South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, occupies the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, bordering North Korea at the Demilitarized Zone. It's surrounded by the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan. South Korea asserts its claim as the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula. With a population of 51.71 million, half reside in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, one of the world's largest. Major cities include Busan, Daegu, and Incheon.
In 1905, the Liancourt Rocks were the first Korean territories to be forcibly colonized by Japan.
In 1919, the March First Movement protests occurred, leading to the foundation of resistance groups in exile.
Despite intentions to liberate a unified peninsula in the 1943 Cairo Declaration, Korea was divided in 1948.
In May 1948, Syngman Rhee won the first presidential elections of the newly declared Republic of Korea.
In August 1948, after failed negotiations on reunification, the southern zone of Korea became the Republic of Korea.
In 1948, escalating tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States led to the division of Korea into two political entities: North Korea and South Korea.
In 1948, the constitution was first promulgated at independence, and the first direct election was held.
On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, sparking the Korean War.
In 1950, a North Korean invasion triggered the Korean War, a major proxy conflict of the Cold War.
Upon the onset of the Korean War in 1950, U.S. forces were sent to defend South Korea against an invasion from North Korea.
In 1951, the Liancourt Rocks were returned to Korea along with the rest of its territory with the signing of the Treaty of San Francisco.
In 1953, the Korean War ended with an armistice but no peace treaty, leading to the ongoing Korean conflict.
The 1953 armistice split the Korean peninsula along the demilitarized zone, and no peace treaty was ever signed.
In 1960, a student uprising (the "April Revolution") led to the resignation of President Syngman Rhee.
South Korea's population decline is attributed to a rapid decline in birth rates that began in 1960.
On May 16, 1961, a coup led by General Park Chung Hee broke the period of political instability in South Korea.
Since 1962, the European Union has been the single largest foreign investor in South Korea.
In 1967, Seoul hosted the Asian Basketball Championship.
In 1972, President Park Chung Hee extended his rule by creating a new constitution, which gave the president sweeping powers and unlimited six-year terms.
In 1979, General Chun Doo-hwan led the coup d'état of December Twelfth.
President Park Chung Hee's 17-year tenure ended with his assassination in 1979.
In 1980, South Korea began recording the fastest rise in average GDP per capita in the world, continuing until 1990.
In 1980, martial law was declared for the first time since the 1980 military coup d'état after the assassination of dictator Park Chung Hee.
In 1982, the Korea Professional Baseball league, a 10-team circuit, was established and at the Baseball Worldcup, Korea won the gold medal.
Since Mexico 1986, The Korea Republic national team qualified for every World Cup.
In 1987, martial law was declared for the first time since democratization.
In 1987, the June Democratic Struggle ignited across the country after the death of Park Jong-chul and the Democratic Justice Party announced the June 29 Declaration.
The June Democratic Struggle of 1987 ended authoritarian rule in South Korea and led to the establishment of the current Sixth Republic.
Under the 1987 constitution, South Korea maintains a unitary presidential republic.
In 1988, Seoul hosted the Olympic Games, providing a boost for South Korea's global image and economy.
In 1988, South Korea hosted the Summer Olympics in Seoul, achieving fourth place with 12 gold medals, 10 silver medals, and 11 bronze medals.
From 1980 to 1990, South Korea experienced the fastest rise in average GDP per capita globally.
In 1991, South Korea became a member of the United Nations at the same time as North Korea.
South Korea was formally invited to become a member of the United Nations in 1991.
Since 1992, South Korea has launched 10 satellites using foreign rockets and overseas launch pads.
In 1995, Seoul hosted the Asian Basketball Championship.
In 1996, South Korea became a member of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development).
Although severely harmed by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, South Korea managed a rapid recovery and subsequently tripled its GDP.
The transition of Korea from autocracy to modern democracy was marked against the backdrop of the 1997 Asian financial crisis.
On February 25, 1998, Kim Dae-jung was sworn in as the eighth president of South Korea.
In 1999, the film Shiri achieved significant success, marking the beginning of substantial growth and recognition for the Korean film industry both nationally and internationally.
In June 2000, a North–South summit took place in Pyongyang as part of President Kim Dae-jung's "Sunshine Policy".
In 2000, taekwondo became an official Olympic sport after modern rules were standardized in the 1950s and 1960s.
Beginning in 2001, South Korea deployed 24,000 troops in the Middle East region to support the war on terror.
In 2002, South Korea experienced significant economic growth, with a rate of 7.2%.
Between 2003 and 2013, EU trade with South Korea enjoyed an annual average growth rate of 9.8%.
Since 2003, robotics has been included in the list of main national research and development projects.
The Korean Robot Game Festival has been held every year since 2004 to promote science and robot technology.
In 2005, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) developed the world's second walking humanoid robot, HUBO.
In May 2006, a team in the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology developed the first Korean android, EveR-1.
In 2006, South Korea was designated as a priority FTA partner by the European Union, leading to many years of negotiations.
In 2006, the European Union accounted for almost 45% of all FDI inflows into South Korea.
In 2006, the South Korea national baseball team finished third in the World Baseball Classic.
On January 1, 2007, Ban Ki-moon, former South Korean Foreign Minister, became the UN Secretary-General.
On October 4, 2007, Roh Moo-Hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il signed an eight-point agreement on issues of permanent peace, high-level talks, economic cooperation, renewal of train services, highway and air travel, and a joint Olympic cheering squad.
In 2007, a conservative government was elected, led by President Lee Myung-bak.
In 2007, the Republic of Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement was signed between South Korea and the United States, but its formal implementation was delayed.
In 2007, the Seoul National University cloned two females of an endangered species of gray wolves.
South Korea was one of the few developed countries that was able to avoid a recession during the global financial crisis of 2007–08.
In April 2008, Yi So-yeon became the first Korean to fly in space, aboard the Russian Soyuz TMA-12.
In 2008, South Korea won the gold medal in baseball at the Summer Olympics.
In 2008, during the Great Recession, South Korea's economic growth rate was 2.3%.
In June 2009, the first spaceport of South Korea, Naro Space Center, was completed at Goheung, South Jeolla Province.
In November 2009, South Korea joined the OECD Development Assistance Committee as a donor member.
In 2009, North Korea conducted a missile test. By early 2009, relationships between North and South Korea were very tense.
In 2009, South Korea maintained a low unemployment rate of 3.6% during the Great Recession, with an economic growth rate of 0.2%.
In 2009, South Korea's birth rate became the world's lowest, at an annual rate of approximately 9 births per 1000 people.
In 2009, the South Korean government announced plans to build robot-themed parks in Incheon and Masan with a mix of public and private funding.
The South Korean government blamed North Korea for cyberattack incidents that occurred in 2009, 2011 and 2012.
In February 2010, plans to create English-teaching robot assistants to compensate for the shortage of teachers were announced, with the robots being deployed to most preschools and kindergartens by 2013.
In March 2010, Anyang Halla won their first ever Asia League Ice Hockey title.
In March 2010, the South Korean warship ROKS Cheonan was sunk, allegedly by a North Korean submarine.
In September 2010, the free trade agreement between the EU and South Korea was approved.
In November 2010, South Korea hosted the G-20 Summit in Seoul, and concluded a free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union.
In November 2010, Yeonpyeongdo was attacked by a significant North Korean artillery barrage.
As of 2010, South Korea was in negotiations with Turkey regarding the construction of two nuclear reactors and preparing to bid on the construction of a light-water nuclear reactor for Argentina. South Korea has agreements with the United Arab Emirates to build and maintain four advanced nuclear reactors, and with Jordan for a research nuclear reactor.
As of 2010, South Korea was the world's fifth-largest nuclear power producer and the third-largest in Asia, supplying 45% of its electricity production.
In 2010, South Korea hosted its first Formula One race at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam. Seoul also hosted a professional triathlon race, which is part of the International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championship Series in 2010.
In 2010, South Korea spent ₩1.68 trillion in a cost-sharing agreement with the U.S. to provide budgetary support to the U.S. forces in Korea, in addition to the ₩29.6 trillion budget for its own military.
In 2010, South Korea's economic growth rate reached 6.2%, marking the fastest growth in eight years since 2002.
In 2010, The Korea Republic national team was defeated by eventual semi-finalist Uruguay in the Round of 16 in the World Cup.
In 2010, the Korean National Baseball team won the gold medal at the Asian Games.
South Korea's population more than doubled from 21.5 million in 1955 to 50 million by 2010.
On July 1, 2011, the free trade agreement between the EU and South Korea took effect.
On October 12, 2011, the U.S. Congress passed the long-stalled trade agreement with South Korea.
In 2011, the South Korean city of Daegu hosted the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Athletics.
The South Korean government blamed North Korea for cyberattack incidents that occurred in 2009, 2011 and 2012.
On March 15, 2012, the Republic of Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement went into effect.
In 2012, Psy's song "Gangnam Style" became an international music sensation, topping global music charts.
In 2012, South Korea saw another milestone with the first ever female President Park Geun-hye elected and assuming office.
In 2012, South Korea won the bronze medal for football at the Summer Olympics.
In 2012, the renewable portfolio standard program with renewable energy certificates was active, running until 2022. Also in 2012, around 350 residential micro combined heat and power units were installed.
The South Korean government blamed North Korea for cyberattack incidents that occurred in 2009, 2011 and 2012.
In January 2013, the launch of Naro-1 was successful, after two previous failed attempts.
Between 2003 and 2013, EU trade with South Korea enjoyed an annual average growth rate of 9.8%.
By 2013, English-teaching robot assistants were planned to be deployed to most preschools and kindergartens, following the announcement in February 2010.
Following cyberattacks in the first half of 2013, the South Korean national government committed to the training of 5,000 new cybersecurity experts by 2017.
In 2013, South Korea's total spending for research and development was about 3.9% of gross domestic product (GDP).
The Korean Grand Prix was held from 2010 to 2013.
From 2014 to 2019, South Korea ranked first among the most innovative countries in the Bloomberg Innovation Index.
In 2014, South Korea was the fifth-largest exporter and seventh-largest importer in the world, highlighting its heavy dependence on international trade.
In 2015, EU trade with South Korea exceeded €90 billion.
In 2015, South Korea signed a Free Trade Agreement with New Zealand.
From November 2016, a series of massive public demonstrations followed the accusation of President Park Geun-hye's administration of corruption, bribery, and influence-peddling.
In 2016, Ban Ki-moon's term as UN Secretary-General ended after serving from 2007.
In 2016, Incheon International Airport served 58 million passengers, making it the main gateway and largest airport in South Korea. Korean Air also served over 26 million passengers, including almost 19 million international passengers in 2016.
In 2016, the U.S. was South Korea's second largest trading partner, receiving $66 billion in exports.
After the fallout of Park's impeachment and dismissal, Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party won the presidency, assuming office on May 10, 2017.
By 2017, the South Korean national government aimed to have trained 5,000 new cybersecurity experts following cyberattacks.
In 2017, South Korea was the world's seventh largest emitter of carbon emissions and the fifth largest emitter per capita.
South Korea's fertility rate dropped to a new global low in 2017, with fewer than 30,000 births per month for the first time since records began.
In April 2018, Park Geun-hye was sentenced to 24 years in jail because of abuse of power and corruption.
On June 28, 2018, the South Korean Constitutional Court ruled the Military Service Act unconstitutional and ordered the government to accommodate civilian forms of military service for conscientious objectors.
On November 1, 2018, the South Korean Supreme Court legalized conscientious objection as a basis for rejecting compulsory military service.
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In 2018, Pyeongchang hosted the Winter Olympics.
In 2018, South Korea recorded less than one child per woman.
From 2014 to 2019, South Korea ranked first among the most innovative countries in the Bloomberg Innovation Index.
In 2019, Parasite, directed by Bong Joon-ho, became the highest-grossing film in South Korea and the first non-English language film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
In 2019, South Korea had a Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 6.02/10, ranking it 87th globally out of 172 countries.
In 2019, more than 17 million foreign tourists visited South Korea. The Hyundai Research Institute reported that the Korean Wave has a direct influence on encouraging direct foreign investment back into the country through demand for products, and the tourism industry.
In 2020, South Korea recorded more deaths than births, resulting in a population decline for the first time on record.
In 2020, South Korea recorded more deaths than births, resulting in the first population decrease since modern records began.
Since late 2020, SK Bioscience Inc. has been producing a major proportion of the Vaxzevria vaccine (also known as COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca) under license from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca.
On October 21, 2021, the KSLV-2 Nuri was successfully launched, and South Korea became a country with its own space projectile technology.
In 2021, the survival drama Squid Game, created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, was released and received critical acclaim and widespread international attention, becoming Netflix's most-watched series at launch with over 142 million households viewing it in its first four weeks.
In March 2022, Yoon Suk Yeol, the candidate of conservative opposition People Power Party, won a close election.
Yoon Suk Yeol was sworn in on May 10, 2022.
In 2022, SK Bioscience expanded its vaccine production for a second vaccine to 40 million doses, with a $450 million investment in domestic and overseas facilities.
In 2022, South Korea had an estimated population of roughly 51.7 million.
In 2022, South Korea's total spending for research and development grew to more than 4.9% of gross domestic product (GDP).
In 2022, The Economist Democracy Index classifies South Korea as a "full democracy", ranking at 24th out of 167 countries.
In 2022, The Korea Republic national team broke out of the group stage in the World Cup.
In 2022, the ROK Armed Forces had a reported personnel strength of 3,600,000 (500,000 active and 3,100,000 reserve).
In 2022, the renewable portfolio standard program with renewable energy certificates ended after running from 2012.
In October 2023, South Korea and Britain agreed to extend a period of low or zero tariffs on bilateral trade of products with parts from the European Union.
As of 2023, according to the V-Dem Democracy indices South Korea is the 3rd most electoral democratic country in Asia.
In 2023, the South Korean government announced a spending cut by about 11% for 2024 and the intention to shift resources to new initiatives.
In May 2024, South Korea declared its low birth rate a 'national emergency' and created a new ministry dedicated to reversing the trend and addressing issues related to aging, immigration, and the workforce.
In November 2024, South Korea experienced a 14.6% year-on-year increase in births, marking the highest growth rate since November 2010.
On December 3, 2024, Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, accusing the opposition of being pro-North Korean.
On December 14, 2024, Yoon Suk Yeol's actions resulted in his impeachment.
As of 2024, South Korea has 24 UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity.
In 2024, South Korea was ranked 6th in the Global Innovation Index.
In 2024, South Korea's life expectancy reached 83.53 years, ranking fifth highest globally.
In 2024, the South Korean government implemented a spending cut of about 11% for research and development.
The population of South Korea is expected to peak at 52 million in 2024.
Data released in January 2025 showed that the number of births in November 2024 was 20,095, a 14.6% increase year-on-year. This was the highest growth rate since November 2010 and the third consecutive month of double-digit growth.
In 2050, President Moon Jae-in pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero.
South Korea's population is expected to decline to 36 million by 2072, owing to a rapid decline in birth rates.
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