SOUTH KOREA

Republic of Korea” redirects here. For the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, see North Korea. For the 1919–1945 government in exile that used the same name, see Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.

Republic of Korea대한민국(Korean) Daehan Minguk (RR)
FlagEmblem
Anthem: 애국가 Aegukga “The Patriotic Song”
National seal:
Territory controlled  Territory claimed but not controlled (North Korea)
Capitaland largest city	Seoul 37°33′N 126°58′E
Administrative center	Sejong City[a] 36.487002°N 127.282234°E
Official languages	Korean (Pyojuneo) Korean Sign Language[1]
Official script	Hangul
Ethnic groups (2019)[2]	95.1% Korean4.9% other
Religion (2015)[3][4]	56.1% no religion27.6% Christianity[b]15.5% Buddhism0.8% other
Demonym(s)	South KoreanKorean
Government	Unitary presidential republic
• President	Yoon Suk Yeol
• Prime Minister	Han Duck-soo
• Speaker of the National Assembly	Woo Won-shik
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court	Cho Hee-dae
• President of the Constitutional Court	Lee Jongseok
Legislature	National Assembly
Establishment history
• Gojoseon	October 3, 2333 BCE (mythological)
• Three Kingdoms	57 BCE
• Balhae and Silla Kingdoms	668
• Goryeo dynasty	July 25, 918
• Joseon dynasty	August 13, 1392
• Korean Empire	October 12, 1897
• Japanese annexation	August 22, 1910
• Independence from Japan declared	March 1, 1919
• Provisional Government	11 April 1919
• Liberation from Japanese occupation	August 15, 1945
• US administration of Korea south of the 38th parallel	September 8, 1945
• ROK established	August 15, 1948
• Current constitution	February 25, 1988
Area
• Excl. North Korea	100,363[5][6][7] km2 (38,750 sq mi) (107th)
• Water (%)	0.3
Population
• 2024 estimate	52,081,799[8] (28th)
• Density	507/km2 (1,313.1/sq mi) (15th)
GDP (PPP)	2024 estimate
• Total	$3.058 trillion[9] (14th)
• Per capita	$59,330[9] (28th)
GDP (nominal)	2024 estimate
• Total	$1.761 trillion[9] (14th)
• Per capita	$34,165[9] (33rd)
Gini (2021)	33.3[7] medium inequality
HDI (2022)	0.929[10] very high (19th)
Currency	Korean Republic won (₩) (KRW)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Korea Standard Time)
Date format	yyyy년 m월 d일yyyy. m. d. (CE)
Drives on	right
Calling code	+82
ISO 3166 code	KR
Internet TLD	.kr.한국

South Korea,^[c] officially the Republic of Korea (ROK),^[d] 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.^[e] 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 half live in the Seoul Capital Area, the ninth most populous metropolitan area in the world. Other ma