South Korea: Difference between revisions
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{{Image|Taegeukgi.gif|right|200px|[[Taegeukgi]], the national flag of South Korea.}} | |||
'''South Korea''', officially the '''Republic of Korea''' or '''ROK''' ([[Korean]]: ''Namhan''; ''Daehan Min-guk''<ref>i.e. 'Great Nation of the People of Korea'</ref>),<ref name="romanization">According to the [[revised romanization of Korean]].</ref> is a constitutional republic comprising the southern part of [[Korea]], which protrudes southward from the Northeastern Asian mainland and lies between the [[Yellow Sea]] and the [[Sea of Japan|Sea of Japan (East Sea)]]. Its [[East Asia|East Asian]] neighbors include [[China]], [[Taiwan]], and [[Japan]], which share strong historical and cultural ties with Korea. When South Korea was established in 1948 after the end of Japanese colonial rule, the country was one of the poorest in the world, and its economic prospect worsened with destruction of the nation's infrastructure during the [[Korean War]] from 1950 to 1953. However, during the the early 1960s and the two decades that followed, South Korea transformed its largely agricultural economy into a modern industrial power and has currently the 13th largest [[GDP]]. [[Seoul]] is the capital of South Korea, and it is also the world's second largest city and a major technological and financial hub for the region. The country's current president is [[Yi Myungbak]], who assumed office in February, 2008. | '''South Korea''', officially the '''Republic of Korea''' or '''ROK''' ([[Korean]]: ''Namhan''; ''Daehan Min-guk''<ref>i.e. 'Great Nation of the People of Korea'</ref>),<ref name="romanization">According to the [[revised romanization of Korean]].</ref> is a constitutional republic comprising the southern part of [[Korea]], which protrudes southward from the Northeastern Asian mainland and lies between the [[Yellow Sea]] and the [[Sea of Japan|Sea of Japan (East Sea)]]. Its [[East Asia|East Asian]] neighbors include [[China]], [[Taiwan]], and [[Japan]], which share strong historical and cultural ties with Korea. When South Korea was established in 1948 after the end of Japanese colonial rule, the country was one of the poorest in the world, and its economic prospect worsened with destruction of the nation's infrastructure during the [[Korean War]] from 1950 to 1953. However, during the the early 1960s and the two decades that followed, South Korea transformed its largely agricultural economy into a modern industrial power and has currently the 13th largest [[GDP]]. [[Seoul]] is the capital of South Korea, and it is also the world's second largest city and a major technological and financial hub for the region. The country's current president is [[Yi Myungbak]], who assumed office in February, 2008. | ||
== Geography == | == Geography == | ||
{{Image|Political map of the Korean peninsula.gif|left|200px|A political map of Korea.}} | |||
{{Image|Korean peninsula.jpg|right|200px|A satellite image of the Korean peninsula.}} | |||
== Politics == | == Politics == | ||
Revision as of 22:53, 9 November 2008
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea or ROK (Korean: Namhan; Daehan Min-guk[1]),[2] is a constitutional republic comprising the southern part of Korea, which protrudes southward from the Northeastern Asian mainland and lies between the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan (East Sea). Its East Asian neighbors include China, Taiwan, and Japan, which share strong historical and cultural ties with Korea. When South Korea was established in 1948 after the end of Japanese colonial rule, the country was one of the poorest in the world, and its economic prospect worsened with destruction of the nation's infrastructure during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. However, during the the early 1960s and the two decades that followed, South Korea transformed its largely agricultural economy into a modern industrial power and has currently the 13th largest GDP. Seoul is the capital of South Korea, and it is also the world's second largest city and a major technological and financial hub for the region. The country's current president is Yi Myungbak, who assumed office in February, 2008.
Geography
Politics
Economy
Demography
History
Footnotes
- ↑ i.e. 'Great Nation of the People of Korea'
- ↑ According to the revised romanization of Korean.