The largest Christian church in South Korea, Yoido Full Gospel Church, is located in Seoul and has approximately 780,000 members (2003 estimate).
South Korea continues to strive to maintain global competitiveness, although the country has been reluctant to open the job market to foreigners.
From time to time, South Korea has sent troops overseas to assist American-led coalitions, participating in every major conflict the United States has led since the Korean War.
Jeju is also the site of South Korea's highest point: Halla-san, an extinct volcano, reaches 1,950 meters (6,398 ft) above sea level.
South Korea's relations with Japan have been cooperative with the exception of several unsettled disputes, many of which stem from the period of occupation.
South Korea's burgeoning economy and improved political climate in the early and mid-1990s slowed the high emigration rates typical of the previous decade.
In 1996, South Korea became a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
South Korea occupies the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula, extending approximately 680 miles (1,100 km) from the Asian mainland.
South Korea is one of the four so-called Asian Tigers, along with Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.
Women's golf is especially strong, with forty-five South Koreans playing on the world's leading women's tour, the U.S. LPGA Tour, including stars such as future Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak.
During the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, the South Korean short track team dominated their event, taking home six of the eight gold medals available as well as three silvers and one bronze.
All South Korean males are required to serve in the military, typically for a period of twenty-four months.
South Korea is also the second largest missionary-sending nation on earth, after the U.S. Forty-five thousand Muslim believers reside in Korea, as well as approximately 100,000 temporary workers from Muslim countries.
South Korea is also home for the invitation-only Peace Cup for international men's and women's professional football clubs.
On January 1, 2007, former South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon assumed the post of UN Secretary-General for a five-year term.
South Korea is an East Asian state on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula.
The Korea Baseball Association, established in 1982, became the first South Korean professional sports league.
The South Korean military incorporates taekwondo into military training, while taekwondo became an official Olympic sport in 2000.
South Korea today has one of the highest expansions of high-speed internet access to households in the world.
South Korea's international air carriers are Korean Air and Asiana Airlines.
The United States has been the primary driver in the establishment and initial support of the South Korean government since the Korean War.
Approximately 28,000 U.S. soldiers presently serve in South Korea, down from 36,000 in recent years.
The crisis exposed longstanding weaknesses in South Korea's economy, including high debt-to-equity ratios, massive foreign borrowing, and an undisciplined financial sector, along with collusion between government and chaebols.
Highways in South Korea are classified highways (expressways/motorways), national highways, and various classifications below the national level.
During the 2006 World Baseball Classic, South Korea reached the final four before losing to Japan.
South Korea and China established formal diplomatic relations in August 1992, despite the legacy of the Korean War; today, China is the ROK's largest trading partner.
The South Korean model of encouraging the growth of large, internationally competitive companies through easy financing and tax incentives led to the dominance of the family-controlled conglomerates.
South Korea's entertainment industry has grown substantially since the 1990s, producing Asia-wide successes in music, television, and film.
Moderate inflation, low unemployment, an export surplus, and fairly equal distribution of income characterizes the South Korean economy.
South Korea would not sign, but agreed to abide by it in exchange for a mutual security pact with the U.S.
Other popular sports in South Korea include basketball, football, golf, tennis, and ice hockey.
Approximately one-half of South Korea's population lives in or near the capital, Seoul, the second most populous metropolitan area in the world.
Both North and South Korea continue to officially claim sovereignty over the entire peninsula.
Following the military coup led by Park Chung-hee, South Korea embarked on a series of ambitious five-year plans for economic development.
Other islands of South Korea include Ulleungdo and the disputed Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo).
Digital multimedia broadcasting now allows South Koreans to watch television on their cell phones.
Prior to that final match, the South Korean team had been the only undefeated team, beating Japan twice and the United States once.
Following the division of the Korean peninsula after World War II, about four million people from North Korea crossed the border to South Korea.
Baseball, first introduced to Korea in 1905 by American missionary Phillip Gillette, has become the most popular spectator sport in South Korea.
Technology, including feature-rich cell phones and pervasive online gaming, heavily dominates the contemporary culture of South Korea.
South Korea maintains diplomatic relations with approximately 170 countries.
The country's largest island, with an area of 1,845 square kilometres (712 sq mi), Jeju Island sits about 100 kilometers (about 60 mi) off the southern coast of South Korea.
From 1954, and especially since the 1960s, South Korea has prospered, from the devastation of war to an economic and political miracle.
South Korea's military is composed of the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA), Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN), Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF), and Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC), together with reserve forces.
The South Korean economy is now the 12th largest economy in the world.
South Korea's foreign relations have been primarily concerned with North Korea and its neighbors China, Japan, and Russia, as well as its main ally, the United States.
Originating from the 1945 American military occupation of the southern half of the Korean peninsula at the end of World War II, South Korea achieved formal independence after United Nations supervised elections in 1948.
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), (Korean: ????, IPA: ) has existed for nearly 60 years, built on the foundation of a 5,000 year history.
Most South Koreans live in urban areas, due to migration from the countryside during the country's rapid economic expansion in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.
In 1987, South Korea held its first direct and fair presidential elections, largely prompted by popular demonstrations.
South Korea nonetheless still retains centuries-old customs and traditions, such as its unique cuisine and ancestor worship.
South Korea dispatched 320,000 troops to fight alongside American and South Vietnamese soldiers in the Vietnam War, with a peak strength of 50,000.
Chaerea and another aggrieved tribune, Cornelius Sabinus, also killed Caligula's wife Caesonia and their infant daughter, Julia Drusilla, by smashing her head against a wall.
Overall, South Korea has been steadily moving to take responsibility for major policy decisions affecting its own fate.
South Koreans want to see the eventual unification of Korea, but most do not want a hasty one, as the expected burden on the ROK economy would be severe.
The South Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism actively encourages the traditional arts, as well as modern forms, through funding and education programs.
South Korea's land is largely mountainous Lowlands, located primarily in the west and southeast.
During that period, the South Korean economy grew at an average annual rate of 8.6 percent.
The country's largest island, with an area of 1,845 square kilometres (712 sq mi), Jeju Island sits about 100 kilometers (about 60 mi) off the southern coast of South Korea.
Approximately 22 million Koreans, close to half of the South Korean population, express no religious preference.
When the Japanese empire was dismantled at the end of World War Two, Korea fell victim to the Cold War. It was divided into two spheres of influence along the 38th parallel. The Americans controlled south of the line - the Russians installed a communist regime in the north, later ceding influence to China.Apr 4, 2013
Korea is a country where all the world's major religions, Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism and Islam, peacefully coexist with shamanism.
According to the provisions of the Constitution, an indirect presidential election took place in July. Syngman Rhee, as head of the new assembly, assumed the presidency and proclaimed the Republic of Korea (South Korea) on August 15, 1948.
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.
Seoul is the capital and largest city in South Korea and considered a megacity because it has a population of over ten million people, with nearly half of its 10,208,302 people residing in the National Capital Area (which also includes Incheon and Gyeonggi.Oct 8, 2017
When the Japanese empire was dismantled at the end of World War Two, Korea fell victim to the Cold War. It was divided into two spheres of influence along the 38th parallel. The Americans controlled south of the line - the Russians installed a communist regime in the north, later ceding influence to China.Apr 4, 2013
On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when some 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People's Army poured across the 38th parallel, the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south. ... The Korean peninsula is still divided today.
Population of South Korea (2018 and historical)YearPopulationDensity (P/KmĀ²)201851,164,435526201750,982,212524201650,791,919522201550,593,66252012 more rows
Over 2 Million Foreigners Live in Korea. The number of foreigners living in Korea has doubled in the last decade to surpass 2 million, the Justice Ministry said Wednesday. The exact number of foreign residents was 2,001,828 as of the end of June this year, accounting for 3.9 percent of the total population.Jul 28, 2016
The population of Seoul in 2016 is estimated at 10.29 million, although this is just the population of the Special City, which has a density of about 17,000 people per square kilometer (45,000/square mile). The sprawling metropolitan area is much larger at 25.6 million.Oct 20, 2017