South Korea was created in 1945 as the Korean Peninsula was divided between the Soviet Union and the US at the 38 th parallel. This division occurred as these two powers took the Japanese surrender and met at this parallel. This division was intended to be temporary; however, events conspired to turn it into a continuing division and today South and North Korea have very different societies. The growing tensions as a result of the Cold War plus the invasion of South Korea by the North in 1950 in an attempt to reunify the country by force, resulted in the three year Korean War. The truce ending this war solidified the division along the 38 th parallel and created one of the world’s most heavily guarded borders. The North is run by a Communist style government while the South has gradually developed a democratic form of government.
South Korea inhabits the bottom half of the 1000 kilometer long Korean Peninsula which juts out from the Asian mainland between the East Sea/Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea. Thus, South Korea is surrounded by water and shares a border (238 kilometers long) only with North Korea. About 44.6% of the Korean Peninsula belongs to South Korea, and hundreds of small islands in the nation’s territorial waters also constitute part of the country. The entire Korean peninsula is mountainous; while the highest mountains are all in the North, about 70% of South Korea consists of mountains and uplands. 22% of the land is arable and South Korea produces an abundance of basic food supplies, including rice.
South Korea enjoys a temperate climate with long cold dry winters and short hot humid summers. The monsoon rains coming in from the pacific in late summer often cause flooding in the cities. South Korea has an annual rainfall of over 100 centimeters per year, with most of this rain coming between June and September. Fall and Spring are the nicest times of year with warm days, cool evenings and plenty of sun. Jeju Island is a small island off the South coast of Korea which enjoyed warm, mild weather. It is a favorite honeymoon spot and is often billed as “ Korea’s Hawaii.”
The population of South Korea is over 48 million, more than double the population of North Korea. This is a reversal of the pre-1945 situation in which the North had a higher percentage of the population. The population boom is accounted for by migration from the north and the excellent standard of living which the nation has achieved. This population makes South Korea one of the world’s most densely populated countries. South Korea is a largely urban country with a number of large cities, including Seoul, the capital, Busan, Daegu and others. The population of Korea is racially and linguistically homogeneous, with over 99 percent of the people being ethnic Korean; there are only a handful of Chinese who are permanent residents of the country. They all speak mutually intelligible dialects of standard Korean. While Hangul, the Korean alphabet invented in the 15 th century, is the main method of writing, about 2000 Chinese characters are also in use. This is in contrast to the North which uses Hangul exclusively.
Koreans enjoy religious freedom and the organized religions of Buddhism and Christianity are each practiced by about 25% of the Korean populace. Chondogyo, a native religion founded in the mid-19 th century which unites elements of Confucianism and Christianity is estimated to have over 1 million adherents. In addition, the native tradition of shamanism is flourishing and many Koreans who profess not to be religious practice certain elements of shamanism. The government has designated certain important shamans as “Living National Treasures” and shamans can be found performing ceremonies for the benefit of modern companies.
South Korea is one of Asia’s economic miracles and is today one of the leading economies in the world; in 2003 it was the 11 th-largest economy in the world.. At the end of the Korean War in 1953, the economy was in shambles, agriculture was destroyed and industry was virtually non-existent. The US gave large amounts of economic aid for 27 years; this infusion of funds plus the Korean’s hard work and inventiveness help account for this “miracle” which first rebuilt the country and then began rapid economic growth. The Government of President Park instituted a series of economic reforms in the early 1960’s. These economic measures emphasized exports and labor-intensive light industries; these industries caused “made in Korea” to become an international byword. In the 1970’s, Korea began to promote heavy industries including chemical industries, consumer electronics and automobile manufacture. These manufactures grew rapidly in the 1980s and early 1990s. Korea has met its growing energy needs with the building of 16 nuclear power plants with others under construction.
The economy of South Korea is dominated by the chaebol or business conglomerates. These conglomerates control all aspects of the supply production, from obtaining raw materials to marketing the final product. Most industries are located in urban areas in the northwest and southeast. While industry has dominated the economy, a growing labor movement is currently affecting both production and costs of products. The high standard of living in South Korea has created both growing consumer demand for products and labor demands for increased wages and benefits.
In November, 1997, Korea, along with Thailand and Indonesia, experienced the “Asian economic crisis” which resulted in a decline in currency values, a drop in currency reserves and a loss of manufacturing. This resulted in loans from the World Bank and others and a restructuring of the economy to attract foreign investment and to reduce barriers to freer trade and investment. The economy has been recovering steadily in the past few years and the economy is again strong although some of the conglomerates which dominate the economy continue to have financial problems. In 1988, South and North Korea signed agreements to allow trade. Since that time, South Korea has assisted the north to develop tourism and certain industries, and Daewoo is building an industrial complex at Nampo ( North Korea’s “free trade” city).
Transportation and communication facilities in South Korea are modern and excellent. It has an extensive paved road system with modern highway buses that reach virtually every corner of the country. The rail system is extensive and well maintained; major cities have excellent and far reaching subway systems which connect to the rail network. All major and many minor centers are served by airports; a new, state of the art, International airport was recently opened in Incheon which is one of the most modern airports in the world. Virtually all families have telephones and Korea is reportedly the country with the highest percentage of people, over 75%, having cell phones. Children as young a 5 routinely bring cell phones to classes and Koreans use them in all public venues.
South Korea has one of the highest literary rates in the world with virtually all people being literate. The society places a high value on education and it has one of the world’s highest rates of attendance at colleges and universities with about 35% of the student age group attending these institutions. Schools operate 6 days a week and it is not uncommon for children to attend private English language schools after their regular schools finish.
