Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945,it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel,now known as the Korean Demilitarized Zone. In 1948,two states declared independence,both claiming sovereignty over all of Korea:South Korea comprising its southern half and North Korea comprising its northern half. The region consists of the Korean Peninsula,Jeju Island,and a number of minor islands near the peninsula. The peninsula is bordered by China (Manchuria) to the north and Russia to the northeast,across the Amnok and Duman rivers. It is separated from Japan to the southeast by the Korea Strait.
Korean is the native language for about 81.7 million people,mostly of Korean descent. It is the official and national language of both South Korea and North Korea. The two countries have established standardized norms for Korean,and the differences between them are similar to those between Standard Chinese in mainland China and Taiwan,but political conflicts between the two countries have highlighted the differences between them. South Korean newspaper Daily NK has claimed North Korea criminalizes the use of the South's standard language with the death penalty,and South Korean education and media often portray the North's language as alien and uncomfortable.
The Korean War was fought between North Korea and South Korea from 1950 to 1953. The war began on 25 June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea. The war ceased with an armistice on 27 July 1953. North Korea was supported by China and the Soviet Union while South Korea was supported by the United States and the United Nations (UN).
North Korea,officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK),is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu (Amnok) and Tumen rivers,and South Korea to the south at the Korean Demilitarized Zone. The country's western border is formed by the Yellow Sea,while its eastern border is defined by the Sea of Japan. North Korea,like its southern counterpart,claims to be the legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands. Pyongyang is the capital and largest city.
South Korea,officially the Republic of Korea (ROK),is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone. The country's western border is formed by the Yellow Sea,while its eastern border is defined by the Sea of Japan. South Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands. It has a population of 51.96 million,of which roughly half live in the Seoul Capital Area,the ninth most populous metropolitan area in the world. Other major cities include Incheon,Busan,and Daegu.
Kim Jong Il was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea. He led North Korea from the death of his father Kim Il Sung in 1994 until his own death in 2011,when he was succeeded by his son,Kim Jong Un. Afterwards,Kim Jong Il was declared Eternal General Secretary of the WPK.
Hanja,alternatively known as Hancha,are Chinese characters used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period under the first Korean kingdom.
Kimchi is a traditional Korean banchan consisting of salted and fermented vegetables,most commonly using napa cabbage or Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used,including gochugaru,spring onions,garlic,ginger,and jeotgal,etc. Kimchi is also used in a variety of soups and stews. Kimchi is a staple food in Korean cuisine and is eaten as a side dish with almost every Korean meal.
From 1910 to 1945,Korea was ruled as a part of the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (朝鮮),the Japanese reading of Joseon.
K-pop,short for Korean popular music,is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world,such as pop,hip hop,R&B,rock,jazz,gospel,reggae,electronic dance,folk,country,disco,and classical on top of its traditional Korean music roots. The term "K-pop" became popular in the 2000s,especially in the international context. The Korean term for domestic pop music is gayo,which is still widely used within South Korea. While "K-pop" can refer to all popular music or pop music from South Korea,it is colloquially often used in a narrower sense for any Korean music and artists associated with the entertainment and idol industry in the country,regardless of the genre.
The South Korea national football team represents South Korea in men's international football and is governed by the Korea Football Association. South Korea has emerged as a major football power in Asia since the 1980s,having participated in ten consecutive and eleven overall FIFA World Cup tournaments,the most for any Asian country. Despite initially going through five World Cup tournaments without winning a match,South Korea became the first Asian team to reach the semi-finals when they co-hosted the 2002 tournament with Japan. South Korea also won two AFC Asian Cup titles,and finished as runners-up on four occasions. Furthermore,the team won three gold medals and three silver medals at the senior Asian Games.
Korean drama,also known as Koreanovela or K-drama,refers to Korean-language television shows made in South Korea. These shows began to be produced around the early 1960s,but were mostly consumed domestically until the rise of the Korean Wave in the 1990s. They have since achieved significant international popularity,with millions of viewers across the world.
Kim Jong Un is a North Korean politician who has been supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim Jong Il,who was North Korea's second supreme leader from 1994 until his death in 2011,and Ko Yong Hui. He is a grandson of Kim Il Sung,who was the founder and first supreme leader of North Korea from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994.
Seoul,officially Seoul Special City,serves as the capital of South Korea,and is its most extensive urban center. The broader Seoul Capital Area,encompassing Gyeonggi province and Incheon metropolitan city,emerged as the world's fourth largest metropolitan economy in 2014,trailing only Tokyo,New York City,and Los Angeles,hosting more than half of South Korea's population. Although Seoul's population peaked at slightly over 10 million,it has gradually decreased since 2014,standing at approximately 9.97 million residents as of 2020. Seoul is the seat of the South Korean government.
Kim Il Sung was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea,which he led as Supreme Leader from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. Afterwards,he was declared eternal president.
The 2010 G20 Seoul Summit was the fifth meeting of the G20 heads of government/heads of state,to discuss the global financial system and the world economy,which took place in Seoul,the capital of South Korea,on November 11–12,2010. South Korea was the first non-G8 nation to host a G20 leaders' summit.
BTS,also known as the Bangtan Boys,is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin,Suga,J-Hope,RM,Jimin,V,and Jungkook,who co-write or co-produce much of their material. Originally a hip hop group,they expanded their musical style to incorporate a wide range of genres,while their lyrics have focused on subjects including mental health,the troubles of school-age youth and coming of age,loss,the journey towards self-love,individualism,and the consequences of fame and recognition. Their discography and adjacent work has also referenced literature,philosophy and psychology,and includes an alternate universe storyline.
The Korean alphabet,known as Hangul in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl (조선글) in North Korea,is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs used to pronounce them,and they are systematically modified to indicate phonetic features;similarly,the vowel letters are systematically modified for related sounds,making Hangul a featural writing system. It has been described as a syllabic alphabet as it combines the features of alphabetic and syllabic writing systems.
The 2014 Asian Games opening ceremony was held on Friday,19 September 2014 at the newly built Incheon Asiad Main Stadium. It began at 7:18 pm and ended at 10:20 pm Korea Standard Time (UTC+9). It was directed by two renowned Korean film directors:Im Kwon-taek who directed famous films such as Chunhyang (2000) and Sopyonje (1993) and Jang Jin who directed The Front Line (2011). Entertainer Kim Seong-ju and KBS emcee Yun Su-yeong were the host of the ceremony. The music of the ceremony's artistic performance was performed by Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra.
Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Digital City,Suwon,South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses,most of them united under the Samsung brand,and is the largest South Korean chaebol. As of 2020,Samsung has the eighth-highest global brand value.
