Incheon, formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (Korean: 제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시), is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, about 3 million people live in the city, making it South Korea's third-most-populous city after Seoul and Busan.
Jeju Province, officially Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, is the southernmost province of South Korea, consisting of eight inhabited and 55 uninhabited islands, including Marado, Udo, the Chuja Archipelago, and the country's largest island, Jeju Island. The province is located in the Korea Strait, with the Korean Peninsula to the northwest, Japan to the east, and China to the west. The province has two cities: the capital Jeju City, on the northern half of the island and Seogwipo, on the southern half of the island. The island is home to the shield volcano Hallasan, the highest point in South Korea. Jeju and Korean are the official languages of the province, and the vast majority of residents are bilingual.
The Korean Unification Flag, also known as the Flag of the Korean Peninsula, is a flag used to represent all of Korea. When North Korea and South Korea participate as one team at international sporting events, the flag is carried by the unified team. It was introduced at the 1990 Asian Games but not used by a unified team until the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships. It is a white field charged with a sky blue silhouette of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and Ulleungdo. The flag's depiction of Korean territorial claims has earned it the chagrin of Japan, which claims the Liancourt Rocks. The disputed islets were added to the flag in 2003 but removed in 2018 upon the request of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Outside of sports, the flag has been used, particularly in North Korea, to express support for Korean reunification.
Jeju Island is South Korea's largest island, covering an area of 1,833.2 km2 (707.8 sq mi), which is 1.83% of the total area of the country. Alongside outlying islands, it is part of Jeju Province and makes up the majority of the province.
Marado (Korean: 마라도) or Mara Island is an island in Jeju Province, South Korea. It is South Korea's southernmost island, and is 8 km (5.0 mi) off the south coast of Jeju Island.
Socotra Rock, also known as Ieodo, Parangdo, or Suyan Islet, is a submerged rock 4.6 metres (15 ft) below sea level located in the Yellow Sea. International maritime law stipulates that a submerged rock outside of a country's territorial sea cannot be claimed as territory by any country. However, the rock is the subject of a maritime dispute between China and South Korea, which consider it to lie within their respective exclusive economic zones.
The Liancourt Rocks, known in Korea as Dokdo and in Japan as Takeshima, are a group of islets in the Sea of Japan between the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese archipelago administered by South Korea. The Liancourt Rocks comprise two main islets and 35 smaller rocks; the total surface area of the islets is 0.187554 square kilometres and the highest elevation of 168.5 metres (553 ft) is on the West Islet. The Liancourt Rocks lie in rich fishing grounds that may contain large deposits of natural gas. The English name Liancourt Rocks is derived from Le Liancourt, the name of a French whaling ship that came close to being wrecked on the rocks in 1849.
The Liancourt Rocks dispute, also called the Dokdo dispute or the Takeshima dispute, is a territorial dispute between South Korea and Japan regarding sovereignty over the Liancourt Rocks, a group of small islets in the Sea of Japan. The rocks are also known in Korea as Dokdo and in Japan as Takeshima. North Korea also claims sovereignty of the islands, but has not pursued its claim to the same extent as the others.
ROKS Dokdo (LPH-6111) is the lead ship of the Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship of the Republic of Korea Navy, launched on 12 July 2005 at the shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries & Constructions Co. in Busan. ROKS Dokdo was the flagship of the Fifth Component Flotilla of the Korean Navy until the launch of ROKS Marado in 2018. Previously, this title was held by the 9,000-ton at-sea Underway Replenishment (UNREP) support vessel ROKS Cheonji.
Jodo-myeon is a myeon (township) in Jindo County of South Jeolla Province, South Korea. The township office is in Changyu-ri on Hajodo.
Maenggolgundo (Korean: 맹골군도), also Maenggol Kundo, is an archipelago in Maenggoldo-ri, Jodo-myeon, Jindo County, South Jeolla Province, South Korea. It consists of six islands. Three of the islands are inhabited: Jukdo (죽도), Maenggoldo (맹골도), and Gwakdo (곽도). Three are uninhabited islets: Myeongdo (명도), Mongdeokdo (몽덕도), and Sojukdo (소죽도).
Geochagundo (Korean: 거차군도) is an archipelago in the Yellow Sea, located about 30 km (19 mi) south-west of Jindo, in the administrative divisions of Donggeochado-ri and Seogeochado-ri, Jodo-myeon, Jindo County, South Jeolla Province.
Japan is currently engaged in several territorial disputes with nearby countries, including Russia, South Korea, North Korea, the People's Republic of China, and the Republic of China (Taiwan).
The sinking of Dolgorae, a South Korean fishing vessel occurred on 5 September 2015 off Chuja Island, near Jeju Island. At least ten people died and eight are missing. Three people were rescued. The vessel capsized in heavy seas and those passengers and crew not washed away in the waves clung to the hull of the vessel for over ten hours. Only three were rescued.
The Jeju people or Jejuans are an indigenous people of the Jeju Island, distinct from ethnic Koreans of the mainland, which is geographically located in the East China Sea. Administratively, they live in Jeju Province, excluding Chuja Islands, an autonomous self-governing province of South Korea.
Scenic Sites is a national-level designation within the heritage preservation system of South Korea for natural places of significant historic, artistic, or scenic value. The system is administered by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), an agency of the South Korean government. The registry was first created in 1979. As of 2020, there are 115 Scenic Sites.
