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[[Category:Under Construction (A French Korea)]]
광명천지 (光明天地) (Korean) ("Let the sky and land be englightened") | |||||||
| Anthem | "Daehaneuro Giri Bojeonhase(대한으로 길이 보전하세) | ||||||
| Capital | Seoul | ||||||
| Largest city | Seoul (known as Hanseong/Hanyang before 1945) | ||||||
| Other cities | Pyongyang Busan Kaesong Hamhung | ||||||
| Language official |
Korean | ||||||
| others | French Chinese Japanese | ||||||
| Religion main |
Catholic Buddhism | ||||||
| others | Korean Shamanism Judaism Islam | ||||||
| Ethnic Groups main |
Korean | ||||||
| others | Chinese Japanese French Yulos | ||||||
| Demonym | Korean | ||||||
| Legislature | Unitary presidential republic | ||||||
| President Prime Minister |
Lee Jae Myung Kim Min-seok | ||||||
| Area | 223,516 km² | ||||||
| Population | 78 million | ||||||
| GDP Total: |
5.4 trillion USD | ||||||
| per capita | 41,223.87 USD | ||||||
| Established | 1392: Joseon established 1866: Joseon Française established 24 February 1946: Independence declared 28 November 1948: Complete transfer of sovereignty | ||||||
| Currency | Korean Republic Won | ||||||
| Time Zone | UTC+9 | ||||||
| Date Format | YYYY/MM/DD | ||||||
| Calling Code | +82 | ||||||
| Internet TLD | .kor | ||||||
The Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the entirety of the Korean Peninsula and borders both China and Russia, with the Yellow Sea to the west and the Sea of Japan to the east. It has a population of about 78 million, of which half live in the Seoul metropolitan area, the ninth most populous metropolitan area in the world; other major cities include Pyongyang, 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 peninsulafor 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 (1392–1866) generated cultural, economic, and scientific achievements and also established isolationism starting from the mid-17th century, and was annexed in 1866 into the French Union. French rule ended following the rebels' victory in the Korean National Revolution, after which the Republic of Korea was established.
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.
Korea is now considered among the most advanced democracies in continental and East Asia. Under the 1987 constitution, it maintains a unitarypresidential republic with a popularly elected unicameral legislature, the National Assembly. Korea is a major non-NATO ally of the United States and is regarded as a regional power in East Asia and an emerging power in global affairs; its conscription-based armed forces are ranked as one of the strongest in the world and have the second highest number of military and paramilitary personnel. A highly developed country, Korea's economy is ranked 14th largest in the world by nominal GDP and PPP-adjusted GDP; it is the world's eleventh-largest exporter and seventh-largest importer.
Korea performs well in metrics of education, human development, democratic governance, and innovation. It has one of the world's longest life expectances, though its population is aging rapidly and has the lowest fertility rate in the world. Korea has some of the fastest Internet connection speeds and densest high-speed railway networks. Since the turn of the 21st century, the country has been renowned for its globally influential pop culture, particularly in music, TV dramas, and cinema, a phenomenon referred to as the Korean Wave. Korea is a member of the OECD's Development Assistance Committee, the G20, the IPEF, and the Paris Club.
Etymology[]
The name Korea is an exonym derived from the historical Korean kingdom name Goryeo (Korean: 고려; Hanja: 高麗; MR: Koryŏ). Goryeo was the shortened name officially adopted by Goguryeo in the 5th century and the name of its 10th-century successor state Goryeo. Visiting Arab and Persian merchants pronounced its name as "Korea". The modern name of Korea appears in the first Portuguese maps of 1568 by João vaz Dourado as Conrai and later in the late 16th century and early 17th century as Corea (Korea) in the maps of Teixeira Albernaz of 1630.
The Kingdom of Goryeo became first known to Westerners when Afonso de Albuquerque conquered Malacca in 1511 and described the people who traded in this part of the world as the Gores. Despite the coexistence of the spellings Corea and Korea in 19th-century publications, some Koreans believe that Imperial Japanintentionally standardized the spelling of Korea in order to make Japan appear first alphabetically during occupation.
After Goryeo was replaced by the Kingdom of Joseon (조선; 朝鮮; Chosŏn) in 1392, Joseon became the official name for the entire territory, though it was not universally accepted. The new official name was derived from the ancient kingdom of Gojoseon. When the French conquered Korea in 1866, the two names Han and Joseon coexisted. Following the surrender of France in 1948, the "Republic of Korea" was adopted as the legal English name for the new country.
History[]
Ancient History[]
The Korean Peninsula was inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period.
According to Korea's founding mythology, the history of Korea begins with the founding of Joseon (also known as "Gojoseon", or "Old Joseon", to differentiate it from the 14th century dynasty) in 2333 BC by the legendary Dangun. Gojoseon was noted in Chinese records in the early 7th century. Gojoseon expanded until it controlled the northern Korean Peninsula and parts of Manchuria. Gija Joseon was purportedly founded in the 12th century BC, but its existence and role have been controversial in the modern era. In 108 BC, the Han dynasty defeated Wiman Joseon and installed four commanderies in the northern Korean peninsula. Three of the commanderies fell or retreated westward within a few decades, but the Lelang commanderyremained a center of cultural and economic exchange with successive Chinese dynasties ruling for four centuries, until it was conquered by Goguryeo in 313.
The linguistic homeland of Proto-Koreans is located somewhere in southern Siberia/Manchuria, such as the Liao River area or the Amur River area. Proto-Koreans arrived in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula at around 300 BC, replacing and assimilating Japonic-speaking Yayoi and likely causing their migration to the Japanese archipelago.
Three Kingdoms of Korea[]
During the Proto–Three Kingdoms period, the states of Buyeo, Okjeo, Dongye, and Samhanoccupied the whole Korean peninsula and southern Manchuria. From them, the Three Kingdoms of Korea emerged: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla.
Goguryeo, the largest and most powerful among them, was a highly militaristic state and competed with various Chinese dynasties during its 700 years of history. Goguryeo experienced a golden age under Gwanggaeto the Great and his son Jangsu, who both subdued Baekje and Silla during their respective reigns, achieving a brief unification of the Three Kingdoms and becoming the most dominant power on the Korean Peninsula. In addition to contesting control of the Korean Peninsula, Goguryeo had many military conflicts with various Chinese dynasties, most notably the Goguryeo–Sui War, in which Goguryeo defeated a huge force said to number over a million men.
Baekje was a maritime power, sometimes called the "Phoenicia of East Asia". Its maritime ability was instrumental in the dissemination of Buddhism throughout East Asia and spreading continental culture to Japan. Baekje was once a great military power on the Korean Peninsula, especially during the time of Geunchogo, but was critically defeated by Gwanggaeto the Great and declined. Silla was the smallest and weakest of the three, but used opportunistic pacts and alliances with the more powerful Korean kingdoms, and eventually Tang China, to its advantage.
In 676, the unification of the Three Kingdoms by Silla led to the Northern and Southern States period, in which relationships between Korea and China remained relatively peaceful. Balhae, a Goguryeo successor state founded by a general, controlled most of Manchuria and parts of the Russian Far East and was called the "Prosperous Country in the East". In addition to Koreans, there were many other ethnicities such as the Mohe, Turkic, and Chinese.
Late Silla was a wealthy country, and its metropolitan capital of Gyeongju grew to become the fourth largest city in the world. It experienced a golden age of art and culture, exemplified by monuments such as Hwangnyongsa, Seokguram, and the Emille Bell. It also carried on the maritime legacy and prowess of Baekje, and during the 8th and 9th centuries dominated the seas of East Asia and the trade between China, Korea, and Japan, most notably during the time of Chang Pogo. In addition, Silla people made overseas communities in China on the Shandong Peninsula and the mouth of the Yangtze River. However, Silla was later weakened due to internal strife and the revival of successor states Baekje and Goguryeo, which culminated into the Later Three Kingdoms period in the late 9th century.
Buddhism flourished during this time. Many Korean Buddhists gained great fame among Chinese Buddhist circles and greatly contributed to Chinese Buddhism. Examples of significant Korean Buddhists from this period include Woncheuk, Wonhyo, Uisang, Musang, and Kim Gyo-gak. Kim was a Silla prince whose influence made Mount Jiuhua one of the Four Sacred Mountains of Chinese Buddhism.
Unified dynasties[]
In 936, the Later Three Kingdoms were united by Wang Geon, who established Goryeo as a successor state to Goguryeo. 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 in the ruling family by Wang Geon, thus unifying the two successor nations of Goguryeo. Like Silla, Goryeo was a highly cultural state, and invented the metal movable type printing press. After defeating the Khitan Empire, which was the most powerful empire of its time in the Goryeo–Khitan War, Goryeo experienced a golden age that lasted a century, during which the Tripitaka Koreana was completed and significant developments in printing and publishing occurred. This promoted education and the dispersion of knowledge on philosophy, literature, religion, and science. By 1100, there were 12 universities that produced notable scholars.
However, the Mongol invasions in the 13th century greatly weakened the kingdom. 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. Henceforth, Goryeo continued to rule Korea, though as a tributary ally to the Mongols for the next 86 years. During this period, the two nations' royalty became intertwined as all subsequent Korean kings married Mongol princesses. In the mid-14th century, Goryeo drove out the Mongols to regain its northern territories, briefly conquered Liaoyang, and defeated invasions by the Red Turbans. However, in 1392, General Yi Seong-gye, who had been ordered to attack China, turned his army around and staged a successful coup.
Yi Seong-gye established the House of Yi, renamed the nation to Joseon in reference to Gojoseon, and moved the capital to Hanseong (one of the old names of Seoul). The first 200 years of the Joseon dynasty were marked by peace and saw great advancements in science and education, among them the creation of Hangul by Sejong the Great to promote literacy among the common people. The prevailing ideology of the time was Neo-Confucianism, which was epitomized by the seonbiclass: nobles who passed up positions of wealth and power to lead lives of study and integrity. Between 1592 and 1598, Japan under Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched invasions of Korea, but the advance was halted by Korean forces (most notably the Joseon Navy led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin and his renowned "turtle ship") with assistance from righteous army militias formed by Korean civilians, and Ming dynasty Chinese troops. Through a series of successful battles of attrition, the Japanese forces were eventually forced to withdraw, and relations between all parties became normalized. However, the Manchus took advantage of Joseon's war-weakened state and invaded in 1627 and 1637. After normalizing relations with the new Qing dynasty, Joseon experienced a nearly 200-year period of peace. Kings Yeongjo and Jeongjo particularly led a new renaissance of the Joseon dynasty during the 18th century.
In the 19th century, Joseon began experiencing economic difficulties and widespread uprisings, including the Donghak Peasant Revolution. The royal in-law families had gained control of the government, leading to mass corruption and weakening of the state. Additionally, the strict isolationism of the Joseon government that earned it the nickname "the hermit kingdom" became increasingly ineffective due to increasing encroachment from powers such as Japan, Russia, and the United States.
French colonization and World War II[]
Main article: Korea under French rule
In the late 19th century, After 12 French Catholic missionaries and thousands of Korean converts were executed by the Joseon government, The 2nd French Empire invaded the entire Korean Peninsula. This ended in a French victory, and Korea was forced to be integrated into the French Empire. By 1874, the entire country was under French rule. The French administration imposed significant political and cultural changes on Korean society. What followed was a period of forced assimilation, in which Korean language, culture, and history were suppressed. This led to the March First Movement protests in 1919 and the subsequent foundation of resistance groups in exile, primarily in China. Among the resistance groups was Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. Most French settlers in Korea were concentrated in the Island of Jeju, Busan and the surrounding area, and in Pyongyang, the colony's capital.
During the early colonial period, guerrillas of the royalist House of Yi restoration movement rebelled against French rule and massacred around thousands of Korea's French Catholic population. Anti-Catholic violence persisted in Wonsan, Pohang, and Mokpo during the 1880s. The French strategy for pacification in Korea relied more on alliances with local notables than on Christian missions to establish control and manage resistance. The French developed a plantation economy to promote export of tobacco, indigo, tea and coffee. However, they largely ignored the increasing demands for civil rights and self-government. An increasing dissatisfaction even led to half-hearted, badly coordinated, and still worse executed plots to oust the French, like the infamous Hanseong Poison Plot of 1908. Another large-scale rebellion, the Suncheon uprising in 1917, was also suppressed heavily.
The French maintained full control of their colonies until World War II, when the war in the Pacific led to the Japanese invasion of French Joseon in 1940. Afterwards, the Japanese Empire was allowed to station its troops in Korea while the pro-Vichy French colonial administration continued. Japan exploited Korea's natural resources to support its military campaigns, culminating in a full-scale takeover of the country in March 1945.
Korean National Revolution[]
After Japan's surrender in September 2nd, 1945, Korea was seceded back to the French Union, much to the dissatisfaction among the Korean population, who gave rise to demands for greater political autonomy and eventually independence from France. Eventually, In late 1945, the uprising against the occupying French forces was suppressed by gendarmerie forces through what is now known as the Tonghae massacre. Tensions between the two population groups came to a head in January to February 1946, when the first violent events of skirmishes and clashes from Korean civilians and the KLA against the French would later lead to the proclamation of the Declaration of 24 February 1946. The French reacted negatively to these uprisings, and kickstarted the Korean National Revolution against the KLA. The KLA used Guerrilla and Militia attacks against the French as part of its war, and the French conducted severe reprisals. In addition, the French destroyed at least 8,000 villages and relocated over 1 million Koreans to concentration camps.
The war led to the death of millions of Koreans and hundreds of thousands of injuries. Historians state that the actual number of Koreans dead was far greater than the original KLA and official French estimates and may have extended to 2.1 million. Korean casualties during the span of two years was estimated to be around 1,900,000. The war uprooted more than 2 million Koreans.
The war against French rule concluded on the 28th of November 1948, when Korea gained complete independence following the Battle of Busan and the transfer of sovereignty in late November 1948. Koreans celebrated the handover with throwing money out of windows, lighting bonfires, feasting, dancing, and singing in the streets, playing traditional games, launching fireworks, and other activities to celebrate. Syngman Rhee became the first president of the republic.
Miracle on the Han River[]
In 1960, a student uprising (the "April Revolution") led to the resignation of the autocratic President Syngman Rhee. This was followed by 13 months of political instability as South Korea was led by the weak and ineffectual Second Republic. This instability was broken by the May 16, 1961 coup led by General Park Chung Hee. As president, Park oversaw a period of rapid export-led economic growth enforced by political repression. Under Park, Korea took an active role in the Vietnam War.
Park was heavily criticized as a ruthless military dictator, who in 1972 extended his rule by creating a new constitution, which gave the president dictatorial powers and permitted him to run for an unlimited number of six-year terms. The Korean economy developed significantly during Park's tenure, largely due to investment in family-run conglomerates. The government developed the nationwide expressway system, the Seoul subway system, and laid the foundation for economic development during his 17-year tenure, which ended with his assassination on 26 October, 1979.
The years after Park's assassination were marked again by political turmoil, as the previously suppressed opposition leaders all campaigned to run for president in the sudden political void. In 1979, General Chun Doo-hwan led the coup d'état of December Twelfth. On May 17, 1980, Chun forced the Cabinet to expand martial law to the whole nation, which had previously not applied to Jeju Island. The expanded martial law closed universities, banned political activities, and further curtailed the press. Chun's assumption of the presidency through the events of May 17 triggered nationwide protests demanding democracy; these protests were particularly widespread in Gwangju, to which Chun sent special forces to violently suppress the 18–27 May 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement at the cost of probably 500 to 2,000 civilian lives and 26 dead soldiers (half of them by friendly fire).
Chun subsequently created the National Defense Emergency Policy Committee and took the presidency according to his political plan. Chun and his government held Korea under a despotic rule until 1987, when a Seoul National University student, Park Jong-chul, was tortured to death. On June 10, the Catholic Priests Association for Justice revealed the incident, igniting the June Democratic Struggle across the country. Eventually, Chun's party, the Democratic Justice Party, and its leader, Roh Tae-woo, announced the June 29 Declaration, which promised a democratic election of the president.
Democracy[]
Roh Tae-woo went on to win the 1987 election by a narrow margin against the two main opposition leaders, Kim Dae-jung and Kim Young-sam. Seoul hosted the Olympic Games in 1988, which was widely regarded as successful and a significant boost for Korea's global image and economy.
Korea was formally invited to become a member of the United Nations in 1991. The transition of Korea from autocracy to modern democracy was marked in 1997 by the election of Kim Dae-jung, who was sworn in as the eighth president of Korea on February 25, 1998. His election was significant given that he had in earlier years been a political prisoner sentenced to death (later commuted to exile). He won against the backdrop of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, where he took IMF advice to restructure the economy and the nation soon recovered its economic growth, albeit at a slower pace.
Contemporary history[]
The children of presidents Park Chung Hee would take power in the country, and Korea elected the first ever female president Park Geun-hye in the 2012 election. The conservative Park Geun-hye administration was formally accused of corruption, bribery, and influence-peddling for the involvement of Park's close friend Choi Soon-sil in state affairs. There followed a series of nationwide public demonstrations from November 2016, and she was removed from office. After the fallout of Park's impeachment and dismissal, elections were held and Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Partywon the presidency, immediately taking office on May 10, 2017. His tenure saw some increasing divergence in the military alliance with the United States, and the successful hosting of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. In April 2018, Park Geun-hye was sentenced to 24 years in jail and convicted of abuse of power and corruption. The COVID-19 pandemic caused Korea to record more deaths than births, resulting in a population decline for the first time on record.
In March 2022, Yoon Suk Yeol, the candidate of the conservative opposition People Power Party, won a close election over Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung by the narrowest margin in the history of the Sixth Republic and was sworn in on May 10, 2022. He declared martial law on December 3, 2024, accusing the opposition of being pro-North Korean and conducting anti-state activities. After several hours, the National Assembly voted to nullify the declaration in a unanimous vote of 190/0, causing Yoon to end martial law early on December 4. Yoon's actions resulted in his impeachment on December 14, 2024, followed by his unanimous removal from office on April 4, 2025. Lee Jae-myung won the election to succeed Yoon, immediately taking office on June 4, 2025.