 for Singles?
- ...that Donald Stone Macdonald was a Korean studies expert who served as mayor of Kwangju while a member of the US Department of State?
In the news
- 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)
- 9 November 2025 – 2025 League of Legends World Championship
- In League of Legends esports, T1 of the League of Legends Champions Korea become the first team to win three consecutive world titles after defeating fellow South Korean representatives KT Rolster, 3–2, in the final in Chengdu, China. T1's Gumayusi is named the most valuable player. (AFP via France 24)
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The heritage preservation system of South Korea is a multi-level program aiming to preserve and cultivate Korean cultural heritage. The program is administered by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), and the legal framework is provided by the Cultural Heritage Protection Act of 1962, last updated in 2012. The program started in 1962 and has gradually been extended and upgraded since then.
The CHA classifies cultural heritage into five major categories (state-designated heritage, city and province-designated heritage, cultural heritage material, registered cultural heritage, undesignated cultural heritage) and these are divided further into subcategories. Besides tangible cultural heritage, South Korea aims to preserve its intangible cultural heritage as well, including folk customs, music, dance and handicraft. The program also includes Living National Treasures, persons who possess the knowledge and skills important to pass down intangible cultural heritage to new generations. South Korea has founded several educational centers throughout the country and established a university, specifically dedicated to heritage preservation.
Some of the heritage properties of South Korea has been inscribed into various UNESCO lists. As of 2014, the country has nine cultural and one natural World Heritage Sites, with 15 added to the provisional list; and there are 17 items registered as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. (Full article...)
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Fireworks during the closing ceremonies of the 1988 Summer Olympics (from History of South Korea) -
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shaking hands inside the Peace House on 27 April 2018 (from History of South Korea) -
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Korean newspapers (from Culture of South Korea) -
President Park Geun-hye with chaebol business magnates Lee Kun-hee and Chung Mong-koo, May 2013 (from History of South Korea) -
South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan with U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Seoul, November 1983 (from History of South Korea) -
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Inauguration of the 21st President of South Korea Lee Jae-myung. (from History of South Korea) -
Yoon takes the presidential oath of office outside the National Assembly, 10 May 2022. (from History of South Korea) -
President Kim Dae-jung, the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient for advancing democracy and human rights in South Korea and East Asia and for reconciliation with North Korea, was sometimes called the "Nelson Mandela of Asia." (from History of South Korea) -
President Park Chung Hee, who ruled South Korea from 1961 to 1979 (from History of South Korea) -
Sinchon movie theatre (from Culture of South Korea) -
A card portrait of Park Chung Hee during a military parade on Armed Forces Day, 1 October 1973 (from History of South Korea) -
Samsung Galaxy Tab (from Culture of South Korea) -
Burial grounds of the victims of the Gwangju Uprising at Mangwol-dong cemetery (from History of South Korea) -
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An Internet cafe in Seoul (from Culture of South Korea) -
Lee Myung-bak, President of South Korea from 2008 to 2013 (from History of South Korea) -
Syngman Rhee, the 1st President of South Korea (from History of South Korea)
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Did you know (auto-generated)
- ... that South Korea has a day to celebrate North Koreans?
- ... that a South Korean actor sold his belongings and went $7 million into debt to keep his amusement park running?
- ... that a memorial park was planned in South Korea for composer Zheng Lücheng, despite controversy over his collaboration with North Korea and China?
- ... that Amrom Harry Katz, using aerial photographs of tides, helped to capture Seoul during the Korean War?
- ... that Singaporean former lawyer David Yong learned Korean and moved to South Korea to become a K-pop singer?
- ... that the rapid development of the region of Gangnam in Seoul was spurred by the 1968 North Korean assassination attempt on military dictator Park Chung-hee?
WikiProjects
See WikiProject Korea for collaborating on South Korea topics, and more broadly, on all things Korea-related.
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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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