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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 communist Democratic People's Republic of Korea the following month. In 1950, a 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 Soviet-backed 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 -
Ban Ki-moon (Korean: 반기문; born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean minister of foreign affairs and trade between 2004 and 2006. Ban was initially considered to be a long shot for the office of Secretary-General of the United Nations; he began to campaign for the office in February 2006. As the foreign minister of South Korea, he was able to travel to all the countries on the United Nations Security Council, a manoeuvre that subsequently turned him into the campaign's front-runner.
On 13 October 2006, Ban was elected as the eighth secretary-general by the United Nations General Assembly. On 1 January 2007, he succeeded Kofi Annan. As secretary-general, he was responsible for several major reforms on peacekeeping and UN employment practices around the world. Diplomatically, Ban has taken particularly strong views on global warming, pressing the issue repeatedly with U.S. president George W. Bush, and on the Darfur conflict, where he helped persuade Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir to allow peacekeeping troops to enter Sudan. Ban was named the world's 32nd most powerful person by the Forbes list of The World's Most Powerful People in 2013, the highest among South Koreans. In 2014, he was named the third most powerful South Korean after Lee Kun-hee and Lee Jae-yong. In 2016, Foreign Policy named Ban one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers for his achievement of helping the Paris Agreement to be ratified and enforced less than a year after it was adopted.
António Guterres was appointed by the General Assembly on 13 October 2016 to be the successor of Ban Ki-moon as he exited on 31 December 2016. He was widely considered to be a potential candidate for the 2017 South Korean presidential election, before announcing, on 1 February, that he would not be running. On 14 September 2017, Ban was elected chair of the International Olympic Committee's Ethics Commission. Also in 2017, Ban co-founded the nonprofit Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens. He also currently serves as the Distinguished Chair Professor at Yonsei University's Institute for Global Engagement and Empowerment. (Full article...)
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South Korea is located in East Asia, on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula jutting out from the far east of the Asian land mass. The only country with a land border to South Korea is North Korea, lying to the north with 238 kilometres (148 mi) of border running along the Korean Demilitarized Zone. South Korea is mostly surrounded by water and has 2,413 kilometres (1,499 mi) of coast line along three seas; to the west is the Yellow Sea, to the south is the East China Sea, and to the east is the East Sea. Geographically, South Korea's land mass is approximately 100,032 square kilometres (38,623 mi2). 290 square kilometres (110 mi2) of South Korea are occupied by water. The approximate coordinates are 37° North, 127° 30 East. Notable islands include Jeju Island (Jejudo), Ulleung Island (Ulleungdo), and Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo).
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
- 23 May 2026 – 2025–26 AFC Women's Champions League
- In women's association football, North Korea's Naegohyang beat Japan's Tokyo Verdy 1–0 to win the AFC Women's Champions League at the Suwon Sports Complex in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. (The Guardian)
- 21 May 2026 – 2026 Ebola epidemic
- India, South Korea, and Thailand issue travel alerts for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, while South Korea plans to impose a level-4 travel ban for parts of the DRC, especially the Ituri Province, due to the Ebola outbreak in both countries. (Türkiye) (Yonhap)
- 20 May 2026 – Middle Eastern crisis
- A South Korean-flagged oil tanker safely transits the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first passage by a South Korean vessel through the waterway since the war started. (AFP via AA) (Yonhap)
- 14 May 2026 – 2026 FIFA World Cup
- It is announced that South Korean boy band BTS, American singer Madonna and Colombian singer Shakira will headline the first-ever FIFA World Cup final halftime show at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, United States, on July 19, 2026. (Reuters)
- 14 May 2026 – Aftermath of the Korean War
- The Seoul Central District Court in South Korea orders North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un to pay damages to five former Korean War prisoners who were held in North Korea after the conflict. (AFP via New Straits Times)
- 13 May 2026 – Merger of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines
- Korean Air announces plans to launch an integrated flag carrier for South Korea on 17 December following the completion of legal procedures for its acquisition of Asiana Airlines. (AA)
Good article -
"Paparazzi" is a song recorded in the Japanese language by South Korean girl group Girls' Generation for their second Japanese-language studio album, Girls & Peace (2012). It was released as the album's lead single on June 27, 2012. Written by Fredrik Thomander, Johan Becker, and Junji Ishiwatari, and produced by Miles Walker, the track was described as an electropop and R&B song. To promote the single, Girls' Generation appeared on Japanese music programs Music Station and Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ, while a music video for the song directed by Toshiyuki Suzuki premiered on June 10, 2012, to accompany the release of the song.
Upon its release, "Paparazzi" received mixed reviews from music critics, who compared the song to the group's previous Japanese-language single "Mr. Taxi" in 2011. The track was ranked number 19 on Spins list of top 20 K-pop songs of 2012. The single was a commercial success in Japan, peaking atop the Japan Hot 100 and at number two on both the Oricon Singles Chart and RIAJ Digital Track Chart. "Paparazzi" was certified Gold in Japan for the sales of the single's digital and physical release, respectively. ('Full article...)
General images -
Inauguration of the 21st President of South Korea Lee Jae-myung. (from History of South Korea)
Yoon takes the presidential oath of office outside the National Assembly, 10 May 2022. (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)
President Park Geun-hye with chaebol business magnates Lee Kun-hee and Chung Mong-koo, May 2013 (from History of South Korea)
President Park Chung Hee, who ruled South Korea from 1961 to 1979 (from History of South Korea)
Syngman Rhee, the 1st President of South Korea (from History of South Korea)
Samsung Galaxy Tab (from Culture 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)
Fireworks during the closing ceremonies of the 1988 Summer Olympics (from History 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)
Korean newspapers (from Culture of South Korea)
Sinchon movie theatre (from Culture of South Korea)
An Internet cafe in Seoul (from Culture of South Korea)
South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan with U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Seoul, November 1983 (from History of South Korea)
Lee Myung-bak, President of South Korea from 2008 to 2013 (from History of South Korea)
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Did you know (auto-generated)
- ... that a 700-year-old fortification in present-day South Korea was mostly destroyed during the construction of a coastal road?
- ... that Kang Ju-hyeok became the youngest player in FC Seoul's history at the age of 17 years, 9 months, and 6 days?
- ... that a Chinese activist jet-skied 300 kilometres (190 mi) over 14 hours to escape to South Korea?
- ... that Cho Myung-chul was the first North Korean defector to be elected to the South Korean National Assembly?
- ... that a South Korean actor sold his belongings and went $7 million into debt to keep his amusement park running?
- ... that the Korean protest song "Morning Dew" was banned in North and South Korea?
WikiProjects
See WikiProject Korea for collaborating on South Korea topics, and more broadly, on all things Korea-related.
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East Asia
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
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Wikidata
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Wikivoyage
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Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus
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
Sources
