South Korea is formally called the Republic of Korea (ROK), a country in East Asia, comprising the southern part of the Oriental Peninsula and also sharing a land boundary with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eastern boundary is defined by the Sea of Japan.

South Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula as well as adjacent islands. It has a population of 51 million, of which approximately half live in the Seoul Capital Location, the fifth largest metropolis in the world. Other major cities consist of Incheon, Busan, as well as Daegu.

The Oriental Peninsula was occupied as early as the Lower Paleolithic period. Its initial kingdom was noted in Chinese documents in the very early 7th century BCE. Adhering to the unification of the 3 Kingdoms of Korea right into Silla and Balhae in the late 7th century, Korea was ruled by the Goryeo empire (918– 1392) as well as the Joseon empire (1392– 1897). The being successful Oriental Realm was annexed in 1910 right into the Empire of Japan.

Japanese guideline finished complying with the previous’s abandonment in World War II, after which Korea was divided right into two areas; a north area occupied by the Soviet Union and a southerly area occupied by the USA. After settlements on reunification failed, the latter ended up being the Republic of Korea in August 1948 while the former ended up being the socialist Democratic Individuals’s Republic of Korea the adhering to month.

In 1950, a North Oriental invasion began the Korean Battle, which saw extensive American-led United Nations intervention on behalf of the South, while China stepped in to support the North, with Soviet aid. After the war’s end in 1953, the country’s ravaged economy started to rise, tape-recording the fastest rise in typical GDP per capita on the planet between 1980 and 1990.

The June Battle resulted in completion of tyrannical rule in 1987 as well as the nation is now taken into consideration amongst the most innovative democracies in Asia, with the highest degree of press liberty on the continent.

South Korea is a developed nation and is ranked as the seventh-highest nation on the Human Development Index (HDI) in the Asia and also Oceania area. South Korea has among the highest possible life span worldwide, although it is encountering an aging populace as well as a declining fertility rate. Its economy rates as the globe’s tenth-largest by nominal GDP. Its citizens appreciate one of the globe’s fastest Web connection speeds and also the densest high-speed train network.

The nation is the world’s fifth-largest merchant and eighth-largest importer. Its militaries is rated as one of the globe’s toughest armed forces as well as is the globe’s third-largest standing army by armed forces as well as paramilitary employees. Given that the 21st century, South Korea has been renowned for its globally significant popular culture, especially in music (K-pop), television dramas and cinema, a phenomenon referred to as the Oriental Wave. It belongs to the OECD’s Development Aid Board, the G20, as well as the Paris Club.