South Korea

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

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 peninsula for 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 (1392–1897) generated cultural, economic, and scientific achievements but maintained an isolationist policy from the mid-17th century. The succeeding Korean Empire (1897–1910) sought modernization and reform but was annexed in 1910 into the Empire of Japan. Japanese rule ended following Japan's surrender in World War II, after which Korea was divided into two zones: the Soviet-occupied northern zone and the United States-occupied southern zone. After negotiations on reunification failed, the southern zone became the Republic of Korea in August 1948, while the northern zone became the Soviet-aligned Democratic People's Republic of Korea the following month. In 1950, a Soviet-backed North Korean invasion triggered the Korean War, which ended in 1953 with an armistice. South Korea endured a series of dictatorships but also experienced a soaring economy, 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.

In Their Own Story

On 18 December 2000, the KFA named Dutch coach Guus Hiddink as manager for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted in South Korea. After a 5–0 loss to France at the 2001 Confederations Cup and another 5–0 loss to the Czech Republic, journalists gave Hiddink the nickname "Oh-dae-ppang" (meaning five to nothing in Korean). But when the World Cup began, South Korea achieved their first ever World Cup victory, 2–0 against Poland. A 1–1 draw with the United States followed, with Ahn Jung-hwan scoring a late equalizer. Against Portugal, who received two red cards, Park Ji-sung scored in a 1–0 victory, sending South Korea to the second round for the first time. In the round of 16, Italy led 1–0 through Christian Vieri until Seol Ki-hyeon equalized in the 88th minute. Francesco Totti was controversially sent off, and Ahn Jung-hwan scored a golden goal header to win 2–1. In the quarter-final against Spain, two Spanish goals were disallowed; South Korea won 5–3 on penalties, becoming the first Asian team to reach the semi-finals. Their run ended with a 1–0 loss to Germany, and they finished fourth after a 3–2 loss to Turkey in the third-place match.

Reader's Guide

South Korea is now considered among the most advanced democracies in Asia. Under the 1987 constitution, it maintains a unitary presidential republic with a popularly elected unicameral legislature, the National Assembly. South Korea is a major non-NATO ally of the United States and 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, South Korea's economy ranks the 14th largest in the world by nominal GDP and PPP-adjusted GDP; it is the world's ninth-largest exporter and tenth-largest importer. The country 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 one of the lowest fertility rates in the world. South 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.

Did You Know?

• The name Korea is an exonym derived from the historical Korean kingdom name Goryeo.
• The Korean Peninsula was inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period.
• South Korea's conscription-based armed forces have the second highest number of military and paramilitary personnel in the world.
• South Korea has one of the world's longest life expectances but also one of the lowest fertility rates.