South Korea

Statement

Thisentryhasbeenorganizedwithreferencetotheadministrativeareaentryeditingguidelines;ifyouhavesuggestionsorwanttoparticipateinthecompilation,youarewelcometocommunicatewiththeGeographyGroupofBaike.

• Popculture

SouthKoreaisreallystrongon09/1/202114:28

Sincetheendofthelastcentury,Koreanpopculturehasgraduallygainedamarketinneighboringcountries.Withthelaunchofvariousidolgroups,HallyuhasusheredinabigexplosioninAsia,andthecountryisnoexception.Ithasappearedinallaspectsofpeople’slivesinanall-roundway.Peoplewhodon’tunderstandKoreanpopculturedon’tknowwhy....Details

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Theoriginofthecountryname

ThenameofSouthKoreaoriginatesfromancienttimesAtthattime,thetribalalliance"Sanhan"(Chenhan,Mahan,Benhan)inthesouthernpartoftheKoreanpeninsula,duringtheEasternHanDynastyandtheThreeKingdomsperiod,theregimeofSanhanwascalled"SouthKorea"bytheCentralPlains,suchas"ThreeKingdoms·UmaruXianbeiDong"TheLegendofYi"records:"AttheendofHuanandLing,HanYiwasstrongandprosperous,countiesandcountiescouldnotbecontrolled,andmanypeopleflowedintoKorea."ThisistheearliestrecordoftheregimeontheKoreanPeninsulabeingcalled"SouthKorea."Sincethen,manyregimesontheKoreanpeninsuladidnotuse"Han"astheirnationaltitle,buttheystilladopted"Han"or"ThreeHans"astheirnicknames.ByOctober1897,theKoreanEmpirewasestablishedbyKingGojongofNorthKorea,and"SouthKorea"wasputonthestageofhistoryastheofficialnameofthecountryontheKoreanpeninsula.TheProvisionalGovernmentoftheRepublicofKoreawasestablishedinShanghai,Chinain1919.Althoughthegovernmentsystemwaschanged,thenameofthecountrywasstillusedas"SouthKorea".SinceAugust15,1948,thenameofthecountryinthesouthernpartoftheKoreanpeninsulahasbeendesignatedasthe"RepublicofKorea",orSouthKoreaforshort.

History

_{Mainentry:HistoryoftheKoreanPeninsula、HistoryoftheRepublicofKorea}

InAugust1910,JapanforcedtheKoreanEmpiretosignthe"Japan-SouthKoreaMergerTreaty"andformallyannextheKoreanPeninsula.

OnApril11,1919,the"ProvisionalGovernmentoftheRepublicofKorea"wasestablishedinShanghai,China.AftertheChineseAnti-JapaneseWarbrokeout,theProvisionalGovernmentoftheRepublicofKoreamovedtoHangzhou,Jiaxing,Zhenjiang,Changsha,Guangzhou,Liuzhou,Qijiangandotherplaces,andarrivedinChongqingin1940.Today’sSouthKoreangovernmentregards1919whentheinterimgovernmentwasestablishedinShanghaiasthefirstyearofthefoundingofthe"RepublicofKorea."

InAugust1945,Japansurrendered,andtheUSandSoviettroopsstationedinthenorthandsouthofthepeninsula.

OnAugust15,1948,theRepublicofKoreawasestablishedinthesouthernhalfofthepeninsula,andLeeSeungmanbecamethefirstpresident.

In1960,LeeSeung-mansteppeddown,andinAugustofthesameyear,YinTongshanbecamepresident.

ParkZhengxilaunchedamilitarycoupin1961andhasbeeninpowerforalongtimethereafter.

In1979,ParkJong-heewasassassinatedandChunDoo-hwanstagedacoupandbecamepresidentin1980.

In1987,SouthKoreareviseditsconstitutionandimplementeddirectpresidentialelections.Inthesameyear,Tae-wooNohwaselectedasthe13thpresident.Sincethen,KimYoung-sam,KimDae-jung,RohMoo-hyun,LeeMyung-bak,ParkGeun-hyeandMoonJae-inhavebeenelectedfromthe14thtothe19thpresidents.

InJuly2021,theUnitedNationsConferenceonTradeandDevelopmentpassedthechangeofSouthKorea’sstatusatthe68thTradeandDevelopmentBoardmeeting,officiallyidentifyingSouthKoreaasadevelopedcountry.

GeographicalEnvironment

Topography

SouthKoreaislocatedinthesouthernhalfoftheKoreanPeninsulainthenortheasternpartoftheAsiancontinent.East,south,andwestaresurroundedbyseaonthreesides.

Mountainsoccupiesabouttwo-thirdsoftheareaof​​theKoreanPeninsula.Theterrainisdiverse,withlowmountains,hillsandplainsstaggered.Thelowmountainsandhillsaremainlydistributedinthemiddleandeast,andthealtitudeismostlybelow500meters.TheTaebaekMountainsrunthroughtheeastcoastandformthebackboneofthesoutherntopographyofthepeninsula;severalparallelmountainsextendingtothesideoftheYellowSeaformlowhillyareas,includingTaebaekMountains,GyeongsangMountains,SobaekMountains,etc.,amongwhichSeorakMountain,WutaiMountain,etc.Themountainpeakisfamousforitsbeautifulscenery.ThehighestpeakoftheSobaiMountainrangefromnortheasttosouthwestisJirisanMountain,whichis1915metersabovesealevel.HallaMountainislocatedinthecenterofJejuIsland,atanaltitudeof1950meters,andisthehighestpeakinKorea.Inancienttimes,itissaidthatthereweregodslivingonHallaMountain,soHallaMountainwascalledYingzhouMountaininthepast,anditwasknownasthethreesacredmountainsalongwithGeumgangMountainandJirisanMountain.

Theplainsaremainlydistributedinthesouthandwest,withelevationsbelow200meters.ThereareplainssuchastheHanjiangPlainandHunanPlainalongthecoastoftheYellowSea,andtheGimhaePlain,JeonnamPlainandothersmallplainsalongthecoastoftheSouthChinaSea.

Climatecharacteristics

SouthKoreahasatemperatemonsoonclimate,withanaverageannualtemperatureof13℃～14℃andanaverageannualrainfallofabout1300～1500mm.

SouthKoreahasfourdistinctseasons,withshortspringandautumnseasons;summersarehotandhumid;wintersarecoldanddrywithoccasionalsnow.Thenorthernparthasatemperatemonsoonclimate,andthesouthernparthasasubtropicalclimatewithremarkablemaritimecharacteristics.Winterislongandcold,summerishotandhumid,andspringandautumnarequiteshort.

Distributionofwatersystems

ThelongestriversinKoreaareNakdongRiverandHanRiver,whicharethetwomainriversinthesouthernpartofthepeninsula.TheNakdongRiveris525kilometerslongandflowsintotheEastChinaSea;theHanRiveris514kilometerslongandflowsintotheYellowSea.Itisanimportantwatersysteminthecentralregion.Otherriversinclude:GeumRiver,SeomjinRiver,ImjinRiverandsoon.TherearefewlakesinSouthKorea.ThelargestnaturallakeisBaeklutaninthecraterofHallaMountaininJejuIsland.Itis1,850metersabovesealevel,about300metersindiameter,1kilometersincircumference,and6metersindepth.ThelargestartificiallakeisSoyangLake,whichislocated13kilometersnortheastofChuncheonCity,GangwonProvince.Itwascompletedin1973andcoversanareaof​​69.3millionsquaremeters.Inaddition,therearesomesmallerlakes,suchasSaabashiLakeandKizuLake.

Naturalresources

SouthKoreahasfewmineralresources.Therearemorethan280mineralsdiscovered,ofwhichmorethan50areeconomicallyvaluable.Mineralswithminingvalueincludeiron,anthracite,lead,zinc,tungsten,etc.,butthereservesarenotlarge.Naturalresourcesarescarce,andthemainindustrialrawmaterialsarealldependentonimports.

Administrativedivisions

Administrativedistricts

Mainarticle:KoreaAdministrativedivisions

SouthKoreaisdividedinto1specialcity:SeoulSpecialCity;2specialmunicipalities(roads):SejongSpecialSelf-GoverningCity(July2,2012Establishment),JejuSpecialSelf-GoverningProvince;8provinces:GyeonggiProvince,GangwonProvince,ChungcheongbukProvince,ChungcheongnamProvince,Jeollabukdo,Jeollanamdo,GyeongsangbukProvince,Gyeongsangnamdo;6metropolitancities:Busan,Daegu,Incheon,Gwangju,Daejeon,Ulsan.

Capital

Mainentry:Seoul

Seoul,withapopulationofabout10million,anareaof​​605squarekilometers,andanaverageannualtemperatureof11.6℃.

Nationalsymbol

Nationalflag

TheTaiChiflagwassenttoJapanbytheenvoysParkYoung-hyoandJinYuinAugust1882.BothlistenedtothesuggestionsoftheQingdynasty’senvoyMaJianzhong.ItwasdrawnforthefirsttimeonboardandwasofficiallyadoptedbyLeeHeeasthenationalflagofLee'sNorthKoreain1883.OnMarch25,1949,theKoreanMinistryofCultureandEducationdeliberationcommitteemadeaclearexplanationwhendeterminingitasthenationalflagoftheRepublicofKorea:thehorizontalandverticalratiooftheTaiChiflagis3:2,thewhitegroundrepresentstheland,themiddleistheTaiChitworituals,andthefourcornershaveblackfourhexagrams.ThecircleofTaiChirepresentsthepeople.Insidethecircle,therearetwofish-shapedobjectscurvedupanddown.Theupperpartisredandthelowerpartisblue.Theyrepresentyangandyinrespectively,andsymbolizetheuniverse.Inthefourhexagrams,thestemintheupperleftcorneristhethreeyanglinesrepresentingheaven,spring,east,andbene;theKuninthelowerrightcorneristhethreeyinlinesrepresentingland,summer,west,andrighteousness;theridgeintheupperrightcorneristhetwoyinlinesandoneyangline.Thelinerepresentswater,autumn,south,andritual;the"li"inthelowerleftcornermeansthattwoyanglinesandoneyinlinerepresentfire,winter,north,andwisdom.Theoverallpatternmeansthateverythingiseternallymoving,balancedandcoordinatedwithinaninfiniterange,symbolizingEasternthought,philosophyandmystery.

NationalEmblem

TheNationalEmblemwasannouncedonJuly3,1970.

Inthecenterofthenationalemblemisabloominghibiscusflower.Thewhitebackgroundofthehibiscusflowersymbolizespeaceandpurity,andtheyellowsymbolizesprosperityandprosperity.Thecenteroftheflowerisreplacedbyaredandblueyinandyangpicture.ItisnotonlyatraditionalsymbolofKoreanculture,butalsorepresentstheharmonybetweenstateadministrationandthelawsofnature.Awhiteribbonissurroundedbyhibiscusflowers,andthecountry'sname"RepublicofKorea"issewnontheribbon.

NationalAnthem

SouthKorea’snationalanthemis"PatrioticAnthem".Korea’sfirstnon-governmentalnewspaper"IndependenceNews"publishedmultipleversionsofthelyricsofthepatrioticanthemin1896,butthemelodyofthe"patrioticanthem"hadnotyetbeendeterminedatthattime.LaterintheKoreanEmpire,themelodyofthepatrioticanthemwasdesignatedasanarmysong,calledthepatrioticanthemoftheKoreanEmpire.Afterbeingrevisedin1902,thePatrioticAnthemoftheKoreanEmpirewasusedinimportantnationalcelebrations.BeforethefoundingoftheRepublicofKorea,thepatrioticanthemwasalwayssunginaccordancewiththemelodyoftheScottishfolksong"AuldLangSyne"(called"FriendshipForever"inChina).However,thecomposerAhnYee-tae(1905～1965)feltthatitwasnotsuitabletousethefamousmelodyofothercountriesasthenationalsongofhisowncountry.Soin1935,here-createdthenationalsongandwasimmediatelytakenoverbytheprovisionalgovernmentoftheRepublicofKoreaatthattime.use.ButuntiltheestablishmentoftheRepublicofKoreain1945,thenationalanthemwasstillbasedonthe"AuldLangSyne"version.

NationalFlower

ThehibiscusfloweristhenationalflowerofKorea.Whentheflowersbloom,thebranchesofhibiscuswillgivebirthtomanybuds.Afteroneflowerwithers,theotherbudswillopencontinuously,bloomingfullofspring,andthespringisshiningbrightly.Therefore,Koreansalsocallit"infiniteflower".

Populationethnicity

SouthKoreaisasingle-ethniccountry,belongingtotheyellowraceEastAsiantype,accountingfor96.25%ofthetotalpopulationofthecountry.

AsofMay2020,thetotalpopulationofSouthKoreaisapproximately52million.

AccordingtotheMarch2021updateoftheofficialwebsiteoftheMinistryofForeignAffairsofthePeople’sRepublicofChina,thepopulationofSouthKoreaisapproximately52million.

Politics

Constitution

Mainentry:TheConstitutionoftheRepublicofKorea

In1948,SouthKoreapromulgateditsfirstconstitutionandestablishedanationinaccordancewithconstitutionalprinciples.Inthedecadesafterthefoundingofthecountry,SouthKoreahasreviseditsconstitutionninetimes.

ThecurrentconstitutionwaspassedbyareferenduminOctober1987,andittookeffectonFebruary25,1988.Theconstitutionstipulatesthatthepresidentenjoysthepowersasheadofstate,headofgovernment,andcommander-in-chiefofthearmedforcesforatermof5yearsandcannotbere-elected.

NationalAssembly

TheKoreanNationalAssembly,thelegislature.Themainfunctionsinclude:reviewingvariousbills;reviewingnationalbudgetsandfinalaccounts;monitoringgovernmentwork;approvingforeigntreatiesandagreeingtodeclarewarorpeace,impeachthepresidentandmajorgovernmentofficials,andvetothepresident'semergencyorders.Theunicameralsystemhasatotalof300seatsandthetermofofficeis4years.The20thCongresswaselectedinApril2016.Theparliamenthas1speakerand2deputyspeakers,electedbymembersoftheparliament.ThecurrentspeakerisWenXixiang,andthedeputyspeakersareLiZhurongandZhuShengrong.

Judicial

ThejudicialorgansincludetheGreatCourt,theHighCourt,theDistrictCourtandtheFamilyCourt.TheSupremeCourtisthehighestjudicialorgan.ThepresidentisappointedbythepresidentandmustbeapprovedbytheCongressforatermof6yearswithoutre-election.ThecurrentpresidentisKimMyung-soo.Thereisalsoaconstitutionalcourt,thecurrentdirectorLiuNanxi.

TheprocuratorialorgansincludetheGrandProcuratorate,theHigherProcuratorate,andtheLocalProcuratorate,whicharesubordinatetotheMinistryofLegalAffairs.TheSupremeProsecutor'sOfficeisthehighestprosecutorialagency,andthechiefprosecutorisappointedbythepresidentwithouttheapprovaloftheCongress.YinXiyue,thecurrentchiefprosecutor.

Thegovernment

Thereare18departments,5offices,and17offices.Thepresidentconcurrentlyservesastheheadofgovernment,andtheprimeministerassiststhepresidentinhiswork.ThecurrentPrimeMinisterJinFuqian.Themainmembersofthecurrentcabinetare:DeputyPrimeMinisterofEconomyandMinisterofPlanningandFinanceHongNang-ki,DeputyPrimeMinisterofSocietyandMinisterofEducationYuEun-hye,MinisterofScience,Technology,InformationandCommunicationChoiKi-young,MinisterofForeignAffairsJeongYi-yong,MinisterofUnificationLeeIn-young,MinisterofLegalAffairsParkBum-Jie,MinisterofNationalDefenseSeoWook,MinisterofAdministrationandSecurityJeonHae-cheol,MinisterofCulture,SportsandTourismHwangHee,MinisterofAgriculture,Forestry,LivestockandFoodstuffKimHyun-soo,MinisterofIndustry,Trade,andResourcesSungYoon-mo,MinisterofHealthandWelfare,KwonDuc-cheol,MinisterofEnvironmentHanJung-ae,TheMinisterofEmploymentandLabor,LeeJae-gap,MinisterofWomen’sFamily,JeongYoung-ae,MinisterofLand,Infrastructure,TransportandTourismBianChang-chin,MinisterofOceansandFisheries,MoonSung-hyuk,andMinisterofSmallandMedium-SizedVentures,hadsevenvictories.

Politicalparties

CommonDemocraticParty:ThepredecessorwastheNewPoliticalNationalCongressledbyKimDae-jung.KimDae-jungwaselectedpresidentin1997,andthepartybecametherulingparty.ItsplitintotheOpenKuomintangandtheDemocraticPartyin2003,mergedintotheUnifiedDemocraticPartyinFebruary2008,andchangeditsnametotheDemocraticPartyinJuly.InDecember2011,theDemocraticPartymergedwiththeCitizensUnityPartyandtheGeneralFederationofKoreanLaborUnionstoformtheDemocraticUnityParty.ChangeditsnametotheDemocraticPartyinMay2013.InMarch2014,itjoinedforceswithpoliticalforcesrepresentedbyAnZhexiutoformtheNewPoliticalDemocraticCoalitionParty.InDecember2015,itwasrenamedtheCommonDemocraticParty.InMay2017,theparty'scandidateMoonJae-inwonthegeneralelection.InJune2018,thepartywontheCongressby-electionandhas130seatsinCongress.

LiberalKoreaParty:ThepredecessorwastheDemocraticLiberalPartyestablishedin1990.In1995,itwasrenamedtheNewKoreaParty.In1997,theNewKoreaPartymergedwiththeKoreaDemocraticPartyandrenamedtheGrandNationalParty.InFebruary2012,itwasrenamedtheNewNationalParty.InDecember2016,somemembersofthepartywithdrewfromtheparty.InFebruary2017,itwasrenamedtheFreeKoreaParty.Itisnowthelargestoppositionpartywith113seatsinCongress.

PositiveFutureParty:InFebruary2018,itwasformedbythemergeroftheNationalistPartyandtheRighteousPartyandbecamethethirdlargestpartyinSouthKorea,with30seatsintheNationalAssembly.

DemocraticPeaceParty:InFebruary2018,itwasformedbysomemembersoftheKuomintangPartyandhas14seatsintheNationalAssembly.

TheJusticeParty:FormerlytheProgressiveJusticeParty,itwasrenamedtheJusticePartyinJuly2013andhas6seatsinCongress.

Dignitaries

MoonJae-in:President.BorninGeoje,Gyeongsangnam-do,SouthKoreainJanuary1953,hegraduatedfromtheFacultyofLawofKyungheeUniversityinSouthKorea.In1982,hecooperatedwithformerPresidentRohMoo-hyunasahumanrightslawyer.Since2003,hehasservedsuccessivelyastheChiefSecretaryofthePresident'sCivilAffairs,ChiefSecretaryofCivilSociety,SpecialAssistanttothePresident'sGovernmentAffairs,andChiefofthePresident'sSecretaryoftheRohMoo-hyungovernment.HewaselectedasamemberofCongressinApril2012andparticipatedinthepresidentialelectioninthesameyear,losingbyanarrowmargin.HewonthegeneralelectiononMay9,2017andwassworninonthe10th.

JinFuqian:PrimeMinisterofState.

SuccessivePresidents

Name

Termofoffice

PresidentialResidence

TheBlueHouse,theresidenceofthePresidentofKorea,islocatedinJongnoDistrict,SeoulOneSejongRoad.ThiswasoriginallythepalaceoftheGoryeoDynasty.AftertheJoseonDynastyestablishedthecapitalofSeoulin1426,itwasusedasthebackgardenofGyeongbokgungPalace.BuildingssuchasLongwuHall,Gyeongnongjae,andMartialArtsFieldwerebuilt,andapieceoftheking’spalacewasopened.Pro-arableland.AftertheJapaneseinvasionin1927,allbuildingsexceptWuyunPavilionweredestroyedandtheresidenceoftheGovernorofKoreawasestablished.AfterJapansurrenderedin1945,itbecametheofficialresidenceoftheChiefMilitaryOfficer.WhentheRepublicofKoreawasestablishedinAugust1948,itbecamethepresident'sresidenceandwasrenamedGyeongmudae.AftertheoverthrowoftheRheeSeungmanregimeonApril19,1960,YinPushanwaselectedpresidentandmergedintoJingwutai.Soon,becauseYinPushanwasjealousoftheword"wu"andnamedthegroupofbuildingswithwhitewallsandbluetilesBlueHouseinordertocorrespondtotheWhiteHouseoftheUnitedStates,somepeoplecalledit"BlueHouse"(BlueHouse).ThemainbuildingoftheBlueHouseistheofficialresidenceofthepresident,withthepresident'soffice,receptionhall,meetingroom,andlivingroom,aswellasthesecretarialroom,guardroom,andwelcomingbuildinginthesidebuilding.

Economy

Overview

SouthKorea'ssecondlargestcity—Busan(23photos)

Theindustryisdominatedbymanufacturingandserviceindustries.Shipbuilding,automobiles,electronics,steel,textilesandotherindustriesareamongthetop10intheworldintermsofoutput.LargecorporategroupsoccupyaveryimportantpositionintheKoreaneconomy.MajorlargecorporategroupsincludeSamsung,HyundaiMotor,SK,LGandsoon.

Asof2005,SouthKorea’sITindustryhasbeenaleaderintheindustryformanyyears.Inadditiontohigh-speedInternetservices,whichareworld-renowned,flat-paneldisplaydevicessuchasmemory,liquidcrystaldisplays,plasmadisplays,andmobilephonesareallintheworldmarket.LeadershipinChina.

Incheon,thethirdlargestcityinSouthKorea(28photos)

InJuly2021,theUnitedNationsConferenceonTradeandDevelopmentpassedthechangeofSouthKorea’sstatusatthe68thTradeandDevelopmentBoardmeeting,officiallyidentifyingSouthKoreaasadevelopedcountry.

In2020,SouthKorea’smaineconomicdataareasfollows:

GrossDomesticProduct:US$1.63trillion.

Percapitanationalincome:US$31,800.

Economicgrowthrate:-1.0%.

Currencyname:Koreanwon.

Exchangerate:1USdollar≈1133won(floatingexchangeratesystemisimplemented).

IronandSteelIndustry

Inthepasthalfcentury,theironandsteelindustryhasmadegreatcontributionstotherapiddevelopmentofSouthKorea’seconomy.Inthelate1960s,asSouthKorea’seconomicpolicyshiftedfromimportsubstitutionofconsumergoodstothedevelopmentofheavychemicalindustries,thesteelindustrybecameoneofSouthKorea’ssixstrategicindustries.In1973,markedbythecompletionofthefirstphaseofthemodernPohangSteel,theKoreansteelindustryenteredanewstageofgrowth.Inthe1970s,underthesupportofthegovernment,theannualcompoundgrowthrateofSouthKorea’ssteelindustryreached21.9%,andSouthKoreahasalsoenteredtheranksoftheworld’ssteelpowers.

ElectronicsIndustry

Inthe1970s,SouthKoreanlocalcompanieshavebeguntograduallyreplacethedominanceofforeign-fundedcompanies,buttheystillrelyonforeigntechnologyintermsoftechnology,andtheirproductsaremainlyexportedtotheUSandJapanesemarkets.Inthe1980s,Koreanelectronicscompaniesbegantolaunchtheirownbrandedproductsthroughindependentinnovation.In1992,SouthKoreancompaniesalreadycontrolled12.1%oftheworld'smemorychipmarket.SamsungElectronicshasbecometheworld'sfifth-largestDRAMmanufacturerandistheworldleaderintheproductionof1Mbitand4MbitDRAM.In1998,SouthKoreaalreadycontrolledone-thirdoftheworldDRAMmarket,muchhigherthanthatofAmericancompanies.In1995,SouthKorea’sexportsofelectronicproductsreached43.6billionU.S.dollars,accountingfor35%ofSouthKorea’stotalexports.In2006,electronicproductsbecameSouthKorea’slargestexportcommodity,withanexportvalueof115.7billionyuan.Sincethe21stcentury,theKoreanelectronicsindustryhasacceleratedthepaceofinternationalizationandhassuccessivelyinvestedintheconstructionoffactoriesinEurope,America,andEastAsia.TheoverseasoutputofSouthKorea'shomeappliancesectorhasexceededitsdomesticoutput.TheKoreanelectronicsindustryismainlydistributedinthemetropolitanareawithSeoulasthecenter,theGumielectronicsindustrialcomplexandtheBusanarea.Hasbecomeapowerhouseintheworld'selectronicsindustry.SamsungandLG’smobilephones,digitalTVs,plasmaTVs,LCDdisplaysandotherproductsareworld-renownedproducts

AutomotiveIndustry

TheofficialproductionoftheKoreanautomotiveindustrybeganintheearly1960s.Theassemblyofimportedautopartsandsemi-finishedproductsisarisingstarintheworld'sautomanufacturingindustry.In1962,SouthKoreaformulatedthe"AutomobileIndustryProtectionLaw"andthe"Five-YearPlanforCultivatingtheAutomobileIndustry"tovigorouslyprotectandcultivatetheautomobileindustryasaninfantindustry.AutocompaniessuchasShinkoku,Shinjin,Asia,andHyundaihaveemergedinSouthKorea.TheseKoreancompaniesaregenerallyestablishedasjointventureswithEuropeanandAmericanautomobilecompanies,andmainlyassembleimportedautopartsandsemi-finishedproductsthroughCKD(CompletelyKnockDown).

Inthe1970s,SouthKoreabegantoimplementthe"automobilelocalizationpolicy."InSouthKorea'sthirdfive-yeareconomicdevelopmentplan,theautomobileindustryhasbecomeoneofthenationalstrategicindustriesforParkJeong-heetodevelopthe"heavychemicalindustry".In1974,HyundaiMotorindependentlydevelopedthePony,Korea'sfirstmodel.In1976,PonycarsbeganmassproductionandexportedtoSouthAmerica.TrucksproducedbyKiaandKoreaGeneralMotorswereexportedtotheMiddleEast,settingaprecedentfortheoverseasexportofKoreancars.Inthefollowingyears,theKoreanautomobileindustryquicklyimprovedproductqualityandbecamethesecondcountryinAsiatohaveitsownautomobileindustryafterJapan.Inthelate1980s,SouthKoreahasdevelopedintooneoftheworld'sleadingautomobilemanufacturers.In1987,SouthKoreabegantoliberalizethedomesticautomobilemarketandimplementmarketliberalization.In1995,SouthKorea’sautomobileproductionreached2.4millionvehicles,anditsexportvolumeexceededthe1millionmark,makingittheworld’sfifthlargestautomobileproducer

Shipbuilding

SouthKoreaisastrongshipbuildingcountryintheworld.Asearlyas1962,SouthKoreapromulgatedthe"ShipbuildingIndustryAwardLaw"toencouragethedevelopmentoftheshipbuildingindustry.Duringthesecondfive-yeareconomicdevelopmentplan,SouthKorea’sshipbuildingindustrymainlystartedtobuildexportshipsandentertheinternationalmarkettolayapreliminaryfoundationforthesubsequenttake-off,butthescaleofdevelopmentwasnotlarge.Inthe1970s,heavyindustrybecamethedevelopmentfocusofSouthKorea'sthirdfive-yeareconomicplan.Shipbuilding,machinery,andchemicalindustrieshavebeendevelopedasstrategicindustries.In1973,theUlsanShipyardwascompletedandbecameasymbolofthetake-offoftheKoreanshipbuildingindustry.Duringthisperiod,theconstructionofOkpoShipyard(nowDaewooShipbuildingIndustryCorporationOkpoShipyard)andGoryeoShipyard(nowSamsungHeavyIndustriesGeojeShipyard)began.DaehanShipyardhasalsoaddeda150,000-tonshipyard.DuringtheFourthFive-YearPlanperiod,SouthKorea'sshipbuildingindustryhasbeenfurtherdeveloped.In1981,SouthKorea’sshipbuildingcapacityroseto4milliontons,anditsoutputreached1.072milliontons.ItscapacityandoutputwassecondonlytoJapan,rankingsecondintheworld,anditsequipmentself-sufficiencyratealsoincreasedrapidly.

DuringtheFifthFive-YearEconomicDevelopmentPlan,theinternationalshipbuildingmarkethasdeterioratedseverely,andthescaleofSouthKorea’sshipbuildingindustryhasnotexpandedmuch,buttheproductlevel,productionefficiency,andmaterialself-sufficiencyratehavebeengreatlyimproved.DuringtheSixthFive-YearPlanperiod,theinternationalshipmarketimprovedandtheKoreanshipbuildingindustryenteredanewperiodofimprovement.In1994,theSouthKoreangovernmentliftedrestrictionsontheproductioncapacityofSouthKoreanshipyards.SouthKoreanshipbuildingcompanieshaveexpandedtoimprovetheirinternationalcompetitiveness.In1997,theAsianfinancialcrisiscausedsomeSouthKoreanshipbuildingcompaniestoclosedown.Afterthecrisis,SouthKorea'sshipbuildingordersreached11.84milliontonsin1999,surpassingJapanforthefirsttimeandbecomingtheworld'snumberone.SouthKoreaisaworldleaderinoiltankers,containerships,liquefiednaturalgasships(LNG),floatingproductionandstorageships,high-speedandverylargeships,andluxurycruiseships.Amongthem,HyundaiHeavyIndustries,SamsungHeavyIndustries,DaewooShipbuilding&MarineCo.,Ltd.andSTXShipbuilding&Marinearetheworld'stopfourshipyards.

Manufacturing

SouthKorea’s2018manufacturingoutputvaluewasapproximatelyUS$440.9billion,rankingfifthintheworld.

AstheleadingindustryoftheKoreaneconomy,SouthKorea’smanufacturingindustryexperiencedlabor-intensiveindustriesfrom1962to1971,capital-intensiveheavychemicalindustriesfrom1972to1981,technology-intensiveindustriesfrom1982to1991,andStructuraltransformationandupgradingofknowledge-intensiveindustries.SouthKoreahasstronginternationalcompetitivenessinmanufacturingindustriessuchassteel,shipbuilding,automobiles,semiconductors,anddigitalproducts.Mostproductshavetheirownbrands,andtheirpositionintheinternationalindustrialchainisconstantlyimproving.

Inthepasthalfcentury,thesteelindustryhasmadegreatcontributionstotherapiddevelopmentofSouthKorea’seconomy.SouthKorea'ssteelconsumptionpercapitaranksfirstintheworld.Fromthelate1980stotheAsianfinancialcrisisin1997,SouthKorea’ssteelindustrymainlyproducedlow-value-addedproductssuchasbars,steelbars,andwirerods.Afterenteringthe21stcentury,SouthKoreansteelcompaniesarecommittedtothedevelopmentofnewtechnologies.Thegrowthofhighvalue-addedproductssuchasmarinesteelplatesandautomotivesteelplateshasaccelerated,andlowvalue-addedproductshavebeguntoexperiencenegativegrowth.ThemajorsteelproducersinKoreaincludePohangSteelandHyundaiSteel,DongkukSteel,etc.,amongwhichPOSCOisoneofthelargeststeelcompaniesintheworldandthemostcompetitivesteelmanufacturerintheworld.

SouthKoreaistheworld'sshipbuildingpower,andforalongtimeitwasalsotheworld'slargestshipbuildingcountry.SouthKoreaoccupiessevenofthetoptenglobalshipyards,takingthetopsix.Amongthem,HyundaiHeavyIndustries,SamsungHeavyIndustries,DaewooShipbuilding&MarineCo.,Ltd.andSTXShipbuilding&Marinearetheworld'stopfourshipyards.SouthKoreahassignificantadvantagesinbuildinghighvalue-addedships.Liquefiednaturalgascarriersarethelong-termprojectofHyundaiHeavyIndustries;intermsofmarineexplorationvessels,SamsungHeavyIndustriestakesthelead,occupying60%oftheworldmarket;DaewooShipbuilding&MarineCo.,Ltd.istheworld'smajormanufactureroflargeoiltankers,withabout10%oftheworld’sThelargeoiltankerisproducedbyDaewooCompany.InMay2007,SouthKoreaindependentlybuiltthefirstAegisdestroyer,the"KingSejong-classdestroyer",makingSouthKoreathefifthcountryintheworldtohaveanAegisdestroyeraftertheUnitedStates,Japan,Spain,andNorway.

TheautomobilemanufacturingindustryisanotherpillarindustryinKorea.In2014,SouthKoreanautomobileproductionwas4.52millionunits,accountingfor5%ofthetotalglobalautomobileproduction.Since2005,SouthKoreahasbeentheworld'sfifthlargestautomobileproducerfor10consecutiveyears.Hyundai-KiaMotorsGroupisSouthKorea'slargestandtheworld'sthird-largestautomobilemanufacturer.SouthKoreancarsarearisingstarintheworld'sautomobilemanufacturingindustry.Ittookonly38yearsforHyundaiMotorstolaunchitsfirstcarofitsowndesignin1975toitscumulativeglobalsalesof50millionunits,whileittookmorethan50yearsforToyotatoreachthisnumber.time.TheautopartsindustryisalsoquitelargeinSouthKorea.In2012,SouthKorea’sthreemajortiremanufacturersHankookTire,KumhoTire,andNexenTireranked8th,11thand23rdrespectivelyintheglobalrankingofthetop75tires.

SouthKoreaisaleaderinelectronicproductsintheworld.Flat-paneldisplaydevicessuchasmemory,liquidcrystaldisplays,plasmadisplays,andmobilephoneshavealeadingpositionintheworldmarket.Theworld-renownedKoreanelectronicproductmanufacturersincludeSamsung,LG,SK,etc.,amongwhichSamsungistheworld'slargestinformationtechnologycompany.

Serviceindustry

SouthKorearankedfourthinAsiaintermsofserviceindustryoutputvaluein2017,andranked13thintheworldafterChina,Japan,andIndia,withatotalvalueofapproximatelyUS$808.9billion,accountingforapproximately54%ofSouthKorea’sGDP.

Agriculture

Koreahasanareaof​​1.759millionhectaresofarableland,mainlyinthewesternandsouthernplainsandhillyareas.Theagriculturalpopulationaccountsforabout6.8%ofthetotalpopulation.In2018,agriculturaloutputvalue(includingfisheryandforestry)accountedfor1.98%ofGDP,withatotalvalueofapproximatelyUS$32.1billion,ranking20thintheworld.

Tourism

Korea'stourismindustryisrelativelydeveloped.Inrecentyears,theSouthKoreangovernmenthasidentifiedtourismasastrategicindustry,activelyencouragesanddevelopstourism,promotesthe"KoreanWave"culture,simplifiesentryproceduresinhottouristareas,improvesthedomestictourismmarket,improvesdomestictourismhardwarefacilities,andenhancesrelatedservices.Leveltoattractforeigntourists.AccordingtoKoreanstatistics,therewere13.34millionforeigntouristsvisitingSouthKoreain2017.FromJanuarytoOctober2018,12.67millionforeigntouristsvisitedSouthKorea.

Financialindustry

SouthKorea’sfinancialindustryconsistsoftheBankofKorea,thecentralbankofKorea,andtheBankofKoreafinancialinstitutions.TheBankofKorea,asthecentralbank,isresponsibleforimplementingSouthKorea’smonetarypolicyandissuingtheKoreanWon,thecurrencyincirculation.InadditiontotheBankofKorea,SouthKoreaalsohasseveralpolicybankssuchasIndustrialBank,SmallandMediumEnterpriseBank,andFisheriesAssociationBank.SouthKorea’smajornationalcommercialbanksincludeHanaBank,KookminBank,WooriBank,ShinhanBank,etc.ShinhanBankwasfoundedin1897andwasthefirstcommercialbankinSouthKorea'shistory,whileKookminBankwasthelargestbankinSouthKorea.

KoreaExchange(KRXforshort)istheonlystockexchangeinSouthKorea,headquarteredinBusanMetropolitanCity,SouthKorea.In2005,itwasformedbythemergeroftheoriginalKoreaStockExchange(KSE),KoreaFuturesExchange(KOFEX)andKoreaGrowthEnterpriseMarket(KOSDAQ).ItsmainindexistheKoreaCompositeStockIndex.Thetradingvolumeofsecurities,futuresandotherderivativesontheKoreaExchangeranksfirstintheworld.In2010,thetradingvolumeofderivativescontractsontheKoreaExchangewas3.752billionlots,accountingfor16.8%oftheworld'stradingvolume.AccordingtostatisticsfromtheWorldExchangeAlliancein2008,theturnoverandturnoverrateofKOSDAQontheSouthKoreanGrowthEnterpriseMarketissecondonlytothatofNasdaqintheUnitedStates,anditstotalmarketvalueoflistedcompaniesranksfourthintheworld.

FinancialFinance

SouthKorea’sfiscalrevenueandexpenditurein2017(unit:KRWtrillion):fiscalrevenuewas375.6trillionwon,andfiscalexpenditurewas346.4trillionwon.Asoftheendof2018,SouthKorea’sforeignexchangereserveswereapproximatelyUS$403.7billion.

ForeignTrade

In2017,thetotalforeigntradevolumewasUS$1052.1billion,andthetradebalancewasUS$95.3billion,anincreaseof6.6%.Amongthem,exportswere573.7billionU.S.dollars,anincreaseof15.8%;importswere478.4billionU.S.dollars,anincreaseof17.8%.Ithaseconomicandtraderelationswithmorethan180countriesandregionsintheworld.China,theUnitedStates,andJapanareSouthKorea'sthreemajortradingpartners.

Themainimportedproductsarecrudeoil,semiconductors,naturalgas,petroleumproducts,semiconductorparts,steelplates,coal,communicationequipment,cables,etc.Themainexportproductsareautomobilesandparts,semiconductors,wiredandwirelesscommunicationequipment,ships,petroleumproducts,flat-panelliquidcrystaldisplays,personalcomputers,andfilmandtelevisionequipment.

Foreigncapital

Inthe1960sand1970s,foreigndirectinvestmentaccountedforonlyasmallpartofcapitalinflows.Sincethe1980s,SouthKoreahasgraduallyrelaxedrestrictionsonforeigninvestment.Afterthe1997financialcrisis,SouthKoreaincreaseditseffortstoattractforeigninvestment.

Economicorganizations

KoreaChamberofCommerceandIndustry:FormallyestablishedinJuly1948.ItisthelargestprivateeconomicorganizationinSouthKorea,with55,000fullmembercompaniesand71branchesinSouthKorea.Themainfunctionsare:toinvestigateandunderstandthesituationoftheenterprise,andtoputforwardpolicyopinionsandsuggestionstothegovernment.Asanon-governmentalorganization,itconductsstatisticalsurveysofdomesticproductionandprices;organizesandleadsthetechnicaltrainingandtechnicalexchangeactivitiesofmembercompanies;isresponsibleforexchangesandcooperationwithforeigneconomicorganizations;isresponsibleforissuingcertificatesoforigin,etc.InAugust1992,theKorea-ChinaPrivateEconomicCouncilwasestablished,witharepresentativeofficeinBeijing.PresidentParkRongwan.

KoreaTradeAssociation:wasestablishedin1946.Thereare86,000membercompanies.Themainfunctionsare:tostudySouthKorea’stradepolicies,toprovideopinionsandsuggestionstothegovernment;toprovidemembercompanieswithvarioustradeconsultingandinformationservices,topromotetradecooperationwithcountriesaroundtheworld,andtotraintradeprofessionalsonbehalfofthem.HehasassistedtheChinesesideinholdingtradeshowsinSouthKoreaformanytimes,organizedSouthKoreancompaniestovisitChina,organizedpurchasingmissions,andestablishedaninternationalaffairsbranchinBeijing.ChairmanJinInho.

NationalFederationofEconomicPeople:wasestablishedin1961.Itiscomposedof67organizationsinvariousindustriesincludingmanufacturing,trade,finance,andconstruction,431representativelargecompaniesinKorea,and4honorarymembers.Themainfunctionsare:presentingpolicyopinionsandsuggestionstothegovernmentonbehalfoflargecompanies;assistingmembercompaniestostrengthentheirtieswithinternationaleconomicorganizationsandforeigncompanies;researchingandexchangingbusinesstheoriesandmethods;investigatingandstudyingeconomictrendsathomeandabroad;strengtheningcommunicationwithallsectorsofsocietyContactandorganizemembercompaniestocarryoutvariouspublicwelfareundertakings.ThereisaChinaCommittee,andtheAll-EconomicUnionChinaForumwasestablishedinMay2003.ChairmanXuChangxiu.

TheCentralCommitteeofSmallandMediumEnterprises:wasestablishedin1962.FormedbytheSMEindustryassociation,itchangedtoitscurrentnamein2006andhasmorethan500registeredmembercompanies.Themainfunctionsare:safeguardingtheinterestsofsmallandmedium-sizedenterprises,makingpolicyrecommendationstothegovernmentonbehalfofsmallandmedium-sizedenterprises;guidingthedevelopmentofsmallandmedium-sizedenterprisesthroughsubordinateindustryorganizations,conductingresearchonsmallandmedium-sizedenterprises,andprovidingvariousinformationandconsultationtomemberenterprises;managingforeignlaboraffairsinKorea.ChairmanParkSungTaek.

Culture

SouthKorea'sliteratureandartareallderivedfromChineseculture.Koreansareknownfortheirloveofmusicanddance.Koreanmodernmusiccanberoughlydividedinto"ethnicmusic"and"westernmusic".Folkmusiccanbedividedintotwotypes,"gagamusic"and"folkmusic".Koreandanceiscenteredonfolkdanceandpalacedance,anditiscolorful.KoreandramaoriginatedinancientChina,andmainlyincludesfivecategories:masks,puppetshows,quyi,singingopera,anddrama.Amongthem,themask,alsoknownas"MaskedDance",isasymbolofKoreanculture,anditoccupiesanextremelyimportantpositioninKoreantraditionaldrama.

Language

Mainentry:Korean

KoreaniscommonlyusedinKorea.

SouthKoreaborrowedChinesecharactersaswritingtoolsbeforethe19thcentury.Inthe15thcentury,KingSejongofJoseonLeesentpeopletocomplete"HunminJeongyin",whichimitatedtheappearanceofChinesecharactersandcreatedabrand-newphoneticscriptHangul.AstheofficialsandaristocratsoftheupperclassinNorthKoreastillusedChineseinofficialtextsatthattime,Hangulwasnotanofficialtextforcenturies.HangulwasmostlyusedbyKoreanswithoutformaleducation,andwasboycottedbytwoclasses.AfterKoreawasannexedbyJapanintheearlytwentiethcentury,Hangulscriptgraduallybecamethemainwritingtool.AftertheendofWorldWarIIandthesplitbetweenKoreaandKorea,KoreaonceabolishedChinesecharacters(theNationalLanguagePurificationMovement).However,duetothemanyinconveniencescausedbypinyincharacters,basiceducationofChinesecharacterswasrestoredtodistinguishthedifferentmeaningsofhomophones.

About10%ofKoreanlanguages​​arenativeKoreanwords,about69%areChinesediacritics,10%areEnglishdiacritics,andtherestarediacriticsofotherlanguages.KoreanandKoreanarebasicallythesame,buttheyareslightlydifferentinpronunciationandloanwords,aswellassomegrammarandwordusage.Amongthem,thepronunciationandloanwordsareparticularlyprominent.Duetopoliticalreasons,theKoreanpeninsulawassplitbetweenNorthandSouthforalongtimeaftertheCivilWar,resultingindifferencesintheNorthandSouthlanguages,mainlyintermsofaccentsandwords.

Religion

About50%ofSouthKorea’spopulationbelieveinreligionssuchasChristianityandBuddhism.

Apparel

HanbokisatraditionalKoreancostume.Inmoderntimes,theywerereplacedbywesternclothes,andtheyweregenerallyonlywornonfestivalsanddayswithspecialsignificance.Women'straditionalclothingisshorttopsandwideskirts,whichlookloose;menshowtheiruniquestylewithpants,shorttops,vests,andwaistcoats.Whiteisthebasiccolor,andthematerialsandcolorsusedaredifferentaccordingtotheseasonandidentity.Inspecialceremoniessuchasmarriage,ordinaryciviliansalsoweargorgeousclothesandjewelry.

Food

Koreanfoodischaracterizedbykimchiculture,andkimchiisindispensableforthreemealsaday.TraditionalKoreandishessuchasroastpork,kimchi,andcoldnoodleshavebecomeworld-famousdishes.

SouthKoreahasavarietyofdiets.Sinceitwasinafarmingsocietyinthepast,ricehasbeenthemainstaplefoodsinceancienttimes.Koreanfoodismadeupofvariousvegetables,meats,andfish.Kimchi(fermentedspicycabbage),hoisinsauce(saltedseafood),soybeanpaste(fermentedsoybeans)andotherfermentedpreservedfoodsareknownfortheirnutritionalvalueandspecialtaste.

Koreanfoodincludesdailyfoodthatisrepeatedeveryday,foodsthatmustbeplacedduringceremoniesthroughoutlife,harvestfestivalsandfoodsforharvestfestivalsthatprayforharvestandharvest,andfoodsthatprayforthesafetyofthetribe.Tribalsacrificefood,aswellassacrificefoodforthosewhohavepassedaway.Atthesametime,italsousesthefoodatthattimetomakeseasonaldelicaciesaccordingtothedifferentseasons.

Holidays

SpringFestival:thefirstdayofthefirstmonthofthelunarcalendar.

IndependenceDay:March1.

RecoveryDay:August15th,tocommemoratetherecoveryfromJapanesecolonialrule(1945)andthefoundingoftheRepublicofKorea(1948).

Mid-AutumnFestival:thefifteenthdayoftheeighthlunarmonth.

KaitianFestival:October3,thelegendarydayofthefoundingofancientKorea.

(SpringFestivalNote:TheSpringFestivalhasbeencelebratedsincetheSillaera.Later,JapanbegantoruletheKoreanPeninsula,andtheSpringFestivalwasstrictlyforbidden.Itwasnotuntil1985thatthe"SpringFestival"wasregardedasa"FolkCustomDay"Thenamereappeared.In1999,SouthKoreaofficiallyresumedthe"SpringFestival"holiday.)

Military

TheofficialnameoftheSouthKoreanarmedforces"TheNationalArmyoftheRepublicofKorea".

In2012,thetotalstrengthoftheKoreanarmywas690,000,ofwhichthearmywas560,000,thenavywas67,000,andtheairforcewas63,000.Thereserveserviceis3.04million.TheUnitedStateshasapproximately28,000troopsstationedinSouthKorea.Themilitarycommandsystemisdividedintotwosystemsinpeacetimeandwartime.Intheusualcommandstructure,thepresidentofSouthKoreaisthesupremecommander,andthecommandersofthethreearmiesunderthechairmanshipofthejointstaffareaccountabletothepresident.FightingsidebysidewiththeUStroopsstationedinSouthKoreaduringthewar,boththeUSandSouthKoreantroopsareunderthecommandofthe"US-SouthKoreaJointCommand."AfterthesigningofthearmisticeagreementonMay16,1953,theKoreanWarended,andtheNorthandSouthKoreawereseparatedbythe38-degreeline.SouthKoreawasrebuiltwiththeassistanceoftheUnitedStates,anditseconomyachievedahighlevelofeconomicdevelopmentafterthe1980s.InthefaceofNorthKoreanmilitarythreats,SouthKoreahasalsoinvestedhugeresourcestodeveloparmaments.

ThemaintaskofSouthKoreanmilitaryforceishomelanddefenseandespeciallydefenseagainstmilitarythreatsfromNorthKorea,buthumanitarianreliefanddisasterreliefarealsooneofitstasks.ActivelyparticipateinUNaffairs.In1993,hesentagroupofengineeringtroopstoparticipateintheUNpeacekeepingmissioninSomalia.Inaddition,Africa,EastTimor,IraqandAfghanistanhavealsosenttroopstoperformUNpeacekeepingmissions.

OnDecember5,2017,theEuropeanUnionannouncedthatSouthKoreawasincludedintheblacklistoftaxhavens.

SouthKoreaimplementsacompulsorymilitaryservicesystem.Theserviceperiodis21monthsfortheArmyandMarineCorps,24monthsfortheAirForceand23monthsfortheNavy.Thepresidentisthesupremecommanderofthearmedforces.DefenseMinisterJeongKyung-doo(inauguratedinSeptember2018),andParkHan-ki,ChairmanoftheJointChiefsofStaff(inauguratedinOctober2018).Thecurrenttotalforceis655,000,including522,000forthearmy,68,000forthenavyand65,000fortheairforce.Thereserveserviceis3.04million.Thedefensebudgetfor2019isapproximately46.69trillionwon,anincreaseof8.2%overthepreviousyear.

Transportation

Overview

SouthKoreahasdevelopedland,sea,andairtransportation.Anetworkofrailwaysandexpresswayshasbeenestablishedthroughoutthecountry.

Railway

ThetotallengthofKoreanrailwayisabout3900kilometers.InMarch2004,theSeoul-Busanhigh-speedrailwayopened,withatotallengthof412kilometersandamaximumspeedof300kilometersperhour.

Highways

ThetotallengthofKoreanhighwaysisabout107,000kilometers,ofwhichhighwaysareabout4,200kilometers.Therearemorethan22millionregisteredcars.

Watertransportation

SouthKoreaisdominatedbyseatransportation.Themainportsare:Busan,Pohang,Incheon,Gunsan,Mokpo,Jeju,Yeosu,etc.

Airfreight

Koreahasopened21domesticroutes,350internationalroutes(including210foreignairlineroutes),and8internationalairports:IncheonInternationalAirport,GimpoInternationalAirport,JejuInternationalAirport,GimhaeInternationalAirport,CheongjuInternationalAirport,DaeguInternationalAirport,YangyangInternationalAirport,MuanInternationalAirport.

Society

Technology

Inthemid-20thcentury,duetotheJapaneseoccupationandtheKoreanWar,SouthKoreantechnologywasalmostblank.Enteringthe1960s,SouthKoreabegantoadvocate"acountrybasedonscienceandtechnology."In1966,SouthKorea'sfirstcomprehensivescientificresearchinstitution,theKoreaInstituteofScienceandTechnology,wasestablished.Aftercultivatingandsupportingitsownscienceandtechnology,SouthKoreaachievedaleapfromtechnologyintroductiontotechnologicalinnovationinthe1980s.In1997,theAsianfinancialturmoilhitSouthKorea'seconomy.Inresponsetothecrisis,therulingKimDae-junggovernmentdeterminedthedevelopmentofhigh-techinformationindustryasanationalstrategy.In2003,SouthKoreabegantoimplementthe"SecondScienceandTechnologyFoundation"strategy.In2006,SouthKoreahadrankedfirstintheworldintermsofsemiconductor,mobilephone,liquidcrystaldisplay,Internetpenetration,andshipbuildingindustrycompetitivenessinIMDtechnologycompetitiveness,sixthintechnologicalcompetitiveness,andseventhinscientificcompetitiveness.InBloomberg's"2015GlobalInnovationRankings"andthe"2015GlobalInnovationIndexRankings"jointlyreleasedbytheWorldIntellectualPropertyOrganization,CornellUniversityandInseInternationalBusinessSchool,SouthKorearankedfirstandeleventhrespectively.

Inthe1990s,SouthKoreabegantobecometheworld'sleaderinsemiconductorstoragetechnology,andsemiconductorsbegantodevelopintooneofSouthKorea'smostcompetitiveandleadingindustries.In1994,1996and2001,SouthKoreatooktheleadintheworldtodevelopDRAMsof256M,1Gand4Grespectively.Inthefourthquarterof2014,SouthKorea'sshareoftheworldsemiconductorDRAMmarketexceeded70%,settingarecordhigh.SouthKorea'sSamsungElectronicsandSKHynixarethetwolargestDRAMmanufacturersintheworld.In2015,SamsungElectronicstooktheleadintheworldtodevelopa256GBV-Nandsemiconductor.

ThedevelopmentofnetworkcommunicationtechnologyrepresentedbybroadbandisoneofSouthKorea’snationalstrategies.SouthKoreahasthefastestinternetspeedintheworldandthehighestbroadbandpenetrationrateintheworld.TheUS"Fortune"reportedin2011thattheInternetspeedinSouthKoreawas14Mbpsin2010,whichisabout7timestheglobalaveragespeed(1.9Mbps),andDelaware,thefastestInternetspeedamongthe50statesintheUnitedStates(7.1Mbps)ItisonlyhalfofSouthKorea'slevel,provingSouthKorea'sleadingpositioninthenetworkhardwareenvironment.SouthKoreaisthefirstcountryamongOECDmemberstoachieve100%wirelessbroadbandpenetration.InJune2013,lessthantwoyearsbeforethecommercializationofthe4Gnetwork,thenew-generationLTE-AnetworkbegantobecommercializedinSouthKorea,bringingtheKoreanmobilenetworkintothe4.5Gera.OnMay12,2013,SamsungElectronicsannouncedthatithadtakentheleadindevelopingamobiletransmissionnetworkbasedon5Gcoretechnology,givingSouthKoreaanadvantagein5Gtechnology.In2013,theSouthKoreangovernmentannouncedtheimplementationofthe"GigaKorea"strategy.ThestrategicplanwillenableKorea'swirelessbroadbandtransmissionspeedtoreachmorethan1gigabytepersecondby2020.

SouthKoreaisarisingstarintheworldofnuclearenergy.In2007,SouthKoreabecamethethirdcountryintheworldwithitsownresearchanddevelopmentofthird-generationnuclearpowertechnology.SouthKorea’snuclearpowerhasalwaysmaintainedahighoperatingefficiency,anditsnuclearpowerplantcapacityfactor,averagepowerlossrate,andunplannedshutdownrateareamongtheworld’sleadingindicators.Attheendof2009,SouthKoreaoverpoweredestablishednuclearpowerexportingcountriessuchastheUnitedStatesandFrance,andsuccessfullywontheUAE'scontractfortheconstructionoffourlight-waternuclearpowerplantsworthUS$20billion,becomingtheworld'ssixthnuclearpowerplantexporter.Inaddition,SouthKoreaisalsocommittedtothedevelopmentofnuclearfusionpowergenerationtechnologywithgreaterenergythannuclearfissionandnearzeropollution.In1995,SouthKoreainvested309billionwon(2.5billionyuan)tobuildtheworld'sfirstall-superconductingfusiondeviceKSTARthatusesnewsuperconductingmagnetmaterialstogenerateamagneticfield.OnNovember8,2010,KSTARsuccessfullyrealizedtheHmodeintheplasmaconfinementstateforthefirsttime.ThisisthefirsttimeintheworldthattheHmodehasbeenimplementedwithasuperconductingnuclearexperimentaldevice,whichisofgreatvaluetotheprogressoftheInternationalThermonuclearExperimentalReactor(ITER)project.

Networkcommunications

AsearlyastheKimTae-jungadministration,SouthKoreaupgradedthedevelopmentofinformationtechnologyrepresentedbybroadbandasanationalstrategy.Since1999,SouthKoreahasregularlyproposedpoliciestodevelopbroadband.SouthKoreaisalreadyoneofthecountrieswithdevelopednetworkcommunicationintheworld,withthefastestinternetspeedintheworldandthehighestbroadbandpenetrationrateintheworld.TheUS"Fortune"reportedin2011thatin2010,SouthKorea'sInternetspeedwas14Mbpspersecond,whichisabout7timestheglobalaverageInternetspeed(1.9Mbps),andDelaware,thefastestInternetspeedamongthe50statesintheUnitedStates(7.1Mbps)isonlyhalfofSouthKorea'slevel,provingSouthKorea'sleadingpositioninthenetworkhardwareenvironment.

SouthKoreaisthefirstcountryamongtheOECDmemberstoachieve100%wirelessbroadbandpenetration.InJune2013,lessthantwoyearsbeforethecommercializationofthe4Gnetwork,thenew-generationLTE-AnetworkbegantobecommercializedinSouthKorea,bringingtheKoreanmobilenetworkintothe4.5Gera.OnMay12,2013,SamsungElectronicsannouncedthatithadtakentheleadindevelopingamobiletransmissionnetworkbasedon5Gcoretechnology,givingSouthKoreaanadvantagein5Gtechnology.In2013,theSouthKoreangovernmentannouncedtheimplementationofthe"GigaKorea"strategy.ThestrategicplanwillenableKorea'swirelessbroadbandtransmissionspeedtoreachmorethan1gigabytepersecondby2020.

TheKoreangovernmenthasbeencommittedtogovernmentdigitization.Followingthecontinuationofthegovernmentversion1.0(onlyinformation)andversion2.0(restricteddisclosureandparticipation),theParkGeun-hyegovernmentproposedthegoalofachievingthegovernmentversion3.0.Thegovernmentversion3.0istoprovidecitizenswithdifferentiatedone-to-manyadministrativeservicesthroughmobiletechnologyandbigdata,sothatthedemocratizationofsocietyhasbeenfurtherimproved.ParkGeun-hyepointedoutthatthegovernment3.0eranotonlymeansthedisclosureofgovernmentinformation,butalsoacomprehensivetransformationofgovernmentworkfromacountry-centeredworkmethodtoacitizen-centeredworkphilosophy.

Aerospaceindustry

TheKoreanAerospaceResearchInstituteisthemaininstitutionengagedinaerospaceresearchinSouthKorea.OnAugust11,1992,SouthKorea’sfirstscientificexperimentsatellite"KoreaStar1"enteredsun-synchronousorbitandbecamethe22ndmemberoftheWorldAerospaceClub.Since1992,SouthKoreahassuccessivelysuccessfullydeveloped8artificialsatellites.OutofconsiderationtopreventanarmsraceontheKoreanPeninsula,SouthKorea’sally,theUnitedStates,haslongtriedtopreventSouthKoreafromdevelopingitsownmissileandrockettechnology.Therefore,SouthKoreaandRussiacooperateinthedevelopmentofaerospacetechnology.InApril2008,RussiasuccessfullysentSouthKorea’sfirstastronautLeeSo-yeontotheInternationalSpaceStation.InJanuary2013,aftertwofailures,SouthKoreaandRussiajointlydevelopedtheLuoLaolaunchvehiclesuccessfullysentscientificsatellitestothedesignatedorbit,makingSouthKoreathe10thcountryintheworldcapableoflaunchingsatellites.

SouthKorea’sfirstdomestically-madesupersonicfighter"AircraftControl"(F-5E/F)wasdevelopedbyKoreanAirandsuccessfullyflewforthefirsttimeonSeptember9,1982.Sinceenteringthe21stcentury,SouthKorea'saviationindustryhasalsoexperiencedrapiddevelopment.InJuly2009,SouthKoreadevelopedthefirstdomestictransporthelicopter"Surion".In2011,the"unmannedintelligentaircraft"wasdevelopedforthefirsttime.InMayofthesameyear,theFA-50,alightattackaircraftdevelopedbytheKoreanaerospaceindustrybasedontheT-50supersonictrainer,successfullyflewforthefirsttime.TheexportoftheT-50supersonictrainertoIndonesiaalsomadeSouthKoreathesixthcountryintheworldtoexportsupersonicaircraft.

Robots

DuetotheshortageofhumanresourcesinSouthKorea,thedevelopmentofrobotsishighlyvaluedinSouthKorea.TheSouthKoreangovernmentplanstomakeSouthKoreaoneoftheworld'sthreelargestrobotpowersby2018.In2010,SouthKoreaannouncedthe"ServiceRobotIndustryDevelopmentStrategy",whichlistedservicerobotsasthefocusofdevelopment.TheKoreangovernmentalsoplanstoincreasethepenetrationrateofrobotsinSouthKoreatoonehouseholdby2020.WiththestrongsupportoftheSouthKoreangovernment,robotpilots,robotprisonguards,androbotteachershavecomeoutinSouthKorea.

ThenumberofindustrialrobotsinSouthKorearanksthirdintheworld.Asof2013,thenumberofrobotsshippedinSouthKorea'smanufacturingindustryhasrankedfourthintheworld.SouthKoreahasmasteredtheworld'sleadingcoretechnologiesinthefieldsofnano-scalehandlingrobotsystemsandhigh-densityinnovativemanufacturingengineeringrobots.In2013,theInstituteofBacterialRoboticsatChonnamUniversityinSouthKoreadevelopedtheworld'sfirstnanorobot("invivodoctor")thatcantreatcancer,whichcandiagnoseandtreathigh-incidencecancerssuchascolorectalcancer,breastcancer,stomachcancer,andlivercancer.HyundaiRobot,RobostarRobot,DongbuRobot,DouxingRobotandAlpaRobotarethefivemostinfluentialrobotmanufacturersinSouthKorea,amongwhichHyundaiRobothasamarketshareofmorethan50%inSouthKorea.

Biotechnology

Asearlyas1983,SouthKoreapromulgatedandimplementedthelandmarkBiotechnologyPromotionAct.Inthepastfewdecades,SouthKoreahassuccessivelyintroducedandlaunchedthe"NationalResearchLaboratory(NAL)Program"(1999),"21stCenturyFrontierR&DProject"(2000),and"Bio-StarProgram"(2003).,"Promotingthebiologicalindustry,newdrugresearchanddevelopment,organengineeringandbiochipdevelopmentprojects"(2003)andotherplansandprojectsthatsupportthedevelopmentofbiotechnology.Accordingtostatistics,since1994,theSouthKoreangovernment'sinvestmentinbiotechnologyhasbeenincreasingatarateofmorethan20%everyyear,andby2005thecumulativeinvestmentreached4.3trillionwon.

BiomedicineisthemostimportantcomponentinthefieldofbiotechnologyinSouthKorea.About60%ofbiotechnologycompaniesinSouthKoreaarebiopharmaceuticalcompanies.In2003,FactivewasapprovedbytheU.S.FoodandDrugAdministrationandbecamethefirstnewdruginSouthKoreatoobtaininternationalrecognition.Sincethen,asmanynewdrugshavebeensuccessfullydevelopedandputintoproduction,SouthKoreahasalreadypossessedanumberofbiologicaldrugswithindependentintellectualpropertyrights.Korea'sfermentationtechnologyisthemostinternationallycompetitivefieldinKorea'sbiotechnology,involvingmultipleindustriessuchasaminoacids,enzymepreparations,andantibiotics.Amongthem,aminoacidproductsaccountfor20%oftheglobalmarket.In2005,researchersatSeoulNationalUniversitysuccessfullyextractedBacillusfermentumfromspicykimchithatcantreatavianinfluenzaandotherchickendiseases.Inordertoreduceitsdependenceonoilimports,SouthKoreaattachesgreatimportancetothedevelopmentofbiodiesel.InOctober2004,SouthKorearevisedthe"PetroleumandPetroleumAlternativeFuelsBusinessAct"andestablishedbiodieselqualitystandards.SouthKoreaimplementsstricterbiofuelandfuelefficiencyregulations.Intermsofbiologicalproducts,SouthKorea’sself-developedbiologicalproductshavegraduallychangedfromfunctionalfoodstobiomedicineandbiologicaldiagnosisandtreatmentproducts,withanumberofself-developedworldbrands.Inaddition,SeoulNationalUniversityhassuccessfullyclonedtheworld'sfirstcloneddogSnoopyandtwoendangeredspeciesofwolvesin2005and2007.

Education

Since1953,thesix-yearcompulsoryeducationinelementaryschoolshasbeenimplemented,andthethree-yearcompulsoryeducationinjuniorhighschoolshasbeenpopularizedsince1993.80%ofhighereducationinstitutionsareprivate.Theeducationbudgetfor2019isabout75.2trillionwon,anincreaseof10.2%fromthepreviousyear.

Therearenearly20,000schools(publicandprivate)acrossthecountry,withmorethan11millionstudentsandmorethan500,000teachers.TherearethreefamousuniversitiesintheS.K.Y.Alliance,namelySeoulUniversity,YonseiUniversity,andKoreaUniversity.

SouthKoreaisacountrythatattachesgreatimportancetoeducation.Therearethousandsofcollegesanduniversitiesofvarioustypesacrossthecountry.SeoulNationalUniversityisacomprehensivecollege,andYonseiUniversityandKoreaUniversityarealsoknownasSKYofKorea,whichmeanstosupportalotofhighereducationinSouthKorea;inaddition,theKoreaInstituteofScienceandTechnology(KAIST),PohangUniversityofTechnologyandSungkyunkwanGuanUniversityalsoenjoysahighreputationinternationally.

SocialSecurity

SouthKoreahasformulatedaseriesofsocialsecurityregulationssince1960.DuringChunDouHwan'sreign(1980-1988),theconceptof"welfarestate"wasformallyputforward.Comparedwithotherdevelopedcountries,SouthKorea’ssocialsecuritysystemstartedlateandneedstobefurtherimproved.However,ittookaveryshorttimeforSouthKoreatoestablishawelfarestate.SouthKorea’ssocialsecuritysystemincludesthreeaspects:socialinsurance,publicreliefandsocialwelfareservices.

Socialwelfareservicesaremainlysocializedwelfarefortheelderly,children'swelfare,women'swelfare,andwelfareforthedisabled.Welfarefortheelderlyisaimedatelderlypeopleover65yearsoldwithoutapension,mainlybythegovernmenttobuildwelfarefacilitiesfortheelderlyandreducepublicexpenses.Childwelfareisaimedatorphansundertheageof18andchildrenwhoseguardiansareincapableofraising,mainlyincludingchildren'scounselingcenters,infantfacilities,andvocationalcounselingfacilities.Women’swelfaremainlyprovideswelfareandeducationtowomenthroughwomen’swelfarefacilitiessuchaswomen’sconsultationcenters,mother-childprotectionfacilities,women’scareercounselingfacilities,andwomen’sclubs.Inaccordancewiththethreelawsguaranteeingthewelfareofpersonswithdisabilities,the"DisabledPersonsWelfareLaw","TheEmploymentPromotionActfortheDisabled",andthe"SpecialEducationPromotionLaw",theKoreangovernmenthasestablishedwelfarefacilitiesforthedisabledandspecialschoolstoprovidewelfareforthedisabled,andFacilitatetheemploymentofthedisabled.

Sports

SouthKoreahostedthe1988SeoulOlympics,andin2002hostedtheKorea-JapanWorldCuptogetherwithJapan,thesameyearBusanhostedtheAsianGames,andIncheonhostedthe17thin2014AsianGames,GwangjuhostedtheWorldUniversitySummerGamesin2015,andPyeongchanghostedtheWinterOlympicsin2018.ThisistheseventhtimetohosttheOlympics,WinterOlympics,andWorldCupaftertheUnitedStates,Germany,France,Italy,Russia,andJapan.scountry.

Media

Thepressandpublishingindustryisdeveloped.Therearemorethan230newsorganizationswithmorethan40,000employees.Therearemorethan120newspaperofficesandawiderangeofmagazines.ChosunIlbo(foundedinMarch1920),JoongangIlbo(foundedinSeptember1965),andDongaIlbo(foundedinApril1920)arethethreenationalKoreandailynewspapers.

NewsAgency:YonhapNewsAgency,formedbythemergerofContractNewsAgencyandToyoNewsAgencyin1980,andmergedwithdomesticandforeignnewsagenciesin1999.ThenewsagencyhasbranchesinBeijing,Washington,NewYork,LosAngeles,Tokyo,Paris,London,Bangkok,Moscowandotherplaces,andhassignednewsexchangeagreementsorcooperationagreementswithmorethan40foreignnewsagencies.

Thereare10nationalbroadcastingcompanies,59localbroadcastingcompanies,and81cablebroadcastingcompanies.

KoreanBroadcastingCorporation(KBS):Pilotbroadcastingbeganin1927,andbroadcastingbeganin1953.Thegovernmentcontrolsthebroadcastingcompanyandownsanationwidebroadcastingnetworkthatbroadcastsin11languages​​includingKorean,English,Chinese,French,andJapanese.TheTVstationwasestablishedinDecember1961.SinceJuly1996,multi-channelsatelliteTVprogramshavebeenlaunched,mainlybroadcastedondigitalsignals.

TheCulturalBroadcastingCorporation(MBC):EstablishedinDecember1961,ithasanationalbroadcastingnetwork.TheTVstationwasestablishedinAugust1969andhassatellitebroadcastingstationsinmajorcities.

SeoulBroadcastingCorporation(SBS):ItstartedbroadcastinginDecember1991.

Epidemicprevention

OnJanuary11,2021,SouthKoreanPresidentMoonJae-insaidinhisspeechthatthegovernmentwillensurethateveryoneisvaccinatedforfreeagainstthenewcrowninorder,andhealsopromisedvaccinationworkItwillstartinFebruary.MoonJae-inapologizedtothosewhowereintroublebecauseofthesoaringhousepricesandpromisedtotakevariousmeasurestoincreasethesupplyofnewhouses.

Diplomacy

SouthKorea-NorthKorearelations

AfterthearmisticeoftheKoreanWar,theKoreanPeninsulahasbeeninastateofpoliticalconfrontation,militaryconfrontation,andeconomicisolationforalongtime.FromSeptember1990toDecember1991,theDPRKandtheROKheldfiveprimeministerialtalks,signedthe"North-SouthReconciliation,MutualNon-aggression,ExchangeandCooperationAgreement",andissuedthe"JointDeclarationontheDenuclearizationoftheKoreanPeninsula".improve.Sincethen,affectedbythedeathofKimIlSungandtheNorthKoreannuclearissue,therelationshipbetweenNorthKoreaandSouthKoreahasbecomecolder.

From1998to2008,thetwogovernmentsofSouthKorea,KimDae-jungandRohMoo-hyun,respectivelypursuedthe"SunshinePolicy"and"PeaceandProsperityPolicy"towardNorthKoreatopromotereconciliationandcooperationbetweentheNorthandtheSouth.InJune2000andOctober2007,KimDae-jungandRohMoo-hyunvisitedtheDPRKrespectively,heldsummitmeetingswithKimJong-il,andissuedthe"North-SouthJointDeclaration"and"North-SouthRelationsDevelopmentandPeaceandProsperityDeclaration."Duringtheperiod,theDPRKandtheROKheldmanyofficialtalksandaseriesofnon-governmentalexchangeactivities,andsignedanumberofcooperationagreements.

From2008to2016,whenLeeMyung-bakandParkGeun-hyewerepresidentsofSouthKorea,therewereupsanddownsinNorth-Southrelations.InFebruary2014,thetwosidesheldhigh-leveltalksandmeetingswithseparatedrelatives.InAugustandOctober2015,thetwosidesheldhigh-levelconsultationsandmeetingswithseparatedrelatives.InFebruary2016,SouthKoreaclosedtheKaesongIndustrialPark.

In2018,inter-Koreanrelationsmadepositiveprogress.InJanuary,thetwosidesrestartedthePanmunjomhotlineandtheXihaimilitaryhotlinetoholdhigh-leveltalks.InFebruary,NorthKoreasentKimYongNamandKimYo-jungtoattendtheopeningceremonyofthePyeongchangWinterOlympicsinSouthKorea,andsentKimYoung-cheol,vicechairmanoftheCentralCommitteeoftheWorkers’PartyofKoreaandheadoftheUnitedFrontWorkDepartment,toattendtheclosingceremony.SouthKorea’sNationalSecurityOfficeZhengYi-yongandNationalIntelligenceServiceDirectorXuXunvisitedtheDPRKasspecialenvoysofPresidentMoonJae-inandmetwithKimJong-un,ChairmanoftheWorkers’PartyofKorea.InApril,ChairmanKimJongUnandPresidentMoonJae-inheldtheirfirstleadersmeetinginPanmunjomandissuedthe"PanmunjomDeclaration."ThetwosidesmetagaininMay.InSeptember,MoonJae-invisitedNorthKorea.ThetwosidesmetforthethirdtimeandsignedtheSeptemberPyongyangJointDeclaration.InSeptember,theKorea-NorthKoreaJointLiaisonOfficewasformallyestablished.InOctober,thetwosidesheldthe10thNorth-Southgeneral-levelmilitarytalksandcooperationmeetingsinthefieldofmountainsandforests.InDecember,themilitaryofNorthKoreaandSouthKoreaconductedmutualinspectionsonthedemolitionofoutpostsinthedemilitarizedzone.Inthesamemonth,theDPRKandSouthKoreaheldagroundbreakingceremonyfortheEast-WestRailwayandHighwaydockingprojectinPanmunjom.InJanuary2019,NorthKorea’ssupremeleaderKimJongUnissuedaNewYear’smessage,expressinghiswillingnesstofurtherdeveloprelationsbetweentheDPRKandSouthKorea.TheSouthKoreansidewelcomedthis.

ForeignPolicy

AfterWorldWarII,SouthKoreahaslongfocusedonitsdiplomacywiththeUnitedStates.Theopendoorpolicywasimplementedintheearly1970s.AftertheRohTae-woogovernmentcametopowerin1988,itvigorouslypromoted"NorthernDiplomacy"anddevelopedrelationswithsocialistcountries.Successivegovernmentshaveimplementedactiveforeignpolicies.Inrecentyears,theyhavebasicallyformedamulti-level,all-rounddiplomaticpatternbasedontheKorea-USalliance,strengtheningthediplomacyofthefourmajorpowersoftheUnitedStates,China,Japan,andRussia,andactivelyparticipatinginregionalandinternationalaffairs.

AsofJanuary2019,SouthKoreahasestablisheddiplomaticrelationswith190countriesandhas163diplomaticmissionsabroad.

Foreignrelations

• RelationshipwithChina

ChinaandSouthKoreaSincetheestablishmentofdiplomaticrelationsonAugust24,1992,thefriendlyandcooperativerelationsbetweenthetwocountrieshaveachievedrapiddevelopmentinvariousfields.Politically,theleadersofthetwocountriesfrequentlyexchangevisitsormeetininternationalmultilateralevents,whichhasenhancedmutualunderstandingandtrustandpromotedthedevelopmentofbilateralrelations.Economically,themutuallybeneficialcooperationbetweenthetwocountrieshascontinuedtodeepen,andeachotherisanimportanttradingpartner,andexchangesandcooperationinthefieldsofculture,education,scienceandtechnologyhavebecomeincreasinglyactive.Thetwocountriesmaintainclosecoordinationandcooperationinregionalandinternationalaffairs.

1.Politicalrelationsandhigh-levelmutualvisits

Sincetheestablishmentofdiplomaticrelations,thepoliticalrelationsbetweenthetwocountrieshaveprogressedsmoothly.WhenSouthKoreanPresidentKimDae-jungvisitedChinain1998,thetwosidesannouncedtheestablishmentofaChina-SouthKoreacooperativepartnershiporientedtowardsthe21stcentury.In2003,SouthKoreanPresidentRohMoo-hyunvisitedChinaandthetwosidesannouncedtheestablishmentofacomprehensivecooperativepartnershipbetweenChinaandSouthKorea.InMay2008,SouthKoreanPresidentLeeMyung-bakvisitedChinaandthetwosidesannouncedtheestablishmentofaChina-SouthKoreastrategicpartnership.InJuly2014,PresidentXiJinpingvisitedSouthKorea.ThetwosidesannouncedthatChinaandSouthKoreawillstrivetobecomepartnersforcommondevelopment,partnersforregionalpeace,partnersfortherevitalizationofAsia,andpartnersforworldprosperity.InDecember2017,SouthKoreanPresidentMoonJae-invisitedChina.Thetwosidesexchangedin-depthviewsonpromotingtheimprovementanddevelopmentofChina-SouthKorearelationsandstrengtheningcommunicationandcooperationontheKoreanPeninsulaandotherinternationalandregionalissues,andreachedmanyimportantconsensuses.

InJuly2014,PresidentXiJinpingpaidastatevisittoSouthKorea.

InNovember2014,PresidentParkGeun-hyecametoChinatoattendtheAPECleaders’meeting.

InJune2015,ZhangDejiang,ChairmanoftheStandingCommitteeoftheNationalPeople'sCongress,visitedSouthKorea.

InSeptember2015,PresidentParkGeun-hyecametoChinatoattendthe70thanniversaryofthevictoryoftheChinesePeople’sWarofResistanceAgainstJapaneseAggressionandtheWorldAnti-FascistWar.

InOctober2015,PremierLiKeqiangwenttoSouthKoreatoattendthe6thChina-Japan-ROKLeaders’MeetingandpaidanofficialvisittoSouthKorea.

InJune2016,SouthKoreanPrimeMinisterHuangJiaoanvisitedChinaandattendedthe10thSummerDavosForum.

InSeptember2016,PresidentParkGeun-hyecametoChinatoattendtheG20HangzhouSummit.

InMay2017,LeeHae-chan,specialenvoyofthenewPresidentMoonJae-inofSouthKorea,visitedChina.

InJuly2017,PresidentXiJinpingheldthefirstmeetingwithPresidentMoonJae-ininBerlin,Germany.

InNovember2017,PresidentXiJinpingmetwithPresidentMoonJae-induringthe25thAsia-PacificEconomicCooperation(APEC)InformalLeadershipMeetinginDaNang,Vietnam.

InNovember2017,PremierLiKeqiangmetwithPresidentMoonJae-induringtheEastAsiaCooperationLeaders’MeetinginManila,Philippines.

InDecember2017,PresidentMoonJae-inpaidastatevisittoChina.

InFebruary2018,HanZheng,memberoftheStandingCommitteeofthePoliticalBureauoftheCPCCentralCommittee,andLiuYandong,VicePremieroftheStateCouncil,attendedtheopeningandclosingofthePyeongchangWinterOlympicsasthespecialrepresentativesofPresidentXiJinping.

InMarch2018,PresidentXiJinping'sspecialrepresentative,memberofthePoliticalBureauoftheCPCCentralCommittee,anddirectoroftheCentralForeignAffairsOffice,ComradeYangJiechivisitedSouthKoreaattheinvitationoftheSouthKoreangovernment.

InMay2018,PremierLiKeqiangmetwithSouthKoreanPresidentMoonJae-induringtheChina-Japan-ROKLeaders’MeetinginTokyo,Japan.

InAugustandSeptember2018,StateCouncilorandForeignMinisterWangYiattendedtheASEANRegionalForumForeignMinisters’MeetingandmetwithSouthKoreanForeignMinisterKangKyung-whaduringtheUNGeneralAssembly.

InNovember2018,PresidentXiJinpingandPresidentMoonJae-inmetduringthe26thAPECInformalLeadershipMeeting.

Second,EconomicCooperationandTradeRelations

AftertheestablishmentofdiplomaticrelationsbetweenChinaandSouthKorea,bilateraleconomicandtradecooperationhasdevelopedsteadily,healthily,andrapidly.

ChinaisSouthKorea’slargesttradingpartner,largestexportmarketandlargestsourceofimports,andSouthKoreaisChina’sthirdlargesttradingpartner.

FromJanuarytoNovember2018,bilateraltradebetweenChinaandSouthKoreatotaledUS$288.87billion,anincreaseof13.9%.Amongthem,China’sexportswere98.36billionU.S.dollars,adecreaseof5.4%overthesameperiodlastyear;importswere190.52billionU.S.dollars,anincreaseof18.8%.

InMay2012,ChinaandSouthKoreainitiatedintergovernmentalnegotiationsonafreetradeagreement.InNovember2014,thetwosidesannouncedthecompletionofsubstantivenegotiationsandsignedtherelevantmemorandumofunderstanding.ThetwopartiesformallysignedtheagreementinJune2015,andtheagreementcameintoeffectonDecember20ofthesameyear.DuringPresidentMoonJae-in'svisittoChinainDecember2017,thetwosidesannouncedthelaunchofthesecondphaseoftheagreement.

InJuly2014,ChinaandSouthKoreaannouncedtheestablishmentofadirectRMB-to-KRWtransactionmechanisminSouthKorea,theestablishmentofRMBclearingarrangementsinSeoul,SouthKorea,andtheselectionofChinaBankofCommunicationsinSeoulastheclearingbankforRMBbusiness.Theclearingbankbusinessstarted.SouthKoreaofficiallyjoinedtheAIIBinMarch2015.InJune2016,directtradingofRMBtoSouthKoreanwonwasofficiallylaunchedinChina.InOctober2017,thePeople'sBankofChinaandtheBankofKorearenewedthelocalcurrencyswapagreement,whichwasextendedfor3years,withascaleof360billionyuan.

AsofNovember2018,SouthKorea’sactualinvestmentinChinatotaled76.8billionU.S.dollars.China'sactualinvestmentinSouthKoreatotaled7.65billionU.S.dollars.SouthKoreaisChina'ssecondlargestsourceofforeigndirectinvestment.ChinaisSouthKorea'ssecondlargestoverseasinvestmenttargetcountry.

3.Relationsinotherfields

Thetwocountrieshaveestablishedfriendlyexchangeswiththescienceandtechnology,culture,education,judicialdepartmentsandmanylocalgovernments.Partnership.ChinahasconsulatesgeneralinBusan,Gwangju,andJeju,SouthKorea.SouthKoreahasconsulatesgeneralinShanghai,Qingdao,Guangzhou,Shenyang,Chengdu,Xi'an,WuhanandHongKong,andtheconsulateofficeoftheconsulateinShenyanginDalianissetupinDalian.Thereareabout60regularpassengerroutesbetweenthemajorcitiesofthetwocountries,withnearly1,200flightsperweek.ThereareregularpassengerandcargoshippingroutesbetweenTianjin,Qingdao,Dalian,Yantai,WeihaiinChinaandIncheon,Busan,PyeongtaekandotherplacesinSouthKorea.

FromJanuarytoOctober2018,7.91millionpeopleexchangedbetweenChinaandSouthKorea.Asoftheendof2018,therewereabout67,000KoreanstudentsstudyinginChina,and60,000ChinesestudentsstudyinginKorea,bothrankingfirstinthenumberofforeignstudentsintheothercountry.Thereare23ConfuciusInstitutesand5ConfuciusClassroomsinSouthKorea.

ThemilitaryexchangesbetweenChinaandSouthKoreahavebeencarriedoutsteadily,andbothcountrieshavesetupmilitaryattaché'sofficesineachother'sembassies.TheChineseandSouthKoreanmilitarymaintainhigh-levelexchangesandmaintainexchangesandcooperationonexchangesofvisitsbyships,militarystudents,disasterrelief,counter-terrorism,andUNpeacekeepingoperations.

Theexchangesbetweenthetwocountriesinthefieldsofliterature,art,sports,education,health,radio,filmandtelevision,pressandpublicationhavedevelopedrapidly.

Thetwosideshaveestablishedatotalof184pairsoffriendlyprovincesandcities.ThefriendshipgroupsonbothsidesincludetheChina-KoreaFriendshipAssociation,theKorea-ChinaFriendshipAssociation,theKorea-ChinaCulturalAssociation,the21stCenturyKorea-ChinaExchangeAssociation,theKorea-ChinaBusinessAssociation,andtheKorea-ChinaGoodwillAssociation.

Four.ImportantBilateralAgreements

• TheJointCommuniquéontheEstablishmentofDiplomaticRelationsbetweenChinaandSouthKorea(1992)

• "China-SouthKoreaGovernmentTradeAgreement"(1992)

• "ChinaandSouthKoreaontheestablishmentofmutualconsulatesinShanghai,ChinaandBusan,SouthKorea"ExchangeofLetters"(1992)

• "ExchangeofLettersbetweenChinaandSouthKoreaonSouthKorea'sEstablishmentoftheConsulateGeneralinQingdao"(1993)

• 《中韩政府文化合作协定》（1994年）

• 《中韩关于韩国在香港特别行政区保留总领事馆的换文》（1995年）

• 《中韩联合公报》（1998年）

• 《中韩关于简化签证手续和颁发多次签证的协定》（1998年）

• 《中韩关于韩国在广州设立总领事馆的换文》（2000年）

• 《中韩渔业协定》（2000年）

• 《中华人民共和国和大韩民国引渡条约》（2000年）

• 《中韩关于韩国驻华使馆领事部驻沈阳办公室升格为总领事馆的换文》（2002年）

• 《中韩联合声明》（2003年）

• 《中韩民商事司法协助条约》(2003年)

• 《中韩关于韩国在成都设立总领事馆的换文》（2004年）

• 《中韩就设立中国驻韩国大使馆驻光州领事办公室的换文》（2004年）

• 《中韩联合公报》（2005年）

• 《中韩关于韩国在西安设立总领事馆的换文》（2006年）

• 《中韩联合声明》（2008年）

• 《中韩联合公报》（2008年）

• 《中韩关于韩国在武汉设立总领事馆的换文》（2009年）

• 《中韩联合新闻公报》（2012年）

• 《中韩关于中国在济州设立总领事馆的换文》（2012年）

• 《中韩面向未来联合声明》（2013年）

• 《中韩联合声明》（2014年）

• 《中韩领事协定》（2014年）

• 《中韩自由贸易协定》（2015年）

• 同美国的关系

韩美1949年1月建交。1953年10月韩美签署《韩美共同防御条约》，确立军事同盟关系。美国在韩国有2.85万驻军，掌握韩军战时指挥权，对韩国负有安全防卫义务。2017年2月，美国防部长马蒂斯访韩。3月，美国务卿蒂勒森访韩。6月，韩国总统文在寅访美，同美国总统特朗普会晤。11月，美国总统特朗普访韩，与韩国总统文在寅会晤。2018年2月，美国副总统彭斯参加平昌冬奥会开幕式，美国总统顾问伊万卡·特朗普参加平昌冬奥会闭幕式。2018年5月、9月，韩国总统文在寅两次访美,与美国总统特朗普举行会谈。2018年11月，韩国总统文在寅在APEC领导人非正式会议期间同美国副总统彭斯会晤。据韩方统计，2018年1～11月，韩美贸易额1198.2亿美元，韩方顺差127.5亿美元。

• 同日本的关系

韩日1965年建交。两国在各领域有着广泛的交流与合作，但历史等问题仍是干扰两国关系的因素。2017年5月，韩国总统文在寅特使文喜相访问日本。同月，韩国总统文在寅同日本首相安倍晋三通电话。7月，文在寅总统在德国汉堡与安倍晋三首相会晤。2018年2月，安倍晋三首相出席平昌冬奥会开幕式，并会见文在寅总统。2018年4月，文在寅总统与安倍晋三首相通电话。2018年5月，文在寅总统赴日本出席第七次中日韩领导人会议，同安倍晋三首相会晤。据韩方统计，2018年1～11月，韩日贸易额784.9亿美元，韩方逆差221.7亿美元。

• 同俄罗斯的关系

韩国与前苏联1990年9月建交。前苏联解体后，韩国与俄罗斯继续保持外交关系。2017年5月，韩国总统文在寅同俄罗斯总统普京通电话。7月，文在寅总统和普京总统在德国汉堡会晤。9月，文在寅总统访俄，同普京总统会晤。2018年6月，文在寅总统访俄，同普京会晤。9月，韩国国务总理李洛渊访问赴俄罗斯，会见普京总统，出席第四届东方经济论坛。10月，俄罗斯联邦委员会主席瓦伦缇娜·伊万诺夫娃·马特维延科访问韩国，会见文在寅总统。2018年11月，韩国总统文在寅在APEC领导人非正式会议期间同俄罗斯总统普京会晤。据韩方统计，2018年1～11月，韩俄贸易额227.6亿美元，韩方逆差93亿美元。

旅游

韩国主要旅游点有首尔景福宫、德寿宫、昌庆宫、昌德宫、国立博物馆、国立国乐院、世宗文化会馆、湖岩美术馆、南山塔、国立现代美术馆、江华岛、民俗村、板门店、庆州、济州岛、雪岳山等。韩国第一大岛济州岛是著名的旅游胜地，岛上的瀑布、海滩、浴场、绿树红花等自然风光，韩国最高峰——海拔1950米的汉拿山也屹立于此。

截至2011年10月，韩国拥有9处世界文化遗产和1处世界自然遗产，被收录进世界遗产的韩国文化遗产包括：首尔宗庙（1995年）、海印寺（1995年）、佛国寺和石窟庵（1995年）、水原华城（1997年）、昌德宫（1997年）、庆州历史遗址区（2000年），高敞，和顺，江华支石墓遗址（2000年），朝鲜王陵40座（2009年），安东河回村。济州火山岛和熔岩洞窟于2007年被登载入世界自然遗产名录。