South Korea

Location

• Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea
• strategic location on Korea Strait; about 3,000 mostly small and uninhabited islands lie off the western and southern coasts

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Seoul	10,349,312	Capital
Busan	3,343,903
Incheon	3,039,450
Daegu	2,365,523
Daejeon	1,470,336
Gwangju	1,398,538
Suwon	1,191,063
Ulsan	1,095,014
Goyang-si	1,061,752
Changwon	1,025,702

Size

• 38,023 square miles
• 98,480 square kilometers
• slightly smaller than Pennsylvania; slightly larger than Indiana

History

The first recorded kingdom (Choson) on the Korean Peninsula dates from approximately 2300 B.C. Over the subsequent centuries, three main kingdoms -- Kogoryo, Baekche, and Silla -- were established on the Peninsula. By the 5th century A.D., Kogoryo emerged as the most powerful, with control over much of the Peninsula and part of Manchuria (modern-day northeast China). However, Silla allied with the Chinese to create the first unified Korean state in 688. Following the collapse of Silla in the 9th century, Korea was unified under the Koryo (Goryeo; 918-1392) and the Chosen (Joseon; 1392-1910) dynasties. Korea became the object of intense imperialistic rivalry among the Chinese (its traditional benefactor), Japanese, and Russian empires in the latter half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. After the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), Korea was occupied by Imperial Japan. In 1910, Japan formally annexed the entire Peninsula. Korea regained its independence after Japan's surrender to the US and its allies in 1945. A US-supported democratic government (Republic of Korea, ROK) was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, while a communist-style government backed by the Soviet Union was installed in the north (North Korea; aka Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK). During the Korean War (1950-53), US troops and UN forces fought alongside ROK soldiers to defend South Korea from a North Korean invasion supported by communist China and the Soviet Union. After the 1953 armistice, the two Koreas were separated by a demilitarized zone.Syngman RHEE led the country as its first president from 1948 to 1960. PARK Chung-hee took over leadership of the country in a 1961 coup. During his controversial rule (1961-79), South Korea achieved rapid economic growth, with per capita income rising to roughly 17 times the level of North Korea by 1979. PARK was assassinated in 1979, and subsequent years were marked by political turmoil and continued military rule as the country's pro-democracy movement grew. South Korea held its first free presidential election under a revised democratic constitution in 1987, with former South Korean Army general ROH Tae-woo winning a close race. In 1993, KIM Young-sam became the first civilian president of South Korea's new democratic era. President KIM Dae-jung (1998-2003) won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 for his contributions to South Korean democracy and his "Sunshine Policy" of engagement with North Korea. President PARK Geun-hye, daughter of former South Korean President PARK Chung-hee, took office in 2013 as South Korea's first female leader. In 2016, the National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against PARK over her alleged involvement in a corruption and influence-peddling scandal, triggering an early presidential election in 2017 won by MOON Jae-in. In 2022, longtime prosecutor and political newcomer YOON Suk Yeol won the presidency by the slimmest margin in South Korean history. Discord and tensions with North Korea, punctuated by North Korean military provocations, missile launches, and nuclear tests, have permeated inter-Korean relations for years. Relations remained strained, despite a period of respite in 2018-2019 ushered in by North Korea's participation in the 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in South Korea and high-level diplomatic meetings, including historic US-North Korea summits. In 2024, Pyongyang announced it was ending all economic cooperation with South Korea, a move that followed earlier proclamations that it was scrapping a 2018 military pact to de-escalate tensions along their militarized border, abandoning the country’s decades-long pursuit of peaceful unification with South Korea, and designating the South as North Korea’s “principal enemy.”

Climate

temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter; cold winters

Terrain

mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south

Languages

Korean, English major-language sample(s): 월드 팩트북, 필수적인 기본 정보 제공처 (Korean)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Protestant 17%, Buddhist 16%, Catholic 6%, none 60% (2021 est.)note: many people also carry on at least some Confucian traditions and practices

Government

presidential republic

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest passed by National Assembly 12 October 1987, approved in referendum 28 October 1987, effective 25 February 1988amendment process: proposed by the president or by majority support of the National Assembly membership; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly membership, approval in a referendum by more than one half of the votes by more than one half of eligible voters, and promulgation by the president
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: mixed system combining European civil law, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President LEE Jae-myung (since 4 June 2025)head of government: Prime Minister KIM Min-seok (since 3 July 2025)cabinet: State Council appointed by the president on the prime minister's recommendationelection/appointment process: president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a single 5-year term; prime minister appointed by president with consent of the National Assemblymost recent election date: 3 June 2025 (special snap election in the wake of the impeachment of former President YOON Suk-yeol)election results: 2025: LEE Jae-myung elected president; LEE Jae-myung (DPK) 49.4%, KIM Moon-soo (PPP) 41.2%, LEE Jun-seok (New Reform Party) 8.3%2022: YOON Suk-yeol elected president; YOON Suk-yeol (PPP) 48.6%, LEE Jae-myung (DPK) 47.8%; other 3.6%expected date of next election: 2030note: the president is both chief of state and head of government; the prime minister serves as the principal executive assistant to the president, similar to the role of a vice president
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of a chief justice and 13 justices); Constitutional Court (consists of a court head and 8 justices)judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the president with the consent of the National Assembly; other justices appointed by the president on the recommendation of the chief justice and consent of the National Assembly; position of the chief justice is a 6-year nonrenewable term; other justices serve 6-year renewable terms; Constitutional Court justices appointed - 3 by the president, 3 by the National Assembly, and 3 by the Supreme Court chief justice; court head serves until retirement at age 70, while other justices serve 6-year renewable terms with mandatory retirement at age 65subordinate courts: High Courts; District Courts; Branch Courts (organized under the District Courts); specialized courts for family and administrative issues
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: National Assembly (Kuk Hoe)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 300 (all directly elected)electoral system: mixed systemscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 4 yearsmost recent election date: 4/10/2024parties elected and seats per party: Democratic Party of Korea (161); People Power Party (90); People Future Party (18); Other (31)percentage of women in chamber: 20.3%expected date of next election: April 2028

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• high-income, export- and technology-oriented East Asian economy; manufacturing led by semiconductor and automotive industries; slow growth amid declining construction investment, export risks, and recent political instability; aging workforce; increased restraint in fiscal policy while maintaining industry support initiatives
• Budget: revenues: $513.21 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $532.023 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential
• Industries: electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel
• Agricultural Products: rice, vegetables, cabbages, milk, onions, pork, chicken, eggs, tangerines/mandarins, potatoes (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 16.2% (2022 est.)arable land: 13.5% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 2.1% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 0.6% (2022 est.)forest: 64.2% (2022 est.)other: 19.6% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: integrated circuits, natural gas, crude petroleum, machinery, cars (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 31%, USA 13%, Japan 9%, Germany 5%, Australia 4% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: integrated circuits, cars, refined petroleum, plastics, machine parts (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: China 25%, USA 18%, Hong Kong 4%, Japan 4%, Taiwan 4% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports