Portal:South Korea
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대한민국 포털
The South Korea Portal
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and the Sea of Japan to the east. South Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands. It has a population of about 52 million, of which half live in the Seoul metropolitan area, the ninth most populous metropolitan area in the world, with other major cities being Busan, Daegu, and Incheon.
The Korean Peninsula was inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period. Its first kingdom was noted in Chinese records in the early seventh century BC. From the mid first century BC, various polities consolidated into the rival kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. The lattermost eventually unified most of the peninsula for the first time in the late seventh century AD, while Balhae succeeded Goguryeo in the north. The Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) achieved lasting unification and established the basis for the modern Korean identity. The subsequent Joseon dynasty (1392–1897) generated cultural, economic, and scientific achievements but maintained an isolationist policy from the mid-17th century. The succeeding Korean Empire (1897–1910) sought modernization and reform but was annexed in 1910 into the Empire of Japan. Japanese rule ended following Japan's surrender in World War II, after which Korea was divided into two zones: the Soviet-occupied northern zone and the United States-occupied southern zone.
After negotiations on reunification failed, the southern zone became the Republic of Korea in August 1948, while the northern zone became the Soviet-aligned Democratic People's Republic of Korea the following month. In 1950, a Soviet-backed North Korean invasion triggered the Korean War, one of the first major proxy conflicts of the Cold War, which saw extensive fighting involving the American-led United Nations Command and the People's Volunteer Army from China. The war ended in 1953 with an armistice and left three million Koreans dead and the economy in ruins; due to the lack of a peace treaty, the Korean conflict is still ongoing. South Korea endured a series of dictatorships punctuated by coups, revolutions, and violent uprisings, but also experienced a soaring economy and one of the fastest rises in average GDP per capita, leading to its emergence as one of the Four Asian Tigers. The June Democratic Struggle of 1987 ended authoritarian rule and led to the establishment of the current Sixth Republic. (Full article...)
Selected article -
The wildlife of South Korea includes 8,271 plant species, 18,117 animal species and 3,528 species of fungi and others. 30,000 species are known to inhabit South Korea, among an estimated 100,000+ in all. (Full article...)
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The Gold crown from Seobongchong Tumulus (Korean: 서봉총 금관; Hanja: 瑞鳳塚金冠; RR: Seobongchong geumgwan; MR: Sŏbongch'ong kŭmgwan), National Treasure of South Korea No. 339, is a gold crown of Silla origin that is now housed at the Gyeongju National Museum.
More did you know -
- ...that Shin Sang-ok, a South Korean film director was kidnapped in 1978 under orders from future North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il and forced to direct a giant-monster film, Pulgasari?
- ...that South Korean United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Tanzanian Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro previously worked together as foreign ministers?
- ...that Song Du-yul, a professor of philosophy and sociology at the University of Münster in Germany, was the only South Korean to attend the 1994 funeral of North Korean leader Kim Il-sung?
In the news
- 27 August 2026 –
- South Korean company SK Gas pays a record US$5.3 million for priority passage of the LPG tanker G. Spirit through the Panama Canal before El Niño-related transit restrictions reduced daily crossings. (AFP via France 24)
- The Korea AeroSpace Administration says that the Nuri will launch 15 satellites, a record, into space from the Naro Space Center in South Korea's Goheung County on October 7. (Korea Times) (Yonhap)
- 26 August 2026 – South Korea–United States relations, Japan–United States relations
- The U.S. Pacific Command announces that the United States will conduct trilateral military exercises with South Korea's armed forces and Japan's self-defense forces despite U.S. president Donald Trump scaling back on the recent Ulchi-Freedom Guardian exercises. (AA via TRT World) (Korea Herald)
- 25 August 2026 –
- South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Company reaches a deal to end a month of walkouts by workers. (AFP)
- 17 August 2026 –
- Torrential rainfall causes widespread flooding in Geoje-si, South Gyeongsang, South Korea, killing at least one. (BBC News) (The Guardian)
- 17 August 2026 – South Korea–United States relations
- United States president Donald Trump orders the Department of Defense to substantially reduce the Ulchi-Freedom Guardian military exercises with South Korea, citing their cost and his relationship with North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un. The drills begin as scheduled. (AFP via The Straits Times)
Good article -
HL Anyang (Korean: HL 안양) is a professional ice hockey team based in Anyang in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It is one of the founding and current members of the Asia League Ice Hockey (ALIH). Formed in 1994, it is the oldest professional ice hockey team in South Korea. The club is financially supported by the HL Group (formerly Halla Group).
At its inception the team was based in Mok-dong, Seoul and named the Mando Winia. In 1998 the team took the name of Mando's parent company, Halla. After the collapse of the Korean Ice Hockey League in 2003, they were the only team to survive. They joined four Japanese teams to create the new Asia League Ice Hockey. In 2005, the team moved to its current hometown of Anyang, where it plays its home games at the Anyang Ice Arena. After two years of finishing in fifth place, they became the first non-Japanese team to finish first in the regular season in 2008–09. However, they failed to defeat the Nippon Paper Cranes in the semi-finals. In the following season, Halla again finished first and won the semi-final and final series, giving them their first play-off series win and first Asia League Championship. The club captured their second AL title after the league cancelled the championship final due to the earthquake in Japan. Asia League announced Halla and Tohoku Free Blades as the co-champions. In 2022, the team rebranded as HL Anyang. (Full article...)
General images -
An Internet cafe in Seoul (from Culture of South Korea).jpg)
Yoon takes the presidential oath of office outside the National Assembly, 10 May 2022. (from History of South Korea)
Lyuh Woon-hyung (far right) at the US-Soviet Joint Commission in 1947 (from History of South Korea).jpg)
Inauguration of the 21st President of South Korea Lee Jae-myung. (from History of South Korea)_Presidential_Portrait.jpg)
President Park Chung Hee, who ruled South Korea from 1961 to 1979 (from History of South Korea)
South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan with U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Seoul, November 1983 (from History of South Korea)
Fireworks during the closing ceremonies of the 1988 Summer Olympics (from History of South Korea)
Lee Myung-bak, President of South Korea from 2008 to 2013 (from History of South Korea)
Samsung Galaxy Tab (from Culture of South Korea)
President Park Geun-hye with chaebol business magnates Lee Kun-hee and Chung Mong-koo, May 2013 (from History of South Korea)
President Kim Dae-jung, the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient for advancing democracy and human rights in South Korea and East Asia and for reconciliation with North Korea, was sometimes called the "Nelson Mandela of Asia." (from History of South Korea)
Sinchon movie theatre (from Culture of South Korea)
A card portrait of Park Chung Hee during a military parade on Armed Forces Day, 1 October 1973 (from History of South Korea)
Syngman Rhee, the 1st President of South Korea (from History of South Korea)
Burial grounds of the victims of the Gwangju Uprising at Mangwol-dong cemetery (from History of South Korea)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shaking hands inside the Peace House on 27 April 2018 (from History of South Korea)
Korean newspapers (from Culture of South Korea)
Did you know (auto-generated)
- ... that a South Korean church suspended a pastor, Lee Dong-hwan, after he performed a blessing at a queer festival and eventually excommunicated him?
- ... that a Chinese activist jet-skied 300 kilometres (190 mi) over 14 hours to escape to South Korea?
- ... that G Affairs was presented at project markets in South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, but rejected because it was deemed unmarketable in China?
- ... that the dish gogi-guksu, from South Korea's Jeju Island, developed in part because of the Japanese colonial period?
- ... that the logo of the South Korean company LG is based on an ancient roof tile?
- ... that Amrom Harry Katz, using aerial photographs of tides, helped to capture Seoul during the Korean War?
WikiProjects
See WikiProject Korea for collaborating on South Korea topics, and more broadly, on all things Korea-related.
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Web resources
- The official website of the Republic of Korea (Korea.net)
- The Official Korea Tourism Guide Site
- Korea National Statistical Office
- Video on South Korea-US Relations from the Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archives
- "South Korea". The World Factbook (2025 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency.
- A Country Study: South Korea in the Library of Congress
- South Korea from UCB Libraries GovPubs
- Korea OECD
- South Korea profile from the BBC News
- South Korea Encyclopædia Britannica entry
- The War Memorial of Korea
- Key Development Forecasts for South Korea from International Futures
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