South Korea
South Korea , formally the Republic of Korea is a country in
East Asia. It occupies the southern half of the Korean Peninsula
that lies between the Yellow Sea and the East Sea. It is bordered
to the north by North Korea, and Japan lies across the Korea
Strait to the southeast.
History
Archeological finds of prehistoric toolmaking date back to 700,000
BC, and the first pottery is found around 8000 BC. Comb-pattern
pottery culture peaked around 3500-2000 BC.
Korea's history begins with the founding of Gojoseon (also
called Ancient Choson) by the legendary Dangun in 2333 BC. Archeological
and contemporaneous written records of Gojoseon as a kingdom
date back to around 7th-4th century BC. It was followed by the
Three Kingdoms of Korea, namely Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla,
which vied for control of the peninsula until unified by Silla
in 668. Unified Silla was replaced by the Goryeo (also Koryo)
dynasty, from which the modern name "Korea" derives.
The Joseon (also Choson) dynasty ruled Korea from 1392 to 1910,
one of the longest actively ruling dynasties in world history.
In the early 20th century, Japan occupied Korea, as a protectorate
in 1905 and by annexation in 1910. Despite an independence movement,
35 years of occupation followed, through suppression of resistance,
economic exploitation, and a "cultural assimilation"
policy.
After Japan's defeat in World War II, US-occupied southern
half and Soviet-occupied northern half each declared separate
states in 1948. The Korean War (1950-53) began with North Korea's
attack, and when US and other UN forces intervened on South
Korea's side, China supported the North. An armistice was signed
in 1953 splitting the peninsula along a demilitarized zone at
about the 38th parallel, but a peace treaty has never been signed.
Thereafter, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth, with
per capita income rising to roughly 20 times the level of North
Korea. South Korea is now a liberal democracy and the 10th largest
economy in the world. In June 2000, a historic first summit
took place between the South's President Kim Dae-jung and the
North's leader Kim Jong-il (leading Kim Dae-jung to awarding
first Nobel Peace Prize for South Korea), but the peace process
has moved at a glacial pace.
People
South Korea is a very homogeneous country, with nearly all inhabitants
identifying themselves as ethnically Korean and speaking the Korean
language. However, there are a significant number of foreign workers
from China and Southeast Asia, and about 30,000 American military
personnel stationed throughout the country, especially near the
North Korean border.
Although it is the 12th most densely populated country, South
Korea now has the world's lowest birthrate (1.16 children per
woman nationwide and even less in Seoul), and dealing with this
will be one of the major problems of the 21st century. About
85% of South Koreans live in urban areas.
Culture
During the Joseon dynasty Korea's dominant philosophy was a
strict form of Confucianism. People were separated into a rigid
hierarchy, with the king at the apex, an elite of officials
and warriors below him, a small middle class of merchants below
them, then a vast population of peasants and a hereditary class
of slaves. Men were superior to women, educated were superior
to the uneducated and everybody stuck to his defined role or
faced the severe consequences. Buddhism and its supposedly dangerous
notions of equality and individual spiritual pursuit were suppressed.
While the Joseon Dynasty ceased to exist in 1910, its legacy
lives on in Korean culture: education and hard work are valued
above all else, and women still struggle for equal treatment.
Korea has a significant number of Christians (26%) and Buddhists
(26%). Some 46% of the country profess to follow no particular
religion.
