An Introduction to South Korea
Following its victory in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Japan occupied Korea; five years later it formally annexed the entire peninsula. After World War II, a republic was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a Communist-style government was installed in the north. During the Korean War (1950-1953), US and other UN forces intervened to defend South Korea from North Korean attacks supported by the Chinese. An armistice was signed in 1953, splitting the peninsula along a demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel. Thereafter, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth with per capita income rising to roughly 18 times the level of North Korea. South Korea has maintained its commitment to democratize its political processes. In June 2000, a historic first North-South summit took place between the South's President KIM Dae-jung and the North's leader KIM Chong-il.
Map of South Korea ( Location ) : 37 00 N, 127 30 E, Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Japan and the Yellow Sea.
For additional reports and educational information specific to South Korea, refer to the Country Info menubar to the upper right.
The Korean Flag
White with a red (top) and blue yin-yang symbol in the center; there is a different black trigram from the ancient I Ching (Book of Changes) in each corner of the white field.
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Rankings of The Most Populous Countries in the World.
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Some interesting facts and figures about South Korea.
Pop Growth Rate / Year:
• 0.62%
Avg. Life Expectancy:
• 71.96 yrs - Male
• 79.54 yrs - Female
Phone Lines:
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22.877 million (2003)
Televisions:
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15.9 million (1997)
Radios:
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47,500,000 (1997)
Internet Code:
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.kr
Did you know ... People from South Korea are called Koreans
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