South Korea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
South Korea (
listen), officially the
Republic of Korea (
Hangul: 대한민국;
Hanja:
大韓民國;
Daehan Minguk listen;
lit. "The Republic of Great
Han"), and commonly referred to as
Korea, is a country in
East Asia, constituting the southern part of the
Korean Peninsula.
[5] The name
Korea is derived from
Goryeo (also spelt Koryo), a dynasty which ruled from 918 to 1392. It shares land borders with
North Korea to the north, and oversea borders with
China to the west and
Japan to the east. South Korea lies in the
north temperate zone
with a predominantly mountainous terrain. Roughly half of the country's
50 million people reside in the metropolitan area surrounding its
capital, the
Seoul Capital Area, which is the
second largest in the world[6] with over 25 million residents.
Korea was inhabited as early as the
Lower Paleolithic period
[7][8] and its civilization begins with the founding of
Gojoseon in 2333 BC. After the unification of the
Three Kingdoms of Korea in 668, Korea enjoyed over a
millennium of relative tranquility under
dynasties lasting for centuries in which its trade, culture, literature, science and technology flourished.
[9] It became part of the
Japanese Empire in 1910 and after its defeat in 1945, Korea was
divided into Soviet and U.S. zones of occupation, with the latter becoming the Republic of Korea in 1948. Although the
United Nations passed a resolution declaring the Republic to be the only lawful government of Korea,
[10] a communist regime was soon set up in the North that invaded the South in 1950, leading to the
Korean War that ended
de facto in 1953, with peace and prosperity settling-in thereafter.
Between 1962 and 1994, South Korea's
tiger economy grew at an average of 10% annually, fueled by annual export growth of 20%,
[11] in a period called the
Miracle on the Han River that rapidly transformed it into a
high-income advanced economy and the world's
11th largest economy by 1995. Today, South Korea is the
eigth largest country in
international trade,
[12] a
regional power with the world's
10th largest defence budget and founding member of the
G-20 and
APEC.
[13]
Civilian government replaced military rule in 1987 and it has since
evolved into a vibrant democracy ranked second in Asia on the
Democracy Index.
[14] In 2009, South Korea became the world's first former
aid recipient to join the
OECD's
Development Assistance Committee, becoming a
major donor.
[11] Its
pop culture has considerable influence in Asia and expanding globally in a process called the
Korean Wave.
[15]
South Korea is a
developed country ranked
15th in the
Human Development Index, the highest in
East Asia. In terms of
average wage, it has
Asia's highest income and the world's
10th highest income.
[16] It
ranks highly in
education,
quality of healthcare,
rule of law,
ease of doing business,
government transparency,
job security,
tolerance and inclusion.
64% of 25-34 year old Koreans hold a tertiary education degree, the highest in the
OECD. The most
innovative country as measured by the
Bloomberg Innovation Quotient,
[17] South Korea is the world's
seventh largest exporter,
[12] driven by
high-tech multinationals such as
Samsung,
Hyundai-Kia and
LG. South Korea has global leadership in
advanced technology such as the world's
fastest Internet connection speed, ranking first in the
ICT Development Index,
e-Government,
4G LTE penetration and
second in
smartphone penetration.
Etymology
The name
Korea derives from
Goryeo, itself referring to the ancient kingdom of
Goguryeo, the first Korean dynasty visited by Persian merchants who referred to Koryŏ (Goryeo; 고려) as Korea.
[18] The term
Koryŏ also widely became used to refer to Goguryeo, which renamed itself
Koryŏ in the 5th century.
[19] (The modern spelling, "
Korea", first appeared in late 17th century in the travel writings of the
Dutch East India Company's
Hendrick Hamel.
[19]). Despite the coexistence of the spellings
Corea and
Korea in 19th century publications, some Koreans believe that
Japan, around the time of the Japanese occupation, intentionally standardised the spelling on
Korea, making
Japan appear first alphabetically.
[20]
After Goryeo fell in 1392,
Joseon became the official name for
the entire territory, though it was not universally accepted. The new
official name has its origin in the ancient country of
Gojoseon (Old Joseon). In 1897, the
Joseon dynasty changed the official name of the country from
Joseon to
Daehan Jeguk (
Korean Empire). The name
Daehan, which means "great Han" literally, derives from
Samhan (Three Hans). However, the name
Joseon was still widely used by Koreans to refer to their country, though it was no longer the official name. Under
Japanese rule, the two names
Han and
Joseon coexisted. There were several groups who
fought for independence, the most notable being the
Daehan Minguk Imsi Jeongbu (대한 민국 임시 정부).
Following the
surrender of Japan, in 1945, the
Republic of Korea (
Daehan Minguk) was adopted as the legal name for the new country. Since the government only controlled the southern part of the
Korean Peninsula, the informal term
South Korea was coined, becoming increasingly common in the
Western world. While South Koreans use
Han (or
Hanguk) to refer to the entire country, North Koreans use
Joseon as the name of the country.
History
Before the division
Jikji, the first known book printed with movable metal type in 1377. Bibliothèque Nationale de Paris
Korean history begins with the founding of Chosun (often known as "
Gojoseon"
to prevent confusion with another dynasty founded in the 14th century;
the prefix Go- means 'older,' 'before,' or 'earlier') in 2333 BC by
Dangun, according to Korean foundation mythology.
[21] Gojoseon expanded until it controlled northern Korean Peninsula and some parts of
Manchuria. After many conflicts with the Chinese
Han Dynasty, Gojoseon disintegrated, leading to the
Proto–Three Kingdoms of Korea period.
In the early centuries of the
Common Era,
Buyeo,
Okjeo,
Dongye, and the
Samhan confederacy occupied the peninsula and southern Manchuria. Of the various states,
Goguryeo,
Baekje, and
Silla grew to control the peninsula as
Three Kingdoms of Korea. The unification of the Three Kingdoms by Silla in 676 led to the
North South States Period, in which much of the Korean Peninsula was controlled by
Unified Silla, while
Balhae succeeded to have the control of northern parts of Goguryeo.
In Unified Silla, poetry and art was encouraged, and
Buddhist
culture thrived. Relationships between Korea and China remained
relatively peaceful during this time. However, Unified Silla weakened
under internal strife, and surrendered to
Goryeo
in 935. Balhae, Silla's neighbor to the north, was formed as a
successor state to Goguryeo. During its height, Balhae controlled most
of Manchuria and parts of Russian Far East. It fell to the
Khitan in 926.
The peninsula was united by King
Taejo of Goryeo in 936. Like Silla, Goryeo was a highly cultural state and created the
Jikji in 1377, using the world's oldest movable metal type
printing press.
[22] The
Mongol invasions
in the 13th century greatly weakened Goryeo. After nearly 30 years of
war, Goryeo continued to rule Korea, though as a tributary ally to the
Mongols. After the
Mongolian Empire collapsed, severe political strife followed and the Goryeo Dynasty was replaced by the
Joseon Dynasty in 1392, following a rebellion by General
Yi Seong-gye.
King Taejo declared the new name of Korea as "Joseon" in reference to Gojoseon, and moved the capital to Hanseong (old name of
Seoul). The first 200 years of the Joseon Dynasty were marked by relative peace and saw the creation of
Hangul by
King Sejong the Great in the 15th century and the rise in influence of
Confucianism in the country.
Between 1592 and 1598,
Japan invaded Korea.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi led the Japanese forces, but his advance was halted by Korean forces with assistance from
Righteous army militias and
Ming Dynasty
China troops. Through a series of successful battles of attrition, the
Japanese forces were eventually forced to withdraw, and subsequently
signed a peace agreement with diplomats of Ming China. This war also saw
the rise of Admiral
Yi Sun-sin and his renowned "
turtle ship". In the 1620s and 1630s, Joseon suffered from
invasions by the Manchu which eventually extended to China as well.
After another series of
wars against Manchuria, Joseon experienced a nearly 200-year period of peace.
King Yeongjo and
King Jeongjo particularly led a new renaissance of the Joseon Dynasty.
However, the latter years of the Joseon Dynasty were marked by a
dependence on China for external affairs and isolation from the outside
world. During the 19th century, Korea's isolationist policy earned it
the name the "
Hermit Kingdom". The Joseon Dynasty tried to protect itself against Western
imperialism, but was eventually forced to open trade. After the
First Sino-Japanese War and the
Russo-Japanese War, Korea was
occupied by Japan
(1910–45). At the end of World War II, the Japanese surrendered to
Soviet and U.S. forces who occupied the northern and southern halves of
Korea, respectively.
After the division
Despite the initial plan of a unified Korea in the 1943
Cairo Declaration, escalating
Cold War antagonism between the
Soviet Union and the United States eventually led to the establishment of separate governments, each with its own ideology, leading to
Korea's division into two political entities in 1948:
North Korea and South Korea.
In the South
Syngman Rhee,
an opponent of communism, who had been backed and appointed by the
United States as head of the provisional government, won the first
presidential elections of the newly declared Republic of Korea in May.
In the North, a former anti-Japanese guerrilla and communist activist,
Kim Il-sung
was appointed premier of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in
September. In October the Soviet Union declared Kim Il-sung's government
as sovereign over both parts. The UN, which had a Western majority
until 1955, declared Rhee's government as "a lawful government having
effective control and jurisdiction over that part of Korea where the UN
Temporary Commission on Korea was able to observe and consult" and the
Government "based on elections which was observed by the Temporary
Commission" in addition to a statement that "this is the only such
government in Korea."
[10]
Both leaders began an authoritarian repression of their political
opponents inside their region, seeking for a unification of Korea under
their control. While South Korea's request for military support was
denied by the United States, North Korea's military was heavily
reinforced by the Soviet Union.
On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, sparking the
Korean War,
the Cold War's first major conflict that continued until 1953. At the
time, the Soviet Union had boycotted the United Nations (UN), thus
forfeiting their veto rights. This allowed the UN to intervene in a
civil war
[citation needed]
when it became apparent that the superior North Korean forces would
unify the entire country. The Soviet Union and China backed North Korea,
with the later participation of millions of
Chinese troops.
After huge advances on both sides, and massive losses among Korean
civilians in both the north and the south, the war eventually reached a
stalemate. The 1953 armistice, never signed by South Korea, split the
peninsula along the
demilitarized zone
near the original demarcation line. No peace treaty was ever signed,
resulting in the two countries remaining technically at war. Over 1.2
million people died during the Korean war.
[23]
Namdaemun is a historic pagoda-style gateway.
Korean peninsula at night, shown in a 2012 composite photograph from
NASA. The amount of light is a direct indicator of economic activity.
In 1960,
a student uprising
(the "April 19 Revolution") led to the resignation of the autocratic,
corrupt President Syngman Rhee. A period of political instability
followed, broken by General
Park Chung-hee's
military coup (the "5.16
coup d'état") against the weak and ineffectual government the next year. Park took over as president until
his assassination in 1979, overseeing rapid
export-led economic growth as well as political repression. Park was heavily criticised as a ruthless military dictator, although the
Korean economy developed significantly during his tenure. The government developed the
nation-wide expressway system, the
Seoul subway system, and laid the foundation for economic development during his tenure.
The years after Park's assassination were marked again by political
turmoil, as the previously repressed opposition leaders all campaigned
to run for president in the sudden political void. In 1979 there was a
Coup d'état of December Twelfth by General
Chun Doo-hwan.
After the Coup d'état, Chun Doo-hwan planned to rise to power with
several measures. On May 17, Chun Doo-hwan forced the Cabinet to expand
martial law to the whole nation, which had previously not applied to the
island of
Jeju-do.
The expanded martial law closed universities, banned political
activities and further curtailed the press. Chun assumed the presidency
by the event of May 17, triggering nationwide protests demanding
democracy, in particular in the city of
Gwangju, where Chun sent special forces to violently suppress the
Gwangju Democratization Movement.
[24]
Chun subsequently created the National Defense Emergency Policy
Committee and took the presidency according to his political plan. Chun
and his government held Korea under a despotic rule until 1987, when a
Seoul National University student, Park Jong-chul, was tortured to death.
[25] On
June 10, the
Catholic Priests Association for Justice revealed the incident, igniting
huge demonstrations around the country. Eventually, Chun's party, the
Democratic Justice Party, and its leader,
Roh Tae-woo
announced the 6.29 Declaration, which included the direct election of
the president. Roh went on to win the election by a narrow margin
against the two main opposition leaders,
Kim Dae-Jung and
Kim Young-Sam.
In 1988, Seoul hosted the
1988 Summer Olympics. It became a member of the
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1996.
[26] It was adversely affected by the
1997 Asian Financial Crisis. However, the country recovered and continue its economic growth, albeit at a slower pace.
In June 2000, as part of president Kim Dae-Jung's "
Sunshine Policy" of engagement, a
North–South summit took place in
Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Later that year, Kim received the
Nobel Peace Prize
"for his work for democracy and human rights in South Korea and in East
Asia in general, and for peace and reconciliation with North Korea in
particular."
[27]
However, because of discontent among the population for fruitless
approaches to the North under the previous administrations and, amid
North Korean provocations, a conservative government was elected in 2007
led by President Lee Myung-bak, former mayor of Seoul. More recently,
Park Geun-hye won the
South Korean presidential election, 2012.
In 2002, South Korea and Japan jointly co-hosted the
2002 FIFA World Cup. However,
South Korean and Japanese relations later
soured because of conflicting claims of
sovereignty over the
Liancourt Rocks ("Dokdo" in Korea), in what became known as the
Liancourt Rocks dispute.
Government
Under its current constitution the state is sometimes referred to as the
Sixth Republic of South Korea. Like many democratic states,
[28] South Korea has a government divided into three branches:
executive,
judicial, and
legislative.
The executive and legislative branches operate primarily at the
national level, although various ministries in the executive branch also
carry out local functions. Local governments are semi-autonomous, and
contain executive and
legislative bodies of their own. The judicial branch operates at both the national and local levels. South Korea is a constitutional democracy.
The South Korean government's structure is determined by the
Constitution of the Republic of Korea.
This document has been revised several times since its first
promulgation in 1948 at independence. However, it has retained many
broad characteristics and with the exception of the short-lived
Second Republic of South Korea, the country has always had a presidential system with an independent chief executive.
[29] The first direct
election
was also held in 1948. Although South Korea experienced a series of
military dictatorships from the 1960s up until the 1980s, it has since
developed into a successful
liberal democracy. Today, the
CIA World Factbook describes South Korea's democracy as a "fully functioning modern democracy".
[30]
Administrative divisions
The major administrative divisions in South Korea are
provinces,
metropolitan cities (self-governing cities that are not part of any province), one
special city and one
special autonomous city.
Map |
Namea |
Hangul |
Hanja |
Populationc |
|
Special city (Teukbyeolsi)a |
Seoul |
서울특별시 |
서울特別市b |
10,143,645 |
Metropolitan cities (Gwangyeoksi)a |
Busan |
부산광역시 |
釜山廣域市 |
3,527,635 |
Daegu |
대구광역시 |
大邱廣域市 |
2,501,588 |
Incheon |
인천광역시 |
仁川廣域市 |
2,879,782 |
Gwangju |
광주광역시 |
光州廣域市 |
1,472,910 |
Daejeon |
대전광역시 |
大田廣域市 |
1,532,811 |
Ulsan |
울산광역시 |
蔚山廣域市 |
1,156,480 |
Special self-governing city (Teukbyeol-jachisi)a |
Sejong |
세종특별자치시 |
世宗特別自治市 |
122,153 |
Provinces (Do)a |
Gyeonggi |
경기도 |
京畿道 |
12,234,630 |
Gangwon |
강원도 |
江原道 |
1,542,263 |
North Chungcheong |
충청북도 |
忠淸北道 |
1,572,732 |
South Chungcheong |
충청남도 |
忠淸南道 |
2,047,631 |
North Jeolla |
전라북도 |
全羅北道 |
1,872,965 |
South Jeolla |
전라남도 |
全羅南道 |
1,907,172 |
North Gyeongsang |
경상북도 |
慶尙北道 |
2,699,440 |
South Gyeongsang |
경상남도 |
慶尙南道 |
3,333,820 |
Special self-governing province (Teukbyeoljachi-do)a |
Jeju |
제주특별자치도 |
濟州特別自治道 |
593,806 |
Foreign relations
South Korea maintains diplomatic relations with more than 188
countries. The country has also been a member of the United Nations
since 1991, when it became a member state at the same time as North
Korea. On January 1, 2007, South Korean Foreign Minister
Ban Ki-moon assumed the post of
UN Secretary-General. It has also developed links with the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations as both a member of
ASEAN Plus three, a body of observers, and the
East Asia Summit (EAS).
In 2010, South Korea and the
European Union concluded a
free trade agreement (FTA) to reduce trade barriers. South Korea is also negotiating a Free Trade Agreement with Canada,
[32] and another with
New Zealand.
[33] In November 2009 South Korea joined the OECD
Development Assistance Committee,
marking the first time a former aid recipient country joined the group
as a donor member. South Korea hosted the G-20 Summit in Seoul in
November 2010.
China
Historically, Korea has had close relations with China. Before the
formation of South Korea, Korean independence fighters worked with
Chinese soldiers during the Japanese occupation. However, after
World War II, the People's Republic of China embraced
Maoism
while South Korea sought close relations with the United States. The
PRC assisted North Korea with manpower and supplies during the
Korean War,
and in its aftermath the diplomatic relationship between South Korea
and the PRC almost completely ceased. Relations thawed gradually and
South Korea and the PRC re-established formal diplomatic relations on
August 24, 1992. The two countries sought to improve bilateral relations
and lifted the forty-year old trade embargo,
[34] and South Korean–Chinese relations have improved steadily since 1992.
[34] The Republic of Korea broke off official relations with the
Republic of China (Taiwan) upon gaining official relations with the People's Republic of China, which doesn't recognise
Taiwan's sovereignty.
[35]
European Union
The
European Union (EU) and South Korea are important trading partners, having negotiated a
free trade agreement
for many years since South Korea was designated as a priority FTA
partner in 2006.
The free trade agreement was approved in September
2010, and took effect on July 1, 2011.
[36]
South Korea is the EU's eighth largest trade partner, and the EU has
become South Korea's second largest export destination. EU trade with
South Korea exceeded €65 billion in 2008 and has enjoyed an annual
average growth rate of 7.5% between 2004 and 2008.
[37]
The EU has been the single largest foreign investor in South Korea
since 1962, and accounted for almost 45% of all FDI inflows into Korea
in 2006. Nevertheless, EU companies have significant problems accessing
and operating in the South Korean market because of stringent standards
and testing requirements for products and services often creating
barriers to trade. Both in its regular bilateral contacts with South
Korea and through its FTA with Korea, the EU is seeking to improve this
situation.
[37]
Japan
Although there were no formal diplomatic ties between South Korea and
Japan after the end of World War II, South Korea and Japan signed the
Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea in 1965 to establish diplomatic ties. There is heavy
anti-Japanese sentiment in South Korea because of a number of unsettled
Japanese-Korean disputes, many of which stem from the period of
Japanese occupation after the
Japanese annexation of Korea. During
World War II, more than 100,000 Koreans served in the
Imperial Japanese Army.
[38][39] Korean women were forced to the war front to serve the Imperial Japanese Army as sexual slaves, called
comfort women.
[40][41][42][43]
Longstanding issues such as
Japanese war crimes against Korean civilians, visits by Japanese politicians to the
Yasukuni Shrine honoring Japanese soldiers killed at war (including some class A war criminals), the
re-writing of Japanese textbooks relating Japanese acts during World War II, and the territorial disputes over
Liancourt Rocks (South Korean name: Dokdo)
[44]
continue to trouble Korean-Japanese relations. Although Dokdo is
claimed by both Korea and Japan, the islets are administered by South
Korea, which has
its coast guard stationed there.
[45][46]
In response to then-Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, former
President Roh Moo-hyun suspended all summit talks between South Korea and Japan in 2009.
[47]
North Korea
Both North and South Korea continue to officially claim sovereignty
over the entire peninsula and any outlying islands. With longstanding
animosity following the
Korean War from 1950 to 1953,
North Korea and South Korea signed an agreement to pursue peace.
[48] On October 4, 2007, Roh Moo-Hyun and North Korean leader
Kim Jong-il
signed an eight-point agreement on issues of permanent peace,
high-level talks, economic cooperation, renewal of train services,
highway and air travel, and a joint Olympic cheering squad.
[48]
Despite the Sunshine Policy and efforts at reconciliation, the progress was complicated by
North Korean missile tests in
1993,
1998,
2006 and
2009 and 2013. As of early 2009, relationships between North and South Korea were very tense; North Korea had been reported to have deployed missiles,
[49] ended its former agreements with South Korea,
[50] and threatened South Korea and the United States not to interfere with a satellite launch it had planned.
[51]
North and South Korea are still technically at war (having never signed
a peace treaty after the Korean War) and share the world's most heavily
fortified border.
[52]
On May 27, 2009, North Korean media declared that the Armistice is no
longer valid because of the South Korean government's pledge to
"definitely join" the
Proliferation Security Initiative.
[53] To further complicate and intensify strains between the two nations, the
sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan in March 2010, is affirmed by the South Korean government
[54]
to have been caused by a North Korean torpedo, which the North denies.
President Lee Myung-bak declared in May 2010 that Seoul would cut all
trade with North Korea as part of measures primarily aimed at striking
back at North Korea diplomatically and financially, except for the joint
Kaesong Industrial Project, and humanitarian aid.
[55]
North Korea initially threatened to sever all ties, to completely
abrogate the previous pact of non-aggression, and to expel all South
Koreans from
a joint industrial zone in Kaesong,
but backtracked on its threats and decided to continue its ties with
South Korea. Despite the continuing ties, Kaesong industrial zone has
seen a large decrease in investment and manpower as a result of this
military conflict.
United States
The United States engaged in the decolonization of Korea (mainly in
the South, with the Soviet Union engaged in North Korea) from Japan
after World War II. After three years of military administration by the
United States, the South Korean government was established. Upon the
onset of the Korean War, U.S. forces were sent to help an invasion from
South Korea of the North. Following the Armistice, South Korea and the
U.S. agreed to a "Mutual Defense Treaty", under which an attack on
either party in the
Pacific area would summon a response from both.
[56]
In 1967, South Korea obliged the mutual defense treaty, by sending a
large combat troop contingent to support the United States in the
Vietnam War. The
U.S. Eighth Army,
Seventh Air Force, and
U.S. Naval Forces Korea
are stationed in South Korea. The two nations have strong economic,
diplomatic, and military ties, although they have at times disagreed
with regard to policies towards North Korea, and with regard to some of
South Korea's industrial activities that involve usage of rocket or
nuclear technology. There had also been strong anti-American sentiment
during certain periods, which has largely moderated in the modern day.
[57] In 2007, a free trade agreement known as the
Republic of Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement
(KORUS FTA) was signed between South Korea and the United States, but
its formal implementation was repeatedly delayed, pending approval by
the legislative bodies of the two countries. On October 12, 2011, the
U.S. Congress passed the long-stalled trade agreement with South Korea.
[58] It went into effect on March 15, 2012.
[59]
Military
A long history of invasions by neighbors and the unresolved tension
with North Korea have prompted South Korea to allocate 2.6% of its GDP
and 15% of all government spending to its military (Government share of
GDP: 14.967%), while maintaining compulsory conscription for men.[60] Consequently, South Korea has the world's sixth largest number of active troops (650,000 in 2011),[61] the world's second-largest number of reserve troops (3,200,000 in 2011)[61] and the eleventh largest defense budget. The Republic of Korea, with both regular and reserve military force numbering 3.7 million regular personnel among a total national population of 50 million people, has the second highest number of soldiers per capita in the world,[61] after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.[62]
The South Korean military consists of the
Army (ROKA), the
Navy (ROKN), the
Air Force (ROKAF), and the
Marine Corps (ROKMC), and reserve forces.
[63] Many of these forces are concentrated near the
Korean Demilitarized Zone.
All South Korean males are constitutionally required to serve in the
military, typically 21 months. Previously, Koreans of mixed race were
exempt from military duty but no exception from 2011.
[64]
In addition to male conscription in South Korea's sovereign military,
1,800 Korean males are selected every year to serve 21 months in the
KATUSA Program to further augment the USFK.
[65] In 2010, South Korea was spending
₩1.68
trillion in a cost-sharing agreement with the US to provide budgetary
support to the US forces in Korea, on top of the ₩29.6 trillion budget
for its own military.
The
South Korean army has 2,500
tanks in operation, including the
K1A1 and
K2 Black Panther,
which form the backbone of the South Korean army's mechanized armor and
infantry forces. A sizable arsenal of many artillery systems, including
1,700 self-propelled
K55 and
K9 Thunder howitzers and 680 helicopters and
UAVs
of numerous types, are assembled to provide additional fire,
reconnaissance, and logistics support. South Korea's smaller but more
advanced artillery force and wide range of airborne reconnaissance
platforms are pivotal in the
counter-battery suppression of North Korea's over-sized
artillery force, which operates more than 13,000 artillery systems deployed in various state of fortification and mobility.
[61][66]
The
South Korean navy has made its first major transformation into a
blue-water navy through the formation of the Strategic Mobile Fleet, which includes a battle group of
Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin class destroyers,
Dokdo class amphibious assault ship,
AIP-driven Type 214 submarines, and
King Sejong the Great class destroyers, which is equipped with the latest baseline of
Aegis fleet-defense
system that allows the ships to track and destroy multiple cruise
missiles and ballistic missiles simultaneously, forming an integral part
of South Korea's indigenous missile defense umbrella against the North
Korean military's missile threat.
[67]
The South Korean air force operates 840 aircraft, making it world's
ninth largest air force, including several types of advanced fighters
like
F-15K, heavily modified
KF-16C/D,
[68] and the indigenous
F/A-50,
[69][70] supported by well-maintained fleets of older fighters such as
F-4E and
KF-5E/F
that still effectively serve the air force alongside the more modern
aircraft. In an attempt to gain strength in terms of not just numbers
but also modernity, the commissioning of four
Boeing 737 AEW&C aircraft, under Project Peace Eye for
centralized intelligence gathering and analysis
on a modern battlefield, will enhance the fighters' and other support
aircraft's ability to perform their missions with awareness and
precision.
In May 2011,
Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd., South Korea's largest plane maker, signed a $400 million deal to sell 16 T-50 Golden Eagle trainer jets to
Indonesia, marking South Korea as the first time for the country in Asia to export supersonic jets.
[71]
From time to time, South Korea has sent its troops overseas to assist
American forces. It has participated in most major conflicts that the
United States has been involved in the past 50 years. South Korea
dispatched 325,517 troops to fight alongside American, Australian,
Filipino, New Zealand and
South Vietnamese soldiers in the
Vietnam War, with a peak strength of 50,000. In 2004, South Korea sent 3,300 troops of the
Zaytun Division to help re-building in northern
Iraq, and was the third largest contributor in the
coalition forces after only the US and Britain.
[72] Beginning in 2001, South Korea had so far deployed 24,000 troops in the Middle East region to support the
War on Terrorism. A further 1,800 were deployed since 2007 to reinforce UN peacekeeping forces in
Lebanon.
The United States have stationed a substantial contingent of troops in South Korea since the
Korean War to defend South Korea in case of East Asian military crises. There are approximately 28,500
U.S. Military personnel stationed in Korea,
[73]
most of them serving one year of unaccompanied tours. The American
troops, which are primarily ground and air units, are assigned to US
Forces Korea and mainly assigned to the
Eighth United States Army of the
US Army &
Seventh Air Force of the
US Air Force. They are stationed in installations at
Osan,
Kunsan, Yongsan,
Dongducheon, Sungbuk,
Camp Humphreys, and
Daegu, as well as at
Camp Bonifas in the DMZ
Joint Security Area . A still functioning
UN Command is technically the top of the
chain of command
of all forces in South Korea, including the US forces and the entire
South Korean military – if a sudden escalation of war between North and
South Korea were to occur the United States would assume control of the
South Korean armed forces in all military and paramilitary moves.
However, in September 2006, the Presidents of the United States and the
Republic of Korea agreed that South Korea should assume the lead for its
own defense. In early 2007, the U.S. Secretary of Defense and ROK
Minister of National Defense determined that South Korea will assume
wartime operational control of its forces on December 1, 2015. U.S.
Forces Korea will transform into a new joint-warfighting command,
provisionally described as Korea Command (KORCOM).
[74]
Geography, climate and environment
Geography
South Korea occupies the southern portion of the
Korean Peninsula, which extends some 1,100 km (680 mi) from the Asian mainland. This mountainous peninsula is flanked by the
Yellow Sea to the west, and
Sea of Japan (East Sea) to the east. Its southern tip lies on the
Korea Strait and the
East China Sea.
The country, including all its islands, lies between latitudes
33° and
39°N, and longitudes
124° and
130°E. Its total area is 100,032 square kilometres (38,622.57 sq mi).
[75]
South Korea can be divided into four general regions: an eastern region of high mountain ranges and narrow
coastal plains; a western region of broad coastal plains,
river basins,
and rolling hills; a southwestern region of mountains and valleys; and a
southeastern region dominated by the broad basin of the
Nakdong River.
[76]
South Korea's terrain is mostly mountainous, most of which is not
arable.
Lowlands, located primarily in the west and southeast, make up only 30% of the total land area.
About three thousand islands, mostly small and uninhabited, lie off the western and southern coasts of South Korea.
Jeju-do
is about 100 kilometres (about 60 mi) off the southern coast of South
Korea. It is the country's largest island, with an area of 1,845 square
kilometres (712 sq mi). Jeju is also the site of South Korea's highest
point:
Hallasan, an extinct
volcano, reaches 1,950 meters (6,398 ft)
above sea level. The easternmost islands of South Korea include
Ulleungdo and
Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo), while
Marado and
Socotra Rock are the southernmost islands of South Korea.
[76]
South Korea has
20 national parks and popular nature places like the
Boseong Tea Fields,
Suncheon Bay Ecological Park, and the first national park of
Jirisan.
[77]
Climate
South Korea tends to have a
humid continental climate and a
humid subtropical climate, and is affected by the
East Asian monsoon, with
precipitation heavier in summer during a short rainy season called
jangma (
장마),
which begins end of June through the end of July. Winters can be
extremely cold with the minimum temperature dropping below −20 °C
(−4 °F) in the inland region of the country: in Seoul, the average
January temperature range is −7 to 1 °C (19 to 34 °F), and the average
August temperature range is 22 to 30 °C (72 to 86 °F). Winter
temperatures are higher along the southern coast and considerably lower
in the mountainous interior.
[79]
Summer can be uncomfortably hot and humid, with temperatures exceeding
30 °C (86 °F) in most parts of the country. South Korea has four
distinct seasons; spring, summer, autumn and winter. Spring usually
lasts from late-March to early- May, summer from mid-May to
early-September, autumn from mid-September to early-November, and winter
from mid-November to mid-March.
Rainfall is concentrated in the summer months of June through September. The southern coast is subject to late summer
typhoons
that bring strong winds and heavy rains. The average annual
precipitation varies from 1,370 millimetres (54 in) in Seoul to 1,470
millimetres (58 in) in
Busan. There are occasional typhoons that bring high winds and floods.
Environment
During the first 20 years of South Korea's growth surge, little effort was made to preserve the environment.
[80]
Unchecked industrialization and urban development have resulted in
deforestation and the ongoing destruction of wetlands such as the Songdo
Tidal Flat.
[81] However, there have been recent efforts to balance these problems, including a government run
$84 billion five-year
green growth project that aims to boost energy efficiency and green technology.
[82][83]
The green-based economic strategy is a comprehensive overhaul of
South Korea's economy, utilizing nearly two percent of the national GDP.
[82]
The greening initiative includes such efforts as a nationwide bike
network, solar and wind energy, lowering oil dependent vehicles, backing
daylight savings and extensive usage of environmentally friendly
technologies such as LEDs in electronics and lighting.
[84]
The country – already the world's most wired – plans to build a
nationwide next-generation network which will be 10 times faster than
broadband facilities in order to reduce energy usage.
[84]
The
renewable portfolio standard program with
renewable energy certificates runs from 2012 to 2022.
[85]
Quota systems favor large, vertically integrated generators and
multinational electric utilities, if only because certificates are
generally denominated in units of one megawatt-hour. They are also more
difficult to design and implement than an a
Feed-in tariff.
[86] Around 350 residential
micro combined heat and power units were installed in 2012.
[87]
Seoul's
tap water recently became safe to drink, with city officials branding it "Arisu" in a bid to convince the public.
[88] Efforts have also been made with
afforestation projects. Another multi-billion dollar project was the restoration of
Cheonggyecheon, a stream running through downtown Seoul that had earlier been paved over by a motorway.
[89] One major challenge is air quality, with
acid rain, sulfur oxides, and annual yellow dust storms being particular problems.
[80]
It is acknowledged that many of these difficulties are a result of
South Korea's proximity to China, which is a major air polluter.
[80]
South Korea is a member of the
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity Treaty,
Kyoto Protocol (forming the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG), regarding
UNFCCC,
[90] with
Mexico and
Switzerland),
Desertification,
Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping,
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (not into force),
Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, and
Whaling.
[5]
Economy
Graphical depiction of Korea's product exports in 28 color-coded categories.
South Korea's
market economy ranks
15th in the world by nominal GDP and
12th by
purchasing power parity (PPP), identifying it as one of the
G-20 major economies. It is a
developed country with a
high-income economy and is the most industrialised member country of the
OECD. South Korea is the only developed country to have been included in the group of
Next Eleven countries.
[citation needed]
South Korea's economy was one of the world's fastest-growing from the
early 1960s to the late 1990s, and South Korea is still one of the
fastest-growing developed countries in the 2000s, along with Hong Kong,
Singapore, and Taiwan, the other three
Asian Tigers.
[92] South Koreans refer to this growth as the
Miracle on the Han River.
[93] The South Korean economy is heavily dependent on international trade, and in 2010, South Korea was the
sixth largest exporter and
tenth largest importer in the world.
[citation needed]
South Korea hosted the
fifth G20 summit
in its capital city, Seoul, in November 2010. The two-day summit was
expected to boost South Korea's economy by 31 trillion won, or 4% of
South Korea's 2010 GDP, in economic effects, and create over 160,000
jobs in South Korea. It may also help improve the country's sovereign
credit rating.
[94]
Despite the South Korean economy's high growth potential and apparent
structural stability, the country suffers damage to its credit rating
in the stock market because of the belligerence of North Korea in times
of deep military crises, which has an adverse effect on South Korean
financial markets.
[95][96] The
International Monetary Fund
compliments the resilience of the South Korean economy against various
economic crises, citing low state debt and high fiscal reserves that can
quickly be mobilized to address financial emergencies.
[97]
Although it was severely harmed by the Asian economic crisis of the
late 1990s, the South Korean economy managed a rapid recovery and
subsequently tripled its GDP.
[98]
Furthermore, South Korea was one of the few developed countries that were able to avoid a
recession during the
global financial crisis.
[99]
Its economic growth rate reached 6.2 percent in 2010 (the fastest
growth for eight years after significant growth by 7.2 percent in 2002),
[100]
a sharp recovery from economic growth rates of 2.3% in 2008 and 0.2% in
2009, when the global financial crisis hit. The unemployment rate in
South Korea also remained low in 2009, at 3.6%.
[101]
Transportation, Energy and Infrastructure
South Korea has a technologically advanced transport network
consisting of high-speed railways, highways, bus routes, ferry services,
and air routes that criss-cross the country.
Korea Expressway Corporation operates the toll highways and service amenities en route.
Korail provides frequent train services to all major South Korean cities. Two rail lines,
Gyeongui and
Donghae Bukbu Line, to North Korea are now being reconnected. The Korean
high-speed rail system,
KTX, provides high-speed service along
Gyeongbu and
Honam Line. Major cities including Seoul,
Busan,
Incheon,
Daegu,
Daejeon and
Gwangju have urban rapid transit systems.
[102] Express bus terminals are available in most cities.
[103]
South Korea's largest airport,
Incheon International Airport, was completed in 2001. By 2007, it was serving
30 million passengers a year.
[104] Other international airports include
Gimpo,
Busan and
Jeju. There are also seven domestic airports, and a large number of
heliports.
[105]
Korean Air, founded in 1962, served 21,640,000 passengers, including 12,490,000 international passengers in 2008.
[106] A second carrier,
Asiana Airlines,
established in 1988, also serves domestic and international traffic.
Combined, South Korean airlines serve 297 international routes.
[107] Smaller airlines, such as
Jeju Air, provide domestic service with lower fares.
[108]
South Korea is the world's fifth-largest
nuclear power producer and the second-largest in Asia as of 2010.
[109] Nuclear power in South Korea
supplies 45% of electricity production, and research is very active
with investigation into a variety of advanced reactors, including a
small modular reactor, a liquid-metal fast/
transmutation reactor and a high-temperature
hydrogen
generation design. Fuel production and waste handling technologies have
also been developed locally. It is also a member of the
ITER project.
[110]
South Korea is an emerging exporter of
nuclear reactors, having concluded agreements with the
UAE to build and maintain four advanced nuclear reactors,
[111] with
Jordan for a research nuclear reactor,
[112][113] and with
Argentina for construction and repair of heavy-water nuclear reactors.
[114][115] As of 2010, South Korea and
Turkey are in negotiations regarding construction of two nuclear reactors.
[116] South Korea is also preparing to bid on construction of a light-water nuclear reactor for Argentina.
[115]
South Korea is not allowed to
enrich uranium or develop traditional uranium enrichment technology on its own, because of US political pressure,
[117]
unlike most major nuclear powers such as Japan, Germany, and France,
competitors of South Korea in the international nuclear market. This
impediment to South Korea's indigenous nuclear industrial undertaking
has sparked occasional diplomatic rows between the two allies. While
South Korea is successful in exporting its electricity-generating
nuclear technology and nuclear reactors, it cannot capitalize on the
market for nuclear enrichment facilities and refineries, preventing it from further expanding its export niche. South Korea has sought unique technologies such as
pyroprocessing to circumvent these obstacles and seek a more advantageous competition.
[118]
The US has recently been wary of South Korea's burgeoning nuclear
program, which South Korea insists will be for civilian use only.
[109]
South Korea is the third highest ranked Asian country in the World
Economic Forum's Network Readiness Index (NRI) after Singapore and Hong
Kong respectively – an indicator for determining the development level
of a country’s information and communication technologies. South Korea
ranked number 10 overall in the 2014 NRI ranking, up from 11 in 2013.
[119]
Tourism
In 2012, 11.1 million foreign tourists visited South Korea, making it the 20th most visited country in the world,
[120] up from 8.5 million in 2010.
[121] Most foreign tourists come from Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.
[citation needed] The recent popularity of
Korean popular culture, often known as the "
Korean wave", has increased tourist arrivals from other parts of the world.
Science and technology
Cyber security
Following cyberattacks in the first half of 2013, whereby government,
news-media, television station, and bank websites were compromised, the
national government committed to the training of 5,000 new
cybersecurity experts by 2017. The South Korean government blamed its
northern counterpart on these attacks, as well as incidents that
occurred in 2009, 2011, and 2012, but Pyongyang denies the accusations.
[122]
In late September 2013, a computer-security competition jointly
sponsored by the defense ministry and the National Intelligence Service
was announced. The winners will be announced on September 29, 2013 and
will share a total prize pool of 80 million won (
US$74,000).
[122]
Aerospace research
South Korea has sent up 10 satellites from 1992, all using foreign rockets and overseas launch pads, notably
Arirang-1 in 1999, and
Arirang-2 in 2006 as part of its space partnership with Russia.
[123] Arirang-1 was lost in space in 2008, after nine years in service.
[124]
In April 2008,
Yi So-yeon became the first Korean to fly in space, aboard the Russian
Soyuz TMA-12.
[125]
In June 2009, the first
spaceport of South Korea,
Naro Space Center, was completed at
Goheung,
Jeollanam-do.
[126] The launch of
Naro-1 in August 2009 resulted in a failure.
[127] The second attempt in June 2010 was also unsuccessful.
[128] However the third launch of the Naro 1 in January 2013 was successful.
[129] The government plans to develop Naro-2 by the year 2018.
[130]
South Korea's efforts to build an indigenous space launch vehicle is
marred because of persistent political pressure of the United States,
who had for many decades hindered South Korea's indigenous rocket and
missile development programs
[131]
in fear of their possible connection to clandestine military ballistic
missile programs, which Korea many times insisted did not violate the
research and development guidelines stipulated by US-Korea agreements on restriction of South Korean rocket technology research and development.
[132] South Korea has sought the assistance of foreign countries such as
Russia through
MTCR commitments to supplement its restricted domestic rocket technology. The two failed KSLV-I
launch vehicles were based on the
Universal Rocket Module, the first stage of the Russian
Angara rocket, combined with a solid-fueled second stage built by South Korea.
Robotics
Albert HUBO, developed by
KAIST, can make expressive gestures with its five separate fingers.
Robotics has been included in the list of main national R&D projects in Korea since 2003.
[133] In 2009, the government announced plans to build robot-themed parks in
Incheon and
Masan with a mix of public and private funding.
[134]
In 2005,
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) developed the world's second walking
humanoid robot,
HUBO. A team in the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology developed the first Korean
android,
EveR-1 in May 2006.
[135] EveR-1 has been succeeded by more complex models with improved movement and vision.
[136][137]
Plans of creating English-teaching robot assistants to compensate for
the shortage of teachers were announced in February 2010, with the
robots being deployed to most preschools and kindergartens by 2013.
[138] Robotics are also incorporated in the entertainment sector as well; the
Korean Robot Game Festival has been held every year since 2004 to promote science and robot technology.
[139]
Biotechnology
Since the 1980s, the Korean government has invested in the development of a domestic
biotechnology industry, and the sector is projected to grow to
$6.5 billion by 2010.
[140] The medical sector accounts for a large part of the production, including production of
hepatitis vaccines and
antibiotics.
Recently, research and development in
genetics and
cloning has received increasing attention, with the first successful cloning of a dog,
Snuppy (in 2005), and the cloning of two females of an endangered species of wolves
[which?] by the
Seoul National University in 2007.
[141]
The rapid growth of the industry has resulted in significant voids in regulation of ethics, as was highlighted by the
scientific misconduct case involving
Hwang Woo-Suk.
[142]
Education
Education in South Korea is regarded as crucial to financial and
social success, and competition is consequently fierce, with many
participating in intense outside tutoring to supplement classes. In the
2006 results of the
OECD Programme for International Student Assessment, South Korea came first in
problem solving, third in mathematics and seventh in science.
[143] South Korea's education system is technologically advanced and it is the world's first country to bring high-speed
fibre-optic broadband
internet access to every primary and secondary school nation-wide.
Using this infrastructure, the country has developed the first
Digital Textbooks in the world, which will be distributed for free to every primary and secondary school nation-wide by 2013.
[144]
A centralised administration in South Korea oversees the process for
the education of children from kindergarten to the third and final year
of high school. South Korea has adopted a new educational program to
increase the number of their foreign students through 2010. According to
Ministry of Education, Science and Technology estimate, by that time,
the number of scholarships for foreign students in South Korea will be
doubled, and the number of foreign students will reach 100,000.
[145]
The school year is divided into two semesters, the first of which
begins in the beginning of March and ends in mid-July, the second of
which begins in late August and ends in mid-February. The schedules are
not uniformly standardized and vary from school to school. Most South
Korean middle schools and high schools have school uniforms, modeled on
western-style uniforms. Boys' uniforms usually consists of trousers and
white shirts, and girls wear skirts and white shirts (this only applies
in middle schools and high schools).
Demographics
South Korea is noted for its population density, which is 487 per
square kilometer, more than 10 times the global average. Most South
Koreans live in urban areas, because of rapid migration from the
countryside during the country's quick economic expansion in the 1970s,
1980s and 1990s.
[146] The capital city of
Seoul is also the country's largest city and chief industrial center. According to the 2005 census, Seoul had a population of
9.8 million inhabitants. The
Seoul National Capital Area has
24.5 million
inhabitants (about half of South Korea's entire population) making it
the world's second largest metropolitan area and easily the most densely
populated city in the
OECD. Other major cities include
Busan (
3.5 million),
Incheon (
2.5 million),
Daegu (
2.5 million),
Daejeon (
1.4 million),
Gwangju (
1.4 million) and
Ulsan (
1.1 million).
[147]
The population has also been shaped by international migration. After World War II and the
division of the Korean Peninsula,
about four million people from North Korea crossed the border to South
Korea. This trend of net entry reversed over the next 40 years because
of emigration, especially to the United States and Canada. South Korea's
total population in 1955 was
21.5 million,
[148] and today it is roughly 50,062,000.
[149]
South Korea is one of the most ethnically homogeneous societies in
the world, with more than 99% of inhabitants having Korean ethnicity.
[150] Koreans call their society 단일민족국가,
Dan-il minjok guk ga, "the single race society".
The percentage of foreign nationals has been growing rapidly.
[151] As of 2009,
South Korea had 1,106,884 foreign residents, 2.7% of the population;
however, more than half of them are ethnic Koreans with a foreign
citizenship. For example,
migrants from China (PRC) make up 56.5% of foreign nationals, but approximately 30% of the Chinese citizens in Korea are
Joseonjok (조선족 in Korean), PRC citizens of Korean ethnicity.
[152] Regardless of the ethnicity, there are 28,500
US military
personnel serving in South Korea, most serving a one-year unaccompanied
tour (though approximately 10% serve longer tours accompanied by
family), according to the Korea National Statistical Office.
[153][154] In addition, about 43,000 English teachers from
English-speaking countries reside temporarily in Korea.
[155]
Currently, South Korea has one of the highest rate of growth of foreign
born population, with about 30,000 foreign born residences obtaining
South Korean citizenship every year since 2010.
South Korea's birthrate was the world's lowest in 2009.
[156] If this continues, its population is expected to decrease by 13% to
42.3 million in 2050.
[157] South Korea's annual birthrate is approximately 9 births per 1000 people.
[158] However, the birthrate has increased by 5.7% in 2010 and Korea no longer has the world's lowest birthrate.
[159]
According to a 2011 report from Chosun Ilbo, South Korea's total
fertility rate (1.23 children born per woman) is higher than those of
Taiwan (1.15) and Japan (1.21).
[160] The average
life expectancy in 2008 was 79.10 years,
[161] which is 34th in the world.
[162]
South Korea has the steepest decline in working age population of the OECD nations.
[163]
|
|
Rank |
Name |
Province |
Pop. |
Rank |
Name |
Province |
Pop. |
|
Seoul
Busan |
1 |
Seoul |
Seoul |
10,143,164 |
11 |
Seongnam |
Gyeonggi |
980,004 |
Incheon
Daegu |
2 |
Busan |
Busan |
3,526,648 |
12 |
Yongin |
Gyeonggi |
942,425 |
3 |
Incheon |
Incheon |
2,882,047 |
13 |
Bucheon |
Gyeonggi |
863,344 |
4 |
Daegu |
Daegu |
2,501,823 |
14 |
Ansan |
Gyeonggi |
713,571 |
5 |
Daejeon |
Daejeon |
1,533,497 |
15 |
Cheongju |
North Chungcheong |
673,330 |
6 |
Gwangju |
Gwangju |
1,473,529 |
16 |
Jeonju |
North Jeolla |
650,676 |
7 |
Ulsan |
Ulsan |
1,157,199 |
17 |
Namyangju |
Gyeonggi |
619,724 |
8 |
Suwon |
Gyeonggi |
1,151,619 |
18 |
Anyang |
Gyeonggi |
607,354 |
9 |
Changwon |
South Gyeongsang |
1,082,896 |
19 |
Cheonan |
South Chungcheong |
591,799 |
10 |
Goyang |
Gyeonggi |
993,411 |
20 |
Hwaseong |
Gyeonggi |
530,567 |
Religion
As of 2005, just under half of the South Korean population expressed
no religious preference.
[166] Of the rest, most are
Buddhist or
Christian.
According to the 2007 census, 29.2% of the population at that time was
Christian (18.3% identified themselves as Protestants, 10.9% as Roman
Catholics), and 22.8% were Buddhist.
[167][168] Other religions include
Islam and various
new religious movements such as
Jeungsanism,
Cheondoism and
Wonbuddhism. The earliest religion practiced was
Korean shamanism.
[169] Today,
freedom of religion is guaranteed by the constitution, and there is no
state religion.
[170]
Christianity is South Korea's largest religion, accounting for more
than half of all South Korean religious adherents. There are
approximately 13.7 million Christians in South Korea today, about 63% of
Christians belong to Protestant churches, while about 37% belong to the
Roman Catholic Church.
[171]
The number of Protestant Christians have slowly decreased since the
1990s, while the number of Roman Catholics has rapidly increased since
the 1980s.
[171][172] Presbyterian
denominations are the biggest Christian denominations in South Korea.
About 9 million people belongs to the 100 different Presbyterian
churches, among the biggest denominations are the
Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong),
Presbyterian Church in Korea (TongHap), the
Presbyterian Church in Korea (Koshin). For more information see
Presbyterianism in South Korea.
[173] South Korea is also the second-largest missionary-sending nation, after the United States.
[174]
Buddhism was introduced to Korea in the year 372.
[175] According to the national census as of 2005, South Korea has over
10.7 million Buddhists.
[176][177] Today, about 90% of Korean Buddhists belong to
Jogye Order. Most of the
National Treasures of South Korea are Buddhist artifacts. Buddhism became the state religion in some of Korean kingdoms since the
Three Kingdoms Period, when
Goguryeo adopted it as the state religion in 372, followed by
Baekche (528). Buddhism had been the state religion of
Unified Korea from
North South States Period (not to be confused with the modern
division of Korea) to
Goryeo before suppression under the Joseon Dynasty in favor of
Neo-Confucianism.
[178]
Fewer than 30,000 South Koreans are thought to be Muslims, but the
country has some 100,000 resident foreign workers from Muslim countries,
Bangladesh and
Pakistan.
[179]
Korean shamanism, today known as Muism (religion of the mu [shamans]) or Sinism (religion of the gods) encompasses a variety of
indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the
Korean people and the
Korean sphere.
[180] In contemporary South Korea, the most used term is
Muism and a
shaman is known as a
mudang (
무당,
巫堂) or Tangol (당골). Since the early 2000s, this religion has regained popularity among Koreans.
[181][182][183][184]
Public health and safety
Although
life expectancy has increased significantly since 1950, South Korea faces a number of important health-care issues. Foremost is the impact of
environmental pollution
on an increasingly urbanized population. According to the Ministry of
Health and Welfare, chronic diseases account for the majority of
diseases in South Korea, a condition exacerbated by the health care
system's focus on treatment rather than prevention. The incidence of
chronic disease in South Korea hovers around 24 percent. Approximately
33 percent of all adults
smoke. The
human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV) rate of prevalence at the end of 2003 was less than 0.1 percent.
In 2001 central government expenditures on health care accounted for
about 6 percent of
gross domestic product (GDP).
[185] The
suicide rate in the nation was 26 per 100,000 in 2008, the highest in the industrialized world.
[186]
Young South Korean males were found to be the tallest in all of East
Asia, resulting from healthy living conditions, economic development and
changes in food culture.
[187]
Based on the Asia-Pacific Advisory Committee on Influenza (APACI),
South Korea ranked the highest of influenza vaccination in Asia with 311
vaccines per 1,000 people.
[188]
Culture
South Korea shares its traditional culture with
North Korea,
but the two Koreas have developed distinct contemporary forms of
culture since the peninsula was divided in 1945. Historically, while the
culture of Korea has been heavily influenced by that of neighboring
China, it has nevertheless managed to develop a unique cultural identity
that is distinct from its larger neighbor.
[189] The South Korean
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism actively encourages the traditional arts, as well as modern forms, through funding and education programs.
[190]
The industrialization and urbanization of South Korea have brought many changes to the way
Korean people
live. Changing economics and lifestyles have led to a concentration of
population in major cities, especially the capital Seoul, with
multi-generational households separating into
nuclear family
living arrangements. A 2014 Euromonitor study found that South Koreans
drink the most alcohol on a weekly basis compared to the rest of the
world. South Koreans drink 13.7 shots of liquor per week on average and,
of the 44 other countries analyzed, Russia, the Philippines, and
Thailand follow.
[191]
Art
Korean art has been highly influenced by
Buddhism and
Confucianism, which can be seen in the many traditional paintings, sculptures, ceramics and the performing arts.
[192] Korean pottery and porcelain, such as
Joseon's
baekja and
buncheong, and
Goryeo's
celadon are well known throughout the world.
[193] The
Korean tea ceremony,
pansori,
talchum and
buchaechum are also notable Korean performing arts.
Post-war modern Korean art started to flourish in the 1960s and
1970s, when South Korean artists took interest in geometrical shapes and
intangible subjects. Establishing a harmony between man and nature was
also a favorite of this time. Because of social instability, social
issues appeared as main subjects in the 1980s. Art was influenced by
various international events and exhibits in Korea, and with it brought
more diversity.
[194] The
Olympic Sculpture Garden in 1988, the transposition of the 1993 edition of the
Whitney Biennial to Seoul,
[195] the creation of the
Gwangju Biennale[196] and the Korean Pavilion at the
Venice Biennale in 1995
[197] were notable events.
Architecture
Because of South Korea's tumultuous history, construction and
destruction has been repeated endlessly, resulting in an interesting
melange of architectural styles and designs.
[198]
Korean traditional architecture is characterized by its harmony with nature. Ancient architects adopted the
bracket system characterized by thatched roofs and heated floors called
ondol.
[199]
People of the upper classes built bigger houses with elegantly curved
tiled roofs with lifting eaves. Traditional architecture can be seen in
the palaces and temples, preserved old houses called
hanok,
[200] and special sites like
Hahoe Folk Village,
Yangdong Village of Gyeongju and
Korean Folk Village. Traditional architecture may also be seen at the nine
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in South Korea.
[201]
Western architecture was first introduced to Korea at the end of the
19th century. Churches, offices for foreign legislation, schools and
university buildings were built in new styles. With the
annexation of Korea by Japan in 1910
the colonial regime intervened in Korea's architectural heritage, and
Japanese-style modern architecture was imposed. The anti-Japanese
sentiment, and the Korean War, led to the destruction of most buildings
constructed during that time.
[202]
Korean architecture entered a new phase of development during the
post-Korean War reconstruction, incorporating modern architectural
trends and styles. Stimulated by the economic growth in the 1970s and
1980s, active redevelopment saw new horizons in architectural design. In
the aftermath of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, South Korea has witnessed a
wide variation of styles in its architectural landscape due, in large
part, to the opening up of the market to foreign architects.
[203]
Contemporary architectural efforts have been constantly trying to
balance the traditional philosophy of "harmony with nature" and the
fast-paced urbanization that the country has been going through in
recent years.
[204]
Cuisine
Korean cuisine,
hanguk yori (한국요리; 韓國料理), or
hansik
(한식; 韓食), has evolved through centuries of social and political change.
Ingredients and dishes vary by province. There are many significant
regional dishes that have proliferated in different variations across
the country in the present day. The
Korean royal court cuisine
once brought all of the unique regional specialties together for the
royal family. Meals consumed both by the royal family and ordinary
Korean citizens have been regulated by a unique culture of etiquette.
Korean cuisine is largely based on
rice,
noodles,
tofu, vegetables, fish and meats. Traditional Korean meals are noted for the number of side dishes,
banchan (반찬), which accompany steam-cooked short-grain rice. Every meal is accompanied by numerous banchan.
Kimchi
(김치), a fermented, usually spicy vegetable dish is commonly served at
every meal and is one of the best known Korean dishes. Korean cuisine
usually involves heavy seasoning with
sesame oil,
doenjang (된장), a type of
fermented soybean paste,
soy sauce, salt, garlic, ginger, and
gochujang (고추장), a hot pepper paste. Other well-known dishes are
Bulgogi (불고기), grilled marinated beef,
Gimbap (김밥), and
Tteokbokki (떡볶이), a spicy snack consisting of rice cake seasoned with gochujang or a spicy chili paste.
Soups are also a common part of a Korean meal and are served as part
of the main course rather than at the beginning or the end of the meal.
Soups known as
guk (국) are often made with meats, shellfish and vegetables. Similar to guk,
tang (탕; 湯) has less water, and is more often served in restaurants. Another type is
jjigae (찌개), a
stew that is typically heavily seasoned with chili pepper and served boiling hot.
Contemporary music, film and television
In addition to domestic consumption, South Korean mainstream culture,
including televised drama, films, and popular music, also generates
significant exports to various parts of the world. This phenomenon,
often called "
Hallyu" or the "Korean Wave", has swept many countries in Asia and other parts of the world.
[205]
Until the 1990s,
trot and
ballads dominated Korean popular music. The emergence of the rap group
Seo Taiji and Boys in 1992 marked a turning point for Korean popular music, also known as
K-pop, as the group incorporated elements of popular musical genres of
rap,
rock, and
techno into its music.
[206]
Hip hop, dance and ballad oriented acts have become dominant in the
Korean popular music scene, though trot is still popular among older
Koreans. Many K-pop stars and groups are also well known abroad,
especially in other parts of Asia.
Since the success of the film
Shiri in 1999,
Korean film
has begun to gain recognition internationally. Domestic film has a
dominant share of the market, partly because of the existence of
screen quotas requiring cinemas to show Korean films at least 73 days a year.
[207]
Korean television shows,
especially the short form dramatic mini-series called "dramas", have
also become popular outside of Korea, becoming another driving trend for
wider recognition. The trend has caused some Korean actors to become
better known abroad. The dramas are popular mostly in Asia. The stories
have tended to have a romance focus, such as
Princess Hours,
You're Beautiful,
Playful Kiss My Name is Kim Sam Soon,
Boys Over Flowers,
Winter Sonata,
Autumn in My Heart,
Full House,
City Hunter,
All About Eve,
Secret Garden,
Master's sun, and
My Love from the Star. Historical/fantasy dramas have included
Faith,
Dae Jang Geum,
The Legend,
Dong Yi,
Moon Embracing the Sun and
Sungkyunkwan Scandal.
[208]
Technology culture
South Korean corporations
Samsung and
LG were ranked first and third largest
mobile phone companies in the world in the first quarter of 2012, respectively.
[209] An estimated 90% of South Koreans own a mobile phone.
[210] Aside from placing/receiving calls and text messaging, mobile phones in the country are widely used for watching
Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) or viewing websites.
[211] Over one million DMB phones have been sold and the three major wireless communications providers
SK Telecom,
KT, and
LG U+
provide coverage in all major cities and other areas. South Korea has
the fastest Internet download speeds in the world, with an average
download speed of 17.5 Mbit/s.
[212]
Sports
A
taekwondo practitioner demonstrating
dollyo chagi technique.
The
martial art taekwondo originated in Korea. In the 1950s and 1960s, modern rules were standardized, with taekwondo becoming an official
Olympic sport in 2000.
[213] Other Korean martial arts include
taekkyeon,
hapkido,
Tang Soo Do,
Kuk Sool Won,
kumdo and
subak.
[214]
Football has traditionally been regarded as the most popular sport in Korea.
[215] Recent polling indicates that a majority, 41% of South Korean sports fans continue to self-identify as football fans, with
baseball ranked 2nd at 25% of respondents. However, the polling did not indicate the extent to which respondents follow both sports.
[216] The
national football team became the first team in the
Asian Football Confederation to reach the
FIFA World Cup semi-finals in the
2002 FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by South Korea and Japan. The
Korea Republic national team (as it is known) has qualified for every World Cup since
Mexico 1986, and has broken out of the group stage twice: first in 2002, and again in
2010, when it was defeated by eventual semi-finalist
Uruguay in the Round of 16. At the
2012 Summer Olympics, South Korea won the Bronze Medal for football.
Baseball was first introduced to Korea in 1905 and has since become
increasingly popular, with some sources claiming it has surpassed
football as the most popular sport in the country.
[217][218][219] Recent years have been characterized by increasing attendance and ticket prices for professional baseball games.
[220] The
Korea Professional Baseball league, a 9-team circuit, was established in 1982. The
South Korea national team finished third in the
2006 World Baseball Classic and second in the
2009 tournament. The team's 2009 final game against Japan was widely watched in Korea, with a large screen at
Gwanghwamun crossing in Seoul broadcasting the game live.
[221] In the
2008 Summer Olympics, South Korea won the gold medal in baseball.
[222] Also in 1982, at the Baseball Worldcup, Korea won the gold medal. At the
2010 Asian Games, the Korean National Baseball team won the gold medal. Three notable Korean baseball players are
Chan Ho Park,
Shin-Soo Choo, and
Hyun-Jin Ryu.
Basketball
is a popular sport in the country as well. South Korea has
traditionally had one of the top basketball teams in Asia and one of the
continent's strongest basketball divisions. Seoul hosted the
1967 and
1995 Asian Basketball Championship. The
Korea national basketball team has won a record number of 23 medals at the event to date.
[223]
South Korea hosted the
Asian Games in 1986 (Seoul), 2002 (Busan), and will host again in 2014 (Incheon). It also hosted the Winter
Universiade in 1997, the
Asian Winter Games in 1999 and the Summer Universiade in 2003. In 1988, South Korea hosted the
Summer Olympics in Seoul, coming fourth with 12 gold medals, 10 silver medals and 11 bronze medals. South Korea regularly performs well in
archery,
shooting,
table tennis,
badminton,
short track speed skating,
handball,
hockey,
freestyle wrestling,
Greco-Roman wrestling,
baseball,
judo,
taekwondo,
speed skating,
figure Skating, and
weightlifting. The
Seoul Olympic Museum is a museum in
Seoul, South Korea, dedicated to the 1988 Summer Olympics. On July 6, 2011
Pyeongchang was chosen by the
IOC to host the
2018 Winter Olympics.
South Korea has won more medals in the
Winter Olympics than any other Asian country with a total of 45 medals (23 gold, 14 silver, and 8 bronze). At the
2010 Winter Olympics, South Korea ranked fifth in the overall medal rankings. South Korea is especially strong in
short track speed skating. However,
speed skating and
figure skating are very popular, too, and ice hockey is an emerging sport with
Anyang Halla winning their first ever
Asia League Ice Hockey title in March 2010.
[224]
Seoul hosted a professional
triathlon race, which is part of the
International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championship Series in May 2010.
[225] In 2011, the South Korean city of Daegu hosted the
2011 IAAF World Championships in Athletics.
[226]
In October 2010, South Korea hosted its first
Formula One race at the
Korea International Circuit in
Yeongam, about 400 kilometres (250 mi) south of Seoul.
[227] The
Korean Grand Prix was held from 2010 to 2013, but was not placed on the
2014 F1 calendar.
[228]
Domestic
horse racing events are also followed by South Koreans and
Seoul Race Park in
Gwacheon,
Gyeonggi-do is located closest to Seoul out of the country's three tracks.
[229]
Korea Professional Sports League
International Championship Host