Top20ISouthKorea.com - Your Top20 Guide to South Korea!

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea (Korean: 대한민국, IPA: [tɛː.han.min.ɡuk̚], Hanja: 大韓民國), listen (help·info)) is a presidential republic in East Asia, occupying the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. Also known as the "Land of the Morning Calm", it is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east and North Korea to the north. South Korea's capital and largest city is Seoul, the second largest metropolitan city in the world.

Korea has a history of 5,000 years^[2] and is one of the oldest civilizations in the world,^[3] with its foundation dating back to 2333 BC by the legendary Dangun. The Korean Peninsula was first inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic.^[4] Following the unification of the Three Korean Kingdoms under Silla in AD 668, Korea went through the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasty as one nation until the end of the Korean Empire in 1910. After division, South Korea was established in 1948 and has since developed a successful democracy, maintaining a strong alliance with the United States. South Korea is now working towards a peaceful reunification with North Korea.

South Korea is a major economic power and one of the wealthiest countries in Asia. It had one of the world's fastest growing economies since the 1960s, now highly developed^[5] and the fourth largest^[6] in Asia and 13th largest^[7] in the world. Forming the G20 industrial nations and the world's top ten exporters, it is an APEC and OECD member, defined as a High Income Nation by the World Bank and an Advanced Economy by the IMF and CIA. A major non-NATO ally, it has the world's sixth largest armed forces and the tenth largest defence budget in the world. A leading Next Eleven country and an Asian Tiger, it is still among the world's fastest growing developed countries.^[8] Today, its success story is known as the "Miracle on the Han River", a role model for many developing countries.^[9]

South Korea is leading several key industries in the world, particularly in the fields of science and technology.^[10] It has a very advanced and modern infrastructure^[11] and is a world leader in information technology such as electronics, semiconductors, LCD displays, computers and mobile phones, led by Samsung and LG. Home of the world's third largest steel producer, POSCO, it is the world's largest shipbuilder, the world's fourth largest oil refiner^[12] and one of the world's top five automobile producers in the world, headed by Hyundai and Kia. It is also a leading country in engineering, construction, machinery, textiles, petrochemicals, biotechnology and robotics.

Government

Main article: Government of South Korea

The National Assembly of South Korea.

The government of South Korea is 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.

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 (see History of South Korea). However, it has retained many broad characteristics; 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.^[13] South Korea has developed a successful liberal democracy since the 1960s and the first direct election was held in 1987. The CIA World Factbook describes South Korea's democracy as a "fully functioning modern democracy".^[14]

History

Before division

Main article: History of Korea

Tomb mural of Goguryeo, an ancient Korean kingdom.

Bulguksa temple, built during the Silla period,