";s:4:"text";s:29953:"South Korea is unitary. Seoul hosted the 1967 and 1995 Asian Basketball Championship. The country's national economy benefits from a highly skilled workforce and is among the most educated countries in the world with one of the highest percentages of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree. Boys' uniforms usually consist of trousers and white shirts, and girls wear skirts and white shirts (this only applies in middle schools and high schools). Southern Korea is democratic. Churches, offices for foreign legislation, schools and university buildings were built in new styles. Learn more about our workDelivering Vaccinesand onCOVID-19 Recovery. [312][313] As of 2010[update], South Korea and Turkey are in negotiations regarding construction of two nuclear reactors. [277] The vast majority of these are young men from the Jehovah's Witnesses Christian denomination. Korea and the Philippines were both invaded by Japan during the WWII era, as with most Asian countries. [149], In April 2016, South Korea's population was estimated to be around 50.8 million by National Statistical Office, with continuing decline of working age population and total fertility rate. On 1 January 2007, former South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon served as UN Secretary-General from 2007 to 2016. Stimulated by the economic growth in the 1970s and 1980s, active redevelopment saw new horizons in architectural design. The expanded martial law closed universities, banned political activities, and further curtailed the press. In 1949, the United States established diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea. [325], South Korea's old-age pension scheme covers individuals age 60 or older for the rest of their life as long as they have satisfied the minimum of 20 years of national pension coverage beforehand. Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, fourth most populous metropolitan area in the world, third-highest life expectancy in the world, with ethnic Koreans representing approximately 96%, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, second largest number of hospital beds per 1000 people, ranked 11th in the world for life expectancy, third highest health adjusted life expectancy, sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan, generally regarded in South Korea as having been very negative, Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), over 23,000 troops stationed in South Korea, Republic of Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement, centralized intelligence gathering and analysis, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, market for nuclear enrichment facilities and refineries, History of science and technology in Korea, List of Korean inventions and discoveries, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 21 UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity, 2011 IAAF World Championships in Athletics, "Foreign population in Korea tops 2.5 million", "World Economic Outlook Database April 2022", "The Korean Economy the Miracle on the Hangang River: Korea.net: The official website of the Republic of Korea", "Surfing the Korean Wave: How K-pop is taking over the world | The McGill Tribune", "1369MAPAS E ICONOGRAFIA DOS SCS. The emergence of the South Korean pop group Seo Taiji and Boys in 1992 marked a turning point for South Korean popular music, also known as K-pop, as the genre modernized itself from incorporating elements of popular musical genres from across the world such as Western popular music, experimental, jazz, gospel, Latin, classical, hip hop, rhythm and blues, electronic dance, reggae, country, folk, and rock on top of its uniquely traditional Korean music roots. [27] As a result, the Korean name "Daehan Minguk" is sometimes used by South Koreans as a metonym to refer to the Korean ethnicity (or "race") as a whole, rather than just the South Korean state. R.O.K. As Lelang commandery was destroyed and rebuilt around this time, the place gradually moved toward Liaodong. Negotiation groups can be formed by 20 or more members. Precise numbers are difficult since statistics do not record ethnicity and given many immigrants are ethnically Korean themselves, and some South Korean citizens are not ethnically Korean.[162]. According to the 2005 census, Seoul had a population of 10 million inhabitants. [356] Innovation is Everywhere", "South Korean war on 'fake news' raises concern of censorship", "Is South Korea Sliding Toward Digital Dictatorship? A unitary state is the opposite of a federation, where governmental powers and responsibilities are divided. The top three universities in South Korea, often referred to as "SKY", are Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University. A fully functioning UN Command is at the top of the chain of command of all forces in South Korea, including the U.S. forces and the entire South Korean military if a sudden escalation of war between North and South Korea were to occur the United States would assume control of the South Korean armed forces in all military and paramilitary moves. Baseball was first introduced to Korea in 1905 and has since become one of the most popular sports in the country. The anti-Japanese sentiment, and the Korean War, led to the destruction of most buildings constructed during that time. There are currently 4 negotiation groups in the Assembly, formed by the Democratic, the United Future, the People's Livelihoods, and the Future Korea. [65][66][67][68] Buddhism flourished during this time, and many Korean Buddhists gained great fame among Chinese Buddhists[69] and contributed to Chinese Buddhism,[70] including: Woncheuk, Wonhyo, Uisang, Musang,[71][72][73][74] and Kim Gyo-gak, a Silla prince whose influence made Mount Jiuhua one of the Four Sacred Mountains of Chinese Buddhism. [202][203] Former South Korean hagwon teacher Se-Woong Koo wrote that the South Korean education system amounts to child abuse and that it should be "reformed and restructured without delay". [325] Any one who is under the age of 18 are dependents of someone who is covered or under a special exclusion where they are allowed to alternative provisions. South Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands. [308], South Korea is an emerging exporter of nuclear reactors, having concluded agreements with the UAE to build and maintain four advanced nuclear reactors,[309] with Jordan for a research nuclear reactor,[310][311] and with Argentina for construction and repair of heavy-water nuclear reactors. [331] Over one million DMB phones have been sold and the three major wireless communications providers SK Telecom, KT, and LG U+ provide coverage in all major cities and other areas. The country, including all its islands, lies between latitudes 33 and 39N, and longitudes 124 and 130E. In 2014, South Korea ranked second worldwide (after Singapore) in the national rankings of students' math and science scores by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) . Japan is the unitary state. The southern coast is subject to late summer typhoons that bring strong winds, heavy rains and sometimes floods. [22] Despite the coexistence of the spellings Corea and Korea in 19th century publications, some Koreans believe that Imperial Japan, around the time of the Japanese occupation, intentionally standardized the spelling on Korea, making Japan appear first alphabetically.[23][24]. The first direct election was also held in 1948. [325] Like the individually insured persons, they too are in charge of covering the full amount of the contribution. There has been long-term agreement between the United States and South Korea that South Korea should eventually assume the lead for its own defense. The winners were announced on 29 September 2013 and shared a total prize pool of 80 million won (US$74,000). The United States has stationed a substantial contingent of troops to defend South Korea. Most of the National Treasures of South Korea are Buddhist artifacts. [355], In 2005, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) developed the world's second walking humanoid robot, HUBO. Following the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea into Silla and Balhae in the late 7th century, Korea was ruled by the Goryeo dynasty (9181392) and the Joseon dynasty (13921897). Jeju is also the site of South Korea's highest point: Hallasan, an extinct volcano, reaches 1,950 meters (6,400 feet) above sea level. Although it was again returned to Korea along with the rest of its territory in 1951 with the signing of the Treaty of San Francisco, Japan does not recant on its claims that the Liancourt Rocks are Japanese territory. [209] In a 2012 survey, 52% declared themselves "religious", 31% said they were "not religious" and 15% identified themselves as "convinced atheists". Since the 1980s, the Korean government has invested in the development of a domestic biotechnology industry, and the sector is projected to grow to $6.5 billion by 2010. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, South Korea won the bronze medal for football. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. The Korean royal court cuisine once brought all of the unique regional specialties together for the royal family. South Korea has sought unique technologies such as pyroprocessing to circumvent these obstacles and seek a more advantageous competition. South Korean hospitals have advanced medical equipment and facilities readily available, ranking 4th for MRI units per capita and 6th for CT scanners per capita in the OECD. [30][31] The history of Korea begins with the founding of Joseon (also known as "Gojoseon", or Old Joseon, to differentiate it with the 14th century dynasty) in 2333BCE by Dangun, according to Korea's foundation mythology. [34] Gojoseon expanded until it controlled the northern Korean Peninsula and parts of Manchuria. South Korea has traditionally had one of the top basketball teams in Asia and one of the continent's strongest basketball divisions. Goryeo was never conquered by the Mongols, but exhausted after three decades of fighting, the Korean court sent its crown prince to the Yuan capital to swear allegiance to Kublai Khan, who accepted, and married one of his daughters to the Korean crown prince. The Korea national basketball team has won a record number of 23 medals at the event to date.[404]. [36][37][38], During the period known as the ProtoThree Kingdoms of Korea, the states of Buyeo, Okjeo, Dongye and Samhan occupied the whole Korean peninsula and southern Manchuria. In October, the Soviet Union declared Kim Il-sung's government as sovereign over both parts. There is heavy anti-Japanese sentiment in South Korea because of a number of unsettled Japanese-Korean disputes, many of which stem from the period of Japanese occupation after the Japanese annexation of Korea. [330] Aside from placing/receiving calls and text messaging, mobile phones in the country are widely used for watching Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) or viewing websites. [131] Unchecked industrialization and urban development have resulted in deforestation and the ongoing destruction of wetlands such as the Songdo Tidal Flat. South Korea went on to sign a Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Australia in 2014, and another with New Zealand in 2015. In November 2009, South Korea joined the OECD Development Assistance Committee, marking the first time a former aid recipient country joined the group as a donor member. During the first 20 years of South Korea's growth surge, little effort was made to preserve the environment. [405], Seoul hosted a professional triathlon race, which is part of the International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championship Series in May 2010. South Korea has today the infrastructures to meet a density of population and culture that has the capability to create strong local particularity. [255] Since the 21st century, South Korea has been renowned for its globally influential pop culture, particularly in music (K-pop), TV dramas (K-dramas) and cinema, a phenomenon referred to as the Korean wave. [339], Following cyberattacks in the first half of 2013, whereby government, news-media, television station, and bank websites were compromised, the national government committed to the training of 5,000 new cybersecurity experts by 2017. [340], In late September 2013, a computer-security competition jointly sponsored by the defense ministry and the National Intelligence Service was announced. The United States participation was critical for preventing the near defeat of the Republic of Korea by northern forces, as well as fighting back for the territory gains that define the South Korean nation today. [299] Express bus terminals are available in most cities. [101], The 1953 armistice, never signed by South Korea, split the peninsula along the demilitarized zone near the original demarcation line. [316] The US has recently been wary of South Korea's burgeoning nuclear program, which South Korea insists will be for civilian use only. [246] In June 2018, president Moon Jae-in became the first South Korean leader to speak in the Russian Parliament. Yi Seong-gye declared the new name of Korea as "Joseon" in reference to Gojoseon, and moved the capital to Hanseong (one of the old names of Seoul). Winters can be extremely cold with the minimum temperature dropping below 20C (4F) in the inland region of the country: in Seoul, the average January temperature range is 7 to 1C (19 to 34F), and the average August temperature range is 22 to 30C (72 to 86F). Initial hopes for a unified, independent Korea were not realized, and in 1948 two separate nations were established the Republic of Korea in the South, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the North. [131] It is acknowledged that many of these difficulties are a result of South Korea's proximity to China, which is a major air polluter. Approximately 3 million people died in the Korean War, with a higher proportional civilian death toll than World War II or the Vietnam War, making it one of the deadliest conflicts of the Cold War era. [336][337][338] Additionally, South Korea today is known as a Launchpad of a mature mobile market, where developers can reap benefits of a market where very few technology constraints exist. Establishing a harmony between man and nature was also a favorite of this time. The majority of states in the world have the unitary system of government. According to the 2015 census, 27.6% of the population were Christians (19.7% identified themselves as Protestants, 7.9% as Roman Catholics) and 15.5% were Buddhists. [289] The South Korean economy is heavily dependent on international trade, and in 2014, South Korea was the fifth-largest exporter and seventh-largest importer in the world. [318][319] With rising tourist prospects, especially from foreign countries outside of Asia, the South Korean government has set a target of attracting 20 million foreign tourists a year by 2017. "[259], The European Union (EU) and South Korea are important trading partners, having negotiated a free trade agreement for many years since South Korea was designated as a priority FTA partner in 2006. Dean Rusk and Charles H. Bonesteel III suggested the 38th parallel as the dividing line, as it placed Seoul under U.S. control. [247] On 22 June, Moon Jae-in and Putin signed a document for foundation of free trade area. [288] South Koreans refer to this growth as the Miracle on the Han River. [378], Western architecture was first introduced to Korea at the end of the 19th century. The country is the world's ninth-largest exporter and ninth-largest importer. The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism actively encourages the traditional arts, as well as modern forms, through funding and education programs. Traditional architecture can be seen in the palaces and temples, preserved old houses called hanok,[377] and special sites like Hahoe Folk Village, Yangdong Village of Gyeongju and Korean Folk Village. Northern Korea has a autocratic government. [17][18][77][78] Balhae had fallen to the Khitan Empire in 926, and a decade later the last crown prince of Balhae fled south to Goryeo, where he was warmly welcomed and included into the ruling family by Wang Geon, thus unifying the two successor nations of Goguryeo. ", "Korea, Russia Enter Full-Fledged Space Partnership", South Korea Confirms Contact With Satellite Lost, "Scientist Yi So Yeon becomes first Korean astronaut", "S. Korea Completes Work on Naro Space Center", "S. Korean satellite lost shortly after launch", "Global Insider: South Korea's Space Program", "South Korea's first rocket ready at last", "S. Korea DAPA commissioner confirms 500 km-range ballistic missile development research", Special Report: [Business Opportunities] R&D, Android Has Human-Like Skin and Expressions, "Female Android Debuts in S. Korea, National Geographic, May 15, 2006", South Korean Robot English Teachers Are Go, "Bio International Convention Korea Country Profile", "Discovery Channel:: News Animals:: Endangered Wolf Cloned in South Korea", "With $900M IPO, SK Bioscience has big plans for manufacturing expansioneven beyond COVID-19 vaccines", "South Koreans drink twice as much liquor as Russians and more than four times as much as Americans", "Exhibit Focuses on Traditional Architecture", "UNESCO World Heritage: Republic of Korea", Brief Review of Korea Modern Architecture, "Still, slow waters of Korean architecture", "How The South Korean Government Made K-Pop A Thing", "S.Korea's Screen Quota Hinders Market Access", "Squid Game: the hellish horrorshow taking the whole world by storm", "Netflix calls Squid Game its 'biggest ever series at launch', "S. Korean Game Developer NCsoft Interested in Pro Baseball", "Professional baseball rising in popularity", "Japan beats South Korea to be Baseball Champions", "South Korea takes Olympics baseball gold", "Dextro Energy International Triathlon Union World championship Series Seoul", "New Jersey, Mexico, and Korea dropped from 2014 F1 calendar", Key Development Forecasts for South Korea, United States Army Military Government in Korea, List of World Heritage Sites in South Korea, Politics of North Korea#Political parties and elections, North Korea and weapons of mass destruction, South Korea and weapons of mass destruction, International adoption of South Korean children, ChinaJapanSouth Korea trilateral summit, Comprehensive Economic Partnership for East Asia, ChinaJapanKorea Friendship Athletic Meeting, Association of East Asian Research Universities, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=South_Korea&oldid=1134388094, Korean-speaking countries and territories, States and territories established in 1948, Articles with Korean-language sources (ko), Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the World Factbook, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2005, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles with French-language sources (fr), Articles with dead external links from February 2009, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using infobox country or infobox former country with the symbol caption or type parameters, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2023, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2018, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2022, Articles with obsolete information from March 2012, All Wikipedia articles in need of updating, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from October 2019, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2010, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from January 2023, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Pages using Sister project links with default search, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Articles with MusicBrainz area identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 18 January 2023, at 12:36. [154][155] In 2021, the fertility rate stood at just 0.81 children per woman. It constitutes the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and shares a land border with North Korea. Limited Government South Korea North Korea's main rule that no one disobeys without very good reason is to obey all the rules. In November 2010 Yeonpyeong island was attacked by a significant North Korean artillery barrage, with 4 people dying. A unitary state is the opposite of a federation where powers are dispersed. A unitary state is a state whose three organs of state are ruled constitutionally as one unit, with central legislature.It differs from a federal state, in which the authority is divided between the head (for example the central government of a country) and the political units governed by it (for example the municipalities or provinces of the country), and also granting some degree of autonomy . While South Korea is successful in exporting its electricity-generating nuclear technology and nuclear reactors, it cannot capitalize on the market for nuclear enrichment facilities and refineries, preventing it from further expanding its export niche. Two rail lines, Gyeongui and Donghae Bukbu Line, to North Korea are now being reconnected. South Koreans drink 13.7 shots of liquor per week on average and, of the 44 other countries analyzed, Russia, the Philippines, and Thailand follow.[368]. [225] Despite mutual animosity, reconciliation efforts have continued since the initial separation between North and South Korea. Traditional architecture may also be seen at the nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites in South Korea. According to a 2015 census conducted by the Korea Statistical Information Service, of the 44 percent of the population espousing a religion, 45 percent are Protestant, 35 percent Buddhist, 18 percent Roman Catholic, and 2 percent . "Republic of Korea" and "Daehanminguk" redirect here. Changing economics and lifestyles have led to a concentration of population in major cities, especially the capital Seoul, with multi-generational households separating into nuclear family living arrangements. [190][191] An average South Korean student's life revolves around education, with intense competition for top grades, pressure to succeed academically and being the top student deeply ingrained in the psyche of South Korean students at a young age. Quota systems favor large, vertically integrated generators and multinational electric utilities, if only because certificates are generally denominated in units of one megawatt-hour. [254] There were two Korean Lt. South Korea's highly enviable academic performance has persuaded British education ministers to actively remodel their own curriculums and exams to try to emulate Korea's militant drive and passion for excellence and high educational achievement. Generals in the Japanese Army: a Chosun prince, whose rank was honorary and who commanded no troops; and Lt. Gen. Bang, Ha-Nam, Study of Korean Corporations Retirement Allowance Schemes, Korea Labor Institute, 1998. ", "At least 153 killed in crowd crush during Halloween festivities in Seoul", "An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm", "Korea National Park Service official site", "Letter to Lee administration: Save the Songdo Tidal Flat", South Korea Boosts Renewable-Energy Investments by 60%, R&D status and prospects on fuel cells in Korea, Renewable Energy Policy Mechanisms by Paul Gipe, "Jobs come first in South Korea's ambitious 'Green New Deal' climate plan", "Moon vows to shut down 30 more coal plants to bring cleaner air and battle climate change", "Seoul City holds second Arisu Festival to show tap water is safe to drink", "Seoul Metropolitan Government "A Clean, Attractive & Global City, Seoul! [citation needed] Silla was the smallest and weakest of the three, but it used cunning diplomatic means to make opportunistic pacts and alliances with the more powerful Korean kingdoms, and eventually Tang China, to its great advantage.[51][52]. In 2007 there was a total of 18,367,000 insured individuals with only around 511,000 persons excluded from mandatory contribution. Until the 1990s, trot and traditional Korean folk based ballads dominated South Korean popular music. [59][60][61][62] Later Silla was a prosperous and wealthy country,[63] and its metropolitan capital of Gyeongju[64] was the fourth largest city in the world. [99][100], On 25 June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, sparking the Korean War, the Cold War's first major conflict, which continued until 1953. Japan is today South Korea's third largest trading partner, with 12% ($46 billion) of exports in 2016. The Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) entered into force on March 15, 2012, underscoring the depth of bilateral trade ties. Spring usually lasts from late March to early May, summer from mid-May to early September, autumn from mid-September to early November, and winter from mid-November to mid-March. There followed a series of massive public demonstrations from November 2016[117] and she was removed from office. Following the surrender of Japan, in 1945, the "Republic of Korea" ( / , IPA: tanminuk, lit. The UN declared Rhee's government as "a lawful government having effective control and jurisdiction over that part of Korea where the UN Temporary Commission on Korea was able to observe and consult" and the Government "based on elections which was observed by the Temporary Commission" in addition to a statement that "this is the only such government in Korea. Basketball is a popular sport in the country as well. South Korea,[b]officially the Republic of Korea(ROK),[c]is a country in East Asia. About three thousand islands, mostly small and uninhabited, lie off the western and southern coasts of South Korea. South Korea has the fastest Internet download speeds in the world,[332] with an average download speed of 25.3 Mbit/s. Local governments are semi-autonomous, and contain executive and legislative bodies of their own. The Korean Peninsula was inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period. The South Korean pension system was created to provide benefits to persons reaching old age, families and persons stricken with death of their primary breadwinner, and for the purposes of stabilizing its nation's welfare state. As the Korean political system is basically a presidential system yet with certain aspects of parliamentary cabinet system combined, the Cabinet of the Republic of Korea also is a combination of both systems. [167] Currently, South Korea has one of the highest rates of growth of foreign born population, with about 30,000 foreign born residents obtaining South Korean citizenship every year since 2010. South Korea - United States Department of State South Korea South Korea 77963 6396855 Welcome to the U.S. Department of State Twitter account. [107], South Korea was formally invited to become a member of the United Nations in 1991. To the surprise of Rusk and Bonesteel, the Soviets accepted their proposal and agreed to divide Korea.[94]. In the aftermath of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, South Korea has witnessed a wide variation of styles in its architectural landscape due, in large part, to the opening up of the market to foreign architects. They are also more difficult to design and implement than a Feed-in tariff. [205] Further criticism has been stemmed for causing labor shortages in various skilled blue collar labor and vocational occupations, where many go unfilled as the negative social stigma associated with vocational careers and not having a university degree continues to remain deep-rooted in South Korean society.[206][207][208]. Historically, while the culture of Korea has been heavily influenced by that of neighboring China, it has nevertheless managed to develop a unique cultural identity that is distinct from its larger neighbor. The gaming scene of South Korea is managed by the Korean e-Sports Association. In February 2016, the Kaesong complex was closed by Seoul in reaction to North Korea's launch of a rocket earlier in the month,[234] which was unanimously condemned by the United Nations Security Council. [380] Contemporary architectural efforts have been constantly trying to balance the traditional philosophy of "harmony with nature" and the fast-paced urbanization that the country has been going through in recent years.[381]. [320], South Korean tourism is driven by many factors, including the prominence of Korean pop culture such as South Korean pop music and television dramas, known as the Korean Wave or Hallyu, has gained popularity throughout East Asia. The liberal camp and the conservative camp are the dominant forces of South Korean politics at present. Relationships between Korea and China remained relatively peaceful during this time. [334] From 2014 to 2019, the country ranked first among the most innovative countries in the Bloomberg Innovation Index. [161], South Korea is considered one of the most ethnically homogeneous societies in the world with ethnic Koreans representing approximately 96% of total population. [322] The national pension covers employees who work in firms that employ five or more employees, fishermen, farmers, and the self-employed in both rural and urban areas. Winter temperatures are higher along the southern coast and considerably lower in the mountainous interior. Among Christian denominations, Presbyterianism is the largest. [152][153], A centralized administration in South Korea oversees the process for the education of children from kindergarten to the third and final year of high school. ";s:7:"keyword";s:30:"is south korea a unitary state";s:5:"links";s:279:"Avenge Your Brothers In Arms Breakpoint Walkthrough,
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