South Korea

South Korea, officially known as the Republic of Korea (ROK) (Korean: 대한민국, IPA: [tɛː.han.min.ɡuk̚], listen (helpÐ'*info)) is an East Asian country on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. To the north, it is bordered by North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), with which it was united until 1945. To the west, across the Yellow Sea, lies China (People's Republic of China) and to the southeast, across the Korea Strait, lies Japan.

Korea traces its founding to 2333 BCE by Dangun Wanggeom. Archaeological research shows that Koreans occupied the peninsula since the Lower Paleolithic period with territories expanding as far as mainland China and eastern Russia during the Gojoseon period. Korea's history has been turbulent throughout with the last emperor of Korea dating back to the age of the Korean Empire. Since the establishment of the modern republic in 1948, South Korea struggled with the aftermath of the Japanese control (1910-1945), the Korean War (1950-1953), and decades of authoritarian governments, undergoing five major constitutional changes. While the government officially embraced Western-style democracy from its founding, presidential elections suffered from rampant irregularities. It was not until 1987 that direct and fair presidential elections were held, largely prompted by popular demonstrations.

South Korea had one of the fastest economic development in the world since the 1960s and is now the 3rd largest economy in Asia and the 12th largest economy in the world. Many developing nations refer to this progress as the "Miracle on the Han River", using South Korea's success story as a role model. South Korea is both part of the CIA and IMF list of advanced economies, and also is assorted as a high-income nation. In addition, South Korea is a Next Eleven country, forming the G20 Industrial Nations.

South Korea is one of the world's most technologically and scientifically advanced countries; it is the only country in the world having nationwide 100Mbps Broadband Internet Access, Full HDTV Broadcasting, DMB, WiBro and 3rd Generation HSDPA. It is currently the most wired nation in the world, with 90 per cent of homes connected to cheap broadband internet.[19] South Korea is a global leader in electronics, computers, digital displays, semiconductor devices, mobile