South Korea

Full name of country: Republic of Korea

Region: East & Southeast Asia

Official language: Korean

Population: 52,081,799 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Korean(s) (noun), Korean (adjective)

Land area: 96,920 sq km (37,421 sq miles)

Water area: 2,800 sq km (1,081 sq miles)

Capital: Seoul

National anthem: "Aegukga” (Patriotic Song), by Yun Ch’I-Ho Or An Ch’Ang-Ho/Ahn Eaktay

National holiday: Liberation Day, August 15 (1945)

Population growth: 0.21% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC +9

Flag: South Korea’s flag features a white field with a centered red and blue yin-yang symbol. In the four corners of the flag, four different black bar formations, called kwae trigrams from the I Ching or the Book of Changes, are featured, each with its own meaning. The trigram in the upper left symbolizes heaven; the trigram directly opposite, in the lower right, symbolizes earth; the trigram in the upper right signifies water; and the lower left stands for fire. The white in the flag stands for purity and peace.

Motto: “Gangseong Daeguk” (Good will to all mankind)

Independence: August 15, 1945 (from Japan)

Government type: republic

Suffrage: 19 years of age; universal

Legal system: mixed legal system combining European civil law, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought

South Korea, known officially as the Republic of Korea, is an East Asian nation located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. South Korea borders the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, known as North Korea; until 1948, these two nations comprised one country, Korea. The Yellow Sea lies off the western shore of South Korea, while to the east is the Sea of Japan (East Sea). South Korea is separated from the island nation of Japan by the Korea Strait.

Since its division from North Korea, South Korea has maintained a vital economic position in both the Asian and world economies and has become a site of strategic importance for the United States in its continuing efforts to contain the threat of North Korea.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: Ethnically and linguistically, there is no difference between North and South Koreans. Except for a very small percentage of Chinese living in South Korea, the country is made up almost entirely of people of Korean descent. Notable minority groups besides ethnic Chinese include tens of thousands of US citizens, as well as foreign workers from South Asia and Russia. Its population numbers remain somewhat steady as a result of low birth rate and continuing immigration to the United States and other Western nations.

Fewer than half of South Koreans are religious; according to the 2021 census, 60 percent of South Koreans do not practice any religion. The three most common religions are Protestantism, Buddhism, and Catholicism, but other faiths, including Cheondogyo and Wonbulgyo, maintain followers. Christianity held only a minor foothold in Korea until an explosion of popular interest and missionary zeal in the late twentieth century rapidly added to the ranks of various denominations.

The majority of South Koreans speak Korean. The spoken Korean language is virtually identical between North and South Korea; however, the Korean language in South Korea uses more loanwords from other languages. English is a popular second language among many South Koreans; as a result, South Korea is host to a large population of English teachers from the United States and other English-speaking countries.

Most South Koreans live in cities, with 81.5 percent of South Koreans living in urban areas in 2023. The largest city in South Korea is the capital, Seoul (population 9.99 million, 2023 est.), which is one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world and located near the border with North Korea. Other large cities include Busan (or Pusan; population 3.47 million), Incheon (or Inch’on; 2.85 million), Daegu (or Taegu; population 2.18 million), Daejon (or Taejeon; 1.58 million), and Gwangju (Kwangju; population 1.53 million). [2023 estimates]

South Korea ranked twentieth out of 191 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index in 2021-2.

Indigenous People: Modern-day Koreans are descended from the first ethnic groups to populate the Korean Peninsula approximately seven thousand years ago and are the Indigenous people of their region. There is evidence of human habitation in the peninsula as far back as the end of the Paleolithic period of prehistory.

Education: Education is highly valued in South Korea. The country’s educational system is similar to that of the United States: students attend primary school (citizen’s school) from the ages of six to eleven, then attend junior high or middle school for three years, followed by three years of high school.

Education is compulsory through the age of fourteen for all students. At the age of seventeen or eighteen, many students continue on to South Korea’s many universities and colleges. The capital contains nearly half of the country’s colleges and universities, including Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. Many South Korean students attend private auxiliary schools (similar in nature to Japanese cram schools) to help them prepare for entrance to the nation’s many competitive top-tier colleges and universities.

Aside from their regular studies, South Korean students begin learning English grammar and language skills as early as primary school.

Health Care: Since the late 1980s, South Koreans have enjoyed universal health care coverage. As in many modernized countries, some wealthy South Koreans may also pay for private (and more expensive) treatments or insurance coverage.

The universal health care system is paid for by taxation and contributions by employers and the government. Public health awareness campaigns are frequent in South Korea. South Korea is a leader among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries in terms of health care access and satisfaction. The country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in late 2019 and continued into the early 2020s, drew praise from around the world for its swift action and success in preventing large numbers of cases and deaths.

The average life expectancy at birth among South Koreans is 83.4 years (2024 estimate), one of the highest in the world.

Food: Korean cuisine features such ingredients as rice or noodles, seafood or meat, tofu (bean curd) and vegetables such as seaweed, cucumbers, and green onions. Traditional dishes might include a stir-fried mixture of meat and vegetables with flavoring from ginger, garlic, bean paste, or chili powder. Like most major world cuisines, South Korea’s has undergone a period of fusion with other cuisines; Korean fusion restaurants are popular in many of the major cities of the world.

Traditional dishes include bulgogi, a type of barbecue; samgyetang, or chicken stewed with ginseng, rice and garlic; kimchi (fermented vegetables); Korean dumplings similar to Chinese potstickers; and gimbap, which are similar to sushi. Rice is used to make both wine and beer.

Arts & Entertainment: Although traditional Korean arts and culture are still a popular part of South Korean life, it is the influence of Western and Japanese culture that has helped shape modern South Korean culture. It is considered a mark of South Korea’s own cultural power that much of its popular arts and entertainment, in particular motion pictures and popular music, have, in return, been successfully exported to the West and throughout Asia.

Among the more notable film directors who have made a mark in Korean film are Kwak Jae-yong (My Sassy Girl, 2001), Kang Je-gyu (Swiri, 1999) and Jang Sun-woo (Gojitmal, 1999). Oldboy (2003), directed by Park Chan-wook, was awarded the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. In 2020 Bong Joon-ho's Korean-language film Parasite (2019), a thriller and black comedy, won the Academy Award for best picture; this marked the first time any film not in the English language had won this prestigious award and was viewed as a sign of Korean cinema's increasing influence and status abroad.

In the twenty-first century, Korean television programs, often referred to as K-dramas, began to enjoy tremendous popularity around the world. In 2021 a Korean television series, Squid Game, became the most-viewed show in the history of Netflix, a US streaming company; many critics and observers considered this a sign of the country's growing success in exporting its culture abroad.

Important modern South Korean authors include Park Kyong-ni (the epic series T’oji, or The Land, written between 1969 and 1994), Hwang Suk-Young (The Shadow of Arms), Pak Wan-so (The Naked Tree), Cho Chong-Rae (Playing with Fire), and Han Kang (The Vegetarian). Korean American writer Chang-Rae Lee has received critical attention for his novels A Gesture Life (1999), Native Speaker (1995), and On Such a Full Sea (2014).

In music, South Korea’s own native brand of popular music, known sometimes as K-pop, is enormously popular among younger listeners; popular singers and musicians include the boy band BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan); Seo Taiji (who until the late 1990s was part of Seo Taiji and Boys) and Lee Jung-hyun (also an actress). The K-pop star Psy reached international fame when his music video for the song “Gangnam Style” became the first YouTube video to surpass one billion views in 2012. In addition, South Korea has its own versions of popular music forms such as techno and rock music. Noraebang (known as karaoke in the United States) is a popular pastime.

Holidays: Official holidays celebrated by South Koreans include the lunar new year, Children’s Day (May 5), Memorial Day (June 6), Constitution Day (July 17), Thanksgiving Days (early October), and Foundation Day (October 3). Liberation Day, a celebration of the liberation from Japanese rule in 1945, is observed on August 15.

South Koreans also have holidays celebrating farming, the creation of Hangul (the Korean alphabet) and the birthday of Buddha, an important religious figure in South Korea.

Environment and Geography

Topography: South Korea’s topography is characterized by hills and mountains, with some coastal plains in the western and southern regions. The eastern region is mostly mountainous with some coastal plains, while the western region is hilly with plains and river basins. The southern region is mountainous with some valleys. Only about one-third of the country is comprised of lowlands. Its highest point is at Halla-san, or Mount Halla (1,950 meters/6,398 feet above sea level), a volcanic island to the southwest of the mainland.

There are around 3,000 islands that, along with the peninsular mainland, make up South Korea; in contrast, only a few hundred islands lie off the coast of North Korea, which comprises the upper half of the peninsula.

The longest river in South Korea is the Naktong River (521 kilometers/328 miles); it originates in the Taebaek Mountains and flows to the Sea of Japan. Its basin is in the southeast portion of the country. The Han River, the nation’s second largest river, flows through the city of Seoul.

South Korea has a coastline that stretches 2,413 kilometers (1,499 miles). The country is separated from North Korea by the Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ, a line of demarcation that sits at the Thirty-Eighth Parallel north.

Natural Resources: South Korea’s most important natural resources are mostly minerals, including coal, iron ore, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, gold, and lead. The country’s hydroelectric capacity is also important. North Korea boasts a higher level of natural mineral resources than South Korea.

Plants & Animals: South Korea has a rich variety of plant life, with more than 4,500 species found throughout the country. Pine, elm, larch, maple, and acacia trees are common, as are oak, bamboo, and fruit trees (especially apples and persimmons). Old-growth forests are protected throughout the country.

Common animals include deer, wild boar, black bears, voles, the Manchurian weasel, pheasant and grouse, owls, and woodpeckers.

Endangered and threatened species in South Korea include the red-crowned crane, Asiatic black bear, and the Siberian musk deer.

The absence of any human activity in the DMZ has made it a de facto refuge for many once-endangered plants and animals.

Climate: South Korea has a seasonally diverse climate. Rain, humidity, and heat characterize summers, cold winds and snow arrive in winter, and moderate weather dominates autumn and spring. The rainy seasons last from late spring or early summer to fall.

The average annual temperature in Seoul is 12 degrees Celsius (55 degrees Fahrenheit), which is comparable to either Incheon or Busan. Average annual rainfall is about 1,270 millimeters (50 inches).

Economy

Prior to the 1960s, the Korean economy was highly dependent on agriculture, but after the division of Korea into northern and southern entities, the industrialization of South Korea surpassed North Korea and the South Korean economy expanded at a rapid pace.

The divide between North and South Korea is very broad in terms of modernization, industrial output, and economic potential, not to mention the general economic well-being of its citizenry. South Korea’s has become one of the most important of all Asian economies and one of the largest economies in the world, despite some moderate economic setbacks in recent decades and ongoing problems with wealth inequality.

In 2023 the country's real gross domestic product (GDP) in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP) was US$2.615 trillion (in 2017 dollars), with a per capita GDP estimated at US$50,600.

Industry: The most important industries in South Korea are electronics and telecommunications (radio, television, and communication equipment), automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, and steel. Its major exports include electric machines and electronics, nuclear reactors and equipment, petrochemicals, vehicles, and plastics. Among its most important trading partners are China (including Hong Kong), the United States, Vietnam, and Japan.

The service sector by far makes up the largest part of the South Korean economy, followed by industry, with a small share of the economy derived from agriculture. In 2023 the unemployment rate was an estimated 2.64 percent, well below that of many industrialized nations.

Agriculture: The major agricultural industries of South Korea are rice (which is grown on more than half of the country’s farmland), root crops such as potatoes and sweet potatoes, barley, vegetables, and fruit (including apples, oranges, and pears). Pigs, cattle, poultry, and other livestock are also important agricultural products. In addition, South Korea is a major exporter of seafood, including squid, other mollusks, anchovies, and tuna.

Tourism: It was expected that the South Korean tourism industry would boom after successfully cohosting the 2002 World Cup soccer tournament with Japan, but instead South Korea suffered tourism losses due to an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) that spread throughout China and the region. The country's tourism sector suffered another severe setback amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which emerged in China in late 2019 and soon spread to South Korea and other countries around the world.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization, over 17.5 million international tourists visited South Korea in 2019. The total contribution of travel and tourism to the country’s gross domestic product was 4.2 percent in 2019. The sector recovered slowly in the wake of the pandemic, with tourism numbers remaining relatively low throughout 2021 and 2022.

Popular tourist destinations are numerous and include the volcanic island of Cheju-do, Changdokkung Palace and its Secret Gardens in Seoul, ancient temple sites in Gyeongju, the resort at Hwajinpo, a multitude of national parks (including Seoraksan and Songnisan), and the seaport city of Busan.

Government

The Republic of Korea is divided into a special city (Seoul), a special self-governing city (Sejong), six metropolitan cities (including Pusan and Incheon), and nine provinces.

The South Korean president is the chief of state, while the prime minister is the head of government. The president is elected for a single five-year term, and the prime minister and the presidential cabinet are appointed by the president with the approval of the National Assembly. In 2013, South Koreans elected their first female president, Park Geun-hye; however, she was impeached in 2016 and removed from office in 2017 following a corruption scandal related to influence peddling by her top aide. The three hundred members of the legislature, the unicameral National Assembly, are elected to four-year terms. The highest courts of the judiciary are the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court.

Important political parties include the Justice Party, which pushes for national reforms, and the New Frontier Party (formerly the Grand National Party), which is a conservative organization.

The most important historical events in recent South Korean history were the 1948 division of Korea into North and South Korea, and the Korean War, which lasted between 1950 and 1953. Because the south was supported by the United States and the north by the Soviet Union and China, the Korean War has long been interpreted as a Cold War battleground between the democratic West and the communist East. Both North and South Korea, particularly the civilian populations of both nations, suffered horrendous losses before the war ended in a stalemate in 1953. In addition, it is estimated that more than sixty thousand United Nations (including the United States) and one million Chinese soldiers died in the war. The possibility that the Koreas may someday be reunited is still a major geopolitical concern, and debates over how to best engage with North Korea remain a contentious issue in South Korea's domestic politics.

Interesting Facts

• Japanese entertainment products, such as anime comics and films, were banned in South Korea until 1998.
• South Korean youth and young adults are avid video gamers, rivaling American and Japanese youth in the number of games purchased each year.
• The Jeju Volanic Island and Lava Tubes, which include Mount Halla, was designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2007.
• South Korea is among the few countries to have hosted the Olympic Games more than once, welcoming both the Summer Games to Seoul in 1988 and the Winter Games to PyeongChang in 2018. The country won its highest medal count to date at the Seoul Games, with twelve gold, ten silver, and eleven bronze medals.

Bibliography

“Economic Impact Reports.” World Travel and Tourism Council, 2020, wttc.org/Research/Economic-Impact. Accessed 5 Oct. 2020.

Human Development Insights, United Nations Development Programme, Sept. 2022, hdr.undp.org/data-center/country-insights#/ranks. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

“Visit Korea.” Korea Tourism Organization, kto.visitkorea.or.kr/eng/tourismStatics/keyFacts/KoreaMonthlyStatistics/eng/inout/inout.kto. Accessed 31 Oct. 2023.

“Korea: Overview of the Education System (EAG 2020).” OECD Education GPS, OECD, 2020, gpseducation.oecd.org/CountryProfile?primaryCountry=KOR. Accessed 5 Oct. 2020.

“Korea, Rep.” The World Bank, data.worldbank.org/country/korea-rep. Accessed 31 Oct. 2023.

“Korea (Republic of).” Human Development Reports, United Nations Development Programme, 2021, hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/Country-Profiles/KOR.pdf. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

“Korea, South.” The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 19 Oct. 2023, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/korea-south/. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

Ward, Alex. “Oscar-Nominated Parasite is a Global Hit. South Koreans Know it’s a Local Story.” Vox, 4 Feb. 2020, www.vox.com/culture/2020/2/4/21080664/parasite-oscars-south-korea-economy-interview. Accessed 31 Oct. 2023.

“2019 Report on International Religious Freedom: South Korea.” US Department of State, 2020, www.state.gov/reports/2019-report-on-international-religious-freedom/south-korea. Accessed 5 Oct. 2020.