The Korean War was a war between North Korea and South Korea. The war began on 25 June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea following a series of clashes along the border.
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia constituting the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, with Pyongyang the capital and the largest city in the country. The name Korea is derived from Goguryeo which was one of the great powers in East Asia during its time, ruling most of the Korean Peninsula, Manchuria, parts of the Russian Far East and Inner Mongolia, under Gwanggaeto the Great. To the north and northwest, the country is bordered by China and by Russia along the Amnok and Tumen rivers; it is bordered to the south by South Korea, with the heavily fortified Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two. Nevertheless, North Korea, like its southern counterpart, claims to be the legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands. Both North Korea and South Korea became members of the United Nations in 1991.
The President of the Republic of Korea is, according to the South Korean constitution, the chairperson of the cabinet, the chief executive of the government, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the head of state of South Korea. The Constitution and the amended Presidential Election Act of 1987 provide for election of the president by direct, secret ballot, ending sixteen years of indirect presidential elections under the preceding two governments. The president is directly elected to a five-year term, with no possibility of re-election. If a presidential vacancy should occur, a successor must be elected within sixty days, during which time presidential duties are to be performed by the prime minister or other senior cabinet members in the order of priority as determined by law. While in office, the chief executive lives in Cheong Wa Dae, and is exempt from criminal liability.
Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese characters. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation. Hanja-mal or Hanja-eo refers to words that can be written with Hanja, and hanmun refers to Classical Chinese writing, although "Hanja" is sometimes used loosely to encompass these other concepts. Because Hanja never underwent major reform, they are almost entirely identical to traditional Chinese and kyūjitai characters, though the stroke orders for some characters are slightly different. For example, the characters 教 and 研 are written as 敎 and 硏. Only a small number of Hanja characters are modified or unique to Korean. By contrast, many of the Chinese characters currently in use in Japan and Mainland China have been simplified, and contain fewer strokes than the corresponding Hanja characters.
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd., operating as Korean Air, is the largest airline and flag carrier of South Korea based on fleet size, international destinations and international flights. The airline's global headquarters are located in Seoul, South Korea. Korean Air was founded as Korean National Airlines in 1946. After several years of service and expansion, the airline was fully privatized in 1969.
Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) is the national public broadcaster of South Korea. It was founded in 1927, and operates radio, television, and online services, being one of the biggest South Korean television networks.
Hong Myung-bo is a South Korean former footballer and former manager of the South Korean national team. Hong, alongside compatriot Cha Bum-kun, is often considered one of the greatest Asian footballers of all time. Hong was a member of the South Korean national team in four World Cups, and was the first Asian player to play in four consecutive World Cup final tournaments.
K-pop is a genre of popular music originating in South Korea. While the modern form of K-pop can be traced back to the early 90s, the term itself has been popularized since the 2000s, replacing the term Gayo (가요), which also refers to domestic pop music in South Korea. Although it generally indicates "popular music" within South Korea, the term is often used in a narrower sense to describe a modern form of South Korean pop that is influenced by styles and genres from around the world, such as experimental, jazz, gospel, hip hop, R&B, reggae, electronic dance, folk, country, and classical on top of its traditional Korean music roots. The more modern form of the genre emerged with the formation of one of the earliest K-pop groups, Seo Taiji and Boys, in 1992. Their experimentation with different styles and genres of music and integration of foreign musical elements helped reshape and modernize South Korea's contemporary music scene.
Korean dramas, or K-dramas, are television series in Korean language, made in South Korea.
LG Twins Baseball Club is a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul, South Korea. They are a member of the KBO League and are one of the most popular baseball teams in Korea. They gained many fans in the 1980s–2000s, most of whom live in Seoul. The club was first established as MBC Chungyong owned by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation until 1989, when it was then taken over by LG Corporation. The LG Twins play their home games at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, which they share with their rival, the Doosan Bears. Chungyong first used Jamsil Baseball Stadium since 1982—the first year of Korean pro baseball league—and the Bears started using the same stadium three years later, in 1985.
Hongdae is a region in Seoul, South Korea near Hongik University, after which it is named. It is known for its urban arts and indie music culture, clubs and entertainments. The area is located in Mapo-gu in the western end of Seoul, stretching from Seogyo-dong to Hapjeong-dong.
The South Korea women's national football team represents South Korea in international women's football competitions. The team is referred to as the Korea Republic by FIFA. Its first game was a match against Japan in 1990, which it lost 13–1. Since then, it has qualified for two FIFA World Cups, in 2003 and 2015.
The Chunsa Film Art Awards have been presented in South Korea since the founding of the prize by the Korea Film Directors' Society in 1990. The awards take their name from the pen name of the early Korean actor and filmmaker from the silent film era, Na Woon-gyu. Prizes are given for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best New Director, Best New Actor, Best New Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Music/Score, Best Lighting, Best Editing, Best Art Direction, and Technical Award.
Kang Young-Hoon was a South Korean politician who served as the second prime minister of the sixth South Korean republic, from 16 December 1988 until 27 December 1990.
Im Yoon-ah, better known by the mononym Yoona, is a South Korean singer and actress. She debuted as a member of girl group Girls' Generation in August 2007, who went on to become one of the best-selling artists in South Korea and one of South Korea's most popular girl groups worldwide.
Choi Soo-young, better known by her mononym Sooyoung, is a South Korean singer and actress. She was a member of the short-lived Korean-Japanese singing duo, Route θ, during 2002 in Japan. After returning to South Korea in 2004, Sooyoung eventually became a member of girl group Girls' Generation in 2007. The group went on to become one of the best-selling artists in South Korea and one of South Korea's most popular girl groups worldwide. Apart from her group's activities, Sooyoung has also starred in various television dramas such as The Third Hospital (2012), Dating Agency: Cyrano (2013), My Spring Days (2014), Squad 38 (2016), and Man in the Kitchen (2017–2018).
The Korean Armistice Agreement is the armistice which brought about a complete cessation of hostilities of the Korean War. It was signed by U.S. Army Lieutenant General William Harrison, Jr. representing the United Nations Command (UNC), North Korean General Nam Il representing the Korean People's Army (KPA), and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA). The Armistice was signed on 27 July 1953, and was designed to "ensure a complete cessation of hostilities and of all acts of armed force in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is achieved."
Samsung is a South Korean multinational conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the Samsung brand, and is the largest South Korean chaebol.
