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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 ; though it also claims the land border with China and Russia . 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 Busan , Daegu and Incheon . Gyeongsang region takes up 25% of its population and Economy .
The Korean Peninsula was inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period. Its first kingdom was noted in Chinese records in the early 7th century BCE. Following the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea into Silla and Balhae in the late 7th century, Korea was ruled by the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) and the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897). The succeeding Korean Empire (1897–1910) 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 : a northern zone occupied by the Soviet Union , and a southern zone occupied by the United States . After negotiations on reunification failed, the southern zone became the Republic of Korea in August 1948, while the northern zone became the communist Democratic People's Republic of Korea the following month.
In 1950, a North Korean invasion began the Korean War , which ended in 1953 after extensive fighting involving the American-led United Nations Command and the People's Volunteer Army from China with Soviet assistance . The war left 3 million Koreans dead and the economy in ruins . The authoritarian First Republic of Korea led by Syngman Rhee was overthrown in the April Revolution of 1960. However, the Second Republic was incompetent as it could not control the revolutionary fervor. The May 16 coup of 1961 led by Park Chung Hee put an end to the Second Republic, signaling the start of the Third Republic in 1963. South Korea's devastated economy began to soar under Park's leadership, recording the one of fastest rises in average GDP per capita . Despite lacking natural resources, the nation rapidly developed to become one of the Four Asian Tigers based on international trade and economic globalization , integrating itself within the world economy with export-oriented industrialization . The Fourth Republic was established after the October Restoration of 1972, in which Park wielded absolute power. The Yushin Constitution declared that the president could suspend basic human rights and appoint a third of the parliament. Suppression of the opposition and human rights abuse by the government became more severe in this period. Even after Park's assassination in 1979, the authoritarian rule continued in the Fifth Republic led by Chun Doo-hwan , which violently seized power by two coups and brutally suppressing the Gwangju Uprising . The June Democratic Struggle of 1987 ended authoritarian rule , forming the current Sixth Republic. The country is now considered among the most advanced democracies in Continental and East Asia. (Full article... )
Anyang city from Suri mountain.
Anyang (
Korean pronunciation: [a.njaŋ] ) is a
city in
Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. With a population of approximately 600,000, it is the 20th largest city in South Korea. It is a
satellite city of
Seoul and located approximately 21 km (13 mi) south of
Seoul , and 19 km (12 mi) north of Suwon. It is connected to Seoul via the
Seoul Subway Line 1 and
Line 4 . The City motto of Anyang is "Livable city, Proud citizens". City symbols are a grape mascot named 'Podong-i',
Forsythia (flower),
Ginkgo (tree), and
eagles . (
Full article... )
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South Korean pop group Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation (Korean : 소녀시대 ; RR : Sonyeo Sidae ), also known as SNSD , is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment . Its nine original members were (pictured, from left to right): Taeyeon , Hyoyeon , Seohyun , Sooyoung , Yoona , Jessica , Tiffany , Sunny , and Yuri . Jessica later departed from the group in September 2014.
This is a Good article , an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.
The Third Battle of Seoul was a battle of the Korean War , which took place from December 31, 1950, to January 7, 1951, around the South Korean capital of Seoul . It is also known as the Chinese New Year's Offensive , the January–Fourth Retreat (Korean : 1•4 후퇴 ) or the Third Phase Campaign Western Sector (Chinese : 第三次战役西线 ; pinyin : Dì Sān Cì Zhàn Yì Xī Xiàn ).
In the aftermath of the major Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) victory at the Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River , the United Nations Command (UN) started to contemplate the possibility of evacuation from the Korean Peninsula . Chinese Communist Party chairman Mao Zedong ordered the Chinese People's Volunteer Army to cross the 38th Parallel in an effort to pressure the UN forces to withdraw from South Korea.
On December 31, 1950, the Chinese 13th Army attacked the
Republic of Korea Army (ROK)'s
1st ,
2nd ,
5th and
6th Infantry Divisions along the 38th Parallel, breaching UN defenses at the
Imjin River ,
Hantan River ,
Gapyeong and
Chuncheon in the process. To prevent the PVA forces from overwhelming the defenders, the US
Eighth Army now under the command of Lieutenant General
Matthew B. Ridgway evacuated Seoul on January 3, 1951. (
Full article... )
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