South Korea on the map.
South Korea, officially Republic of Korea (Korean: 대한민국 or 한국) is an east Asian country located in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. Formerly known as Joseon, the country was colonized by the Japanese empire, but after the second world war, Japan surrendered to the Americans and Soviets, which resulted in the Korean territory being split into North and South Korea, with the former being led by Syngman Rhee and the latter being led by Kim Il-Sung. Initially, South Korea was in a state of extreme poverty, while the communist state of North Korea flourished, being backed by China and the USSR.
On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, backed by their allies, causing the Korean War, but they lost as South Korea was allies with the US. Post 1997, the nation flourished and became extremely economically advanced, and ironically now North Korea was the poorer nation, as at this time the USSR dissolved and the country could only rely on China for support. China, only being interested in North Korea as a buffer zone between itself and a country that is a US ally, barely supported the country, resulting in its destitute state. Kim Il-Sung also exploited its citizens by inviting Koreans of Japanese descent to his country, only to instantly seize all their possessions. Both Koreas are separated by the demilitarized zone (DMZ), which despite its name, hosts around one million North Korean soldiers, mainly with the intention of capturing North Koreans who wish to defect.
South Korea has a population of 51 million and occupies 100,363 km of land. Its capital is Seoul. National anthem is Aegukga.
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People born in South Korea
South Korean characters
South Korean companies
Works mentioning South Korea
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