HISTORY

Korea  is a shrimp between whales.

The 5 periods of Korean History illustrate its turbulent history

·       Gojoseon

·       3 Kingdom period Goyuryeo - Baekje –Silla ( 18 BC – 935 AD)

·       Goryeo Dynasty 918-1392

·       Joseon 1392-1910

·       Japanese Colonial rule 1910-1945

Gojoseon covers modern day Manchuria and North Korea. Gojoseon- has its foundation in mystery and mythical founder Dangun based on the story of legendary first Korean  Hwanin – Lord of Heaven sending his son Hwanung  to earth at Baekdusan- the  tallest and most spiritual mountain of Korea. Later his son Dangun started the Gojoseon state.

The significant history of Korea started with 3 kingdoms around 668 AD – Goguryo, Baekje,and Silla. Silla maintained a tributary relationship with China and conquered both Goguryro and Baekje – and Buddhism flourish under a unified   Silla dynasty. Around 900 AD,  Wang Geon started the new kingdom called Koryo – Goryeo dynasty- present day Korea and moved capital to Gaeseong- north of DMZ. Mongols of  Yuan dynasty- invaded  and again Korean survived as a tributary nation of Yuan and as Yuan fall to Ming Dyansty- - throughout these 400 years- Mongol invasions weaken the state, and monks exploits Buddhism as national religion to amass great wealth.

By 1388 Yi  Seong Ge seized power in a coup, and 4 years later, in 1392 establish himself as King Taejo of a new Joseon Dynasty with new capital at Hanyang- presentday Seoul. The third King Taejong killed his brother to seize the throne and the 4^th King Sejong ( 1418-1450) created the Hangeul. The next hero to rise is Admiral Yi Su  Sin  from Yeosu on the south coast  astonishing naval prowess and his 8 major engagements and military exploits against the Japanese with his strategies and turtle  ships- sinking more than 250 Japanese vessels over a period of 6 years such as the battle of Myeongnyang – despite being outnumbered by 13 to 333 ships (with help from China). As Manchus take over from Ming, Qing dynasty came up- Joseon maintain a Hermit Kingdom status- treating China as superior and Japan as trading neighbour. 

Finally Japanese colonisation happened in 1910 – until liberation in 1945 – the long 35 years cast a long shadow with heroes and collaborators. The colonisation period  was a painful one – Japanese dominate – schools, names, even Shinto rituals were followed- but as blessings in disguise- it did prepare Korea for modernisations,  development of industry and agriculture, highways, rail, road and ports and communications facilities.

 The modern history of Korean

Koreans has long memories.

In 1905, on 18 November Japan forced a treaty  to control Korea until Oct 1909 when  Ito Hirobumi was assassinated  which aggravate Japan to move in to annex Korea under General Terauchi Masatake- the new governor –general. Of the Five traitors who approved it- 2 committed suicide i.e Min Yonghwan and Jo Byeongse. In Jun 1907 – Gojong  send an envoy to IPC at The Hague to generate pressure for Japan withdrawal.  By 1 March 1919 – nationalists called for  the declaration for self determination at Versailles Conference following World War 1 – from Donghak movement that oppose the west in 1886. Japan suppressed it and about 7,500 lost their lives.

By 1945, with the Japanese surrender at the end of the Pacific War. US  proposed a 38^th parallel demarcation line to divide Russians to the North and US to the South. Following the liberation, 2 Korean states emerged- each backed by a superpower. This is the beginning of the 2 separate Korean states- in the North lead by Kim II Sung  constitution modelled on Soviet in Sep 1948  and the south led by Syngman Rhee/ Lee Seung Man  - a Harvard educated Methodist  whoh have been overseas for 36 years with PHD from Princeton  as president of the  new assembly by 12 Jul  1948. North.

This set the stage for the Korean war. The North launched a full scale attack on 25 Jun 1950. The war lasted  3 years 1950-1953 , and claimed millions of lives.

The history of North Korea began with the partition of Korea at the end of World War II in 1945, and the creation of the Communist-aligned Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) headed by the former guerrilla leader, Kim Il-sung. In 1950 the Korean War broke out. After much destruction, the war ended with the status quo being restored. The DPRK had failed to unify Korea under its leadership, and the US-led United Nations force had failed to conquer North Korea. The peninsula was divided by the Korean Demilitarized Zone, and a US military force remained in South Korea.

Tension between the two sides continued. Kim Il-sung remained in power until his death in 1994. He developed a pervasive personality cult and steered the country on an independent course in accordance with the principle of Juche (or self-reliance). However, with natural disasters and the collapse of the Soviet Bloc in 1991, North Korea went into a severe economic crisis. Kim Il-sung's son, Kim Jong-il, succeeded him, and was in turn succeeded by his son, Kim Jong-un. Amid international alarm, North Korea developed nuclear missiles.

Kim Jong-Il died on December 17, 2011^[125] and was quickly succeeded by his son, Kim Jong-un. Tensions between North Korea and other countries increased due to its rocket launches and nuclear bomb testing, and UN sanctions have been tightened.

In 2014, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry accused the government of crimes against humanity.^[126]

In 2015, North Korea adopted Pyongyang Standard Time (UTC+08.30), reversing the change to Japan Standard Time (UTC+9.00) which had been imposed by the Japanese Empire. As a result, North Korea was in a different time zone from South Korea.^[127]

The 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea was held in 2016, where Kim Jong-Un further consolidated his control and power within the Workers' Party of Korea and country.

President Kim Dae-jung of South Korea actively attempted to reduce tensions between the two Koreas under the Sunshine Policy, but this produced few immediate results. Since the election of George W. Bush as the President of the United States in 2000, North Korea has faced renewed external pressure over its nuclear program, reducing the prospect of international economic assistance.

In 2002, Kim Jong-il declared that "money should be capable of measuring the worth of all commodities", followed by some small market-oriented measures, and the creation of the Kaesong Industrial Region with transport links to South Korea was announced.^{[citation needed]} Experiments are under way to allow factory managers to fire underperforming workers and give bonuses. China’s investments increased to $200 million in 2004.^{[citation needed]}

On October 9, 2006, North Korea has announced that it had successfully detonated a nuclear device underground at 10:36 am local time without any radiation leak. An official at South Korea's seismic monitoring center confirmed a magnitude-3.6 tremor felt at the time North Korea said it conducted the test was not a natural occurrence.^[124]

Additionally, North Korea was running a missile development program. In 1998, North Korea tested a Taepondong-1 Space Launch Vehicle, which successfully launched but failed to reach orbit. On July 5, 2006, they tested a Taepodong-2 ICBM that reportedly could reach the west coast of the U.S. in the 2-stage version, or the entire U.S. with a third stage. However, the missile failed shortly after launch, so it is unknown what its exact capabilities are or how close North Korea is to perfecting the technology.

North Korea's advancements in weapons technology appear to give them leverage in ongoing negotiations with the United Nations and other countries. On February 13, 2007, North Korea signed an agreement with South Korea, the United States, Russia, China, and Japan, which stipulated North Korea would shut down its Yongbyon nuclear reactor in exchange for economic and energy assistance. However, in 2009 the North continued its nuclear test program.

In 2010, the sinking of a South Korean naval ship, the Cheonan, reportedly by a North Korean torpedo, escalated tensions between North and South.

Korean Presidents- Korean Presidents after Park

1st -Park Chung Hee led fro 18 years until assassinated.

Chun Doo-hwan,

Roh Tae-woo,

Kim Young-sam, and

8th Kim Dae-jung

 9th - Roh Moo-hyun

Park Geun-hye

Park Chung-hee : 14 November 1917 – 26 October 1979) was a South Korean president and military general who led South Korea as a dictator from 1961 until his assassination in 1979.

Park Chung Hee era – rise on 16 May 1961 by coup and improve the lives of the Korean people- and laid the foundation for the economic miracles. Both he and his wife were assassinated. 

Park seized power through the May 16 coup, a military coup d'état that overthrew the Second Republic of South Korea in 1961 and ruled as a military strongman at the head of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction until his election and inauguration as the President of the Third Republic of South Korea in 1963. In 1972, Park declared martial law and recast the constitution into a highly authoritarian document, ushering in the Fourth Republic of South Korea. After surviving several assassination attempts, including two operations associated with North Korea, Park was assassinated on 26 October 1979 by Kim Jae-gyu, the chief of his own security services.^[2] He had led South Korea for 18 years. Park's first-born daughter, Park Geun-hye, is currently the suspended President of South Korea.

Park was married to Kim Ho-nam (having one daughter with her) and the two later divorced. Afterwards, he married Yuk Young-soo, and the couple had two daughters and one son. Yuk was killed in the assassination attempt against Park in 1974. Their elder daughter, Park Geun-hye, later became a politician and was elected as the first female president of South Korea in the December 2012 presidential election, defeating the liberal candidate Moon Jae-in.^[27]

Park’s Legacy

Park led the Miracle on the Han River, a period of rapid economic growth in South Korea, until 1979. However, his authoritarian rule saw numerous human rights abuses.^[28] Opinion is thus split regarding his legacy between those who credit Park for his reforms and those who condemn his authoritarian way of ruling the country (especially after 1971). Older generations who spent their adulthood during Park's rule tend to credit Park for building the economic foundation of the country and protecting the country from North Korea, as well as leading Korea to economic and global prominence. Although Park was listed as one of the top ten "Asians of the Century" by Time magazine in 1999,^[29] the newer generations of Koreans and those who fought for democratization tend to believe his authoritarian rule was unjustified, and that he hindered South Korea's transition to democracy. He is also believed to be one of the main causes of regionalism which is a serious problem in Korea today.^[30]

Park Chung-hee remains a controversial figure in South Korea. The eighteen-year Park era is considered to be one of the most, if not the most, controversial topics for the Korean public, politicians, and scholars both at home and abroad.^[31] A large number of South Koreans, especially those from Park's native Yeongnam region^{[citation needed]}, consider Park to be one of the greatest leaders in the country's history and thus continue to hold Park in high regard in great part due to the industrial and economic growth experienced by South Korea under his regime. Park was accused of having pro-Japanese tendencies by some, but it is widely agreed that Park is responsible for the beginning of a normalized relationship with Japan and today Japan is one of South Korea's top trading partners, surpassed only by the People's Republic of China and the United States.^[32][33] He is often credited as being one of the major people responsible for bringing economic growth and development to South Korea^{[citation needed]}. Park has been recognized and respected by many South Koreans as his country's most efficient leader, credited with making South Korea economically what it is today.^[34] However, Park is also regarded as a highly repressive dictator who restricted personal freedoms and was isolated from the people.^[35] At the very least, his actions put United States and South Korea foreign relations at risk, at least under Carter. Dissolving the constitution to allow him unopposed rule and a third term, blackmail, arresting, jailing and murdering opposition figures are well documented.^[36] The new constitution President Park implemented after declaring the state of emergency in 1971, gave him the power to appoint one third of the members of the National Assembly and even outlawed criticism of the constitution and of the president.^[37] There were also many economic feats established during Park's regime, including the Gyeongbu Expressway, POSCO, the famous Five-Year Plans of South Korea, and the New Community Movement.^[38]

On 24 October 2007, following an internal inquiry, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) admitted that its precursor, the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA), undertook the kidnapping of opposition leader and future President Kim Dae-jung, saying it had at least tacit backing from then-leader Park Chung-hee.^[39

Early life and education

Kim was born on 6 January 1924,^[3] but he later registered his birth date to 3 December 1925 to avoid conscription during the time when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule. Kim was the second of seven children to middle-class farmers. Kim was born in Sinan in what was then the Jeolla province; the city is now in Jeollanam-do. Kim's family had moved to the nearby port city of Mokpo so that he could finish high school. Kim graduated from Mokpo Commercial High School in 1943 at the top of the class. After working as a clerk for a Japanese-owned shipping company during the Imperial Japanese occupation of Korea, he became its owner and became very rich. Kim escaped Communist capture during the Korean War.^[4]

Kim first entered politics in 1954 during the administration of Korea's first president, Syngman Rhee. Although he was elected as a representative for the National Assembly in 1961, a military coup led by Park Chung-hee, who later assumed dictatorial powers, voided the elections.^[4] He was able to win a seat in the House in the subsequent elections in 1963 and 1967 and went on to become an eminent opposition leader. As such, he was the natural opposition candidate for the country's presidential election in 1971. He nearly defeated Park, despite several handicaps on his candidacy which were imposed by the ruling regime.^[5]

A very talented orator, Kim could command unwavering loyalty among his supporters. His staunchest support came from the Jeolla region, where he reliably garnered upwards of 95% of the popular vote, a record that has remained unsurpassed in South Korean politics.

Kim was almost killed in August 1973, when he was kidnapped from a hotel in Tokyo by KCIA agents in response to his criticism of President Park's yushin program, which granted near-dictatorial powers. Years later, Kim reflected on these events during his 2000 Nobel Peace Prize lecture:

I have lived, and continue to live, in the belief that God is always with me. I know this from experience. In August of 1973, while exiled in Japan, I was kidnapped from my hotel room in Tokyo by intelligence agents of the then military government of South Korea. The news of the incident startled the world. The agents took me to their boat at anchor along the seashore. They tied me up, blinded me, and stuffed my mouth. Just when they were about to throw me overboard, Jesus Christ appeared before me with such clarity. I clung to him and begged him to save me. At that very moment, an airplane came down from the sky to rescue me from the moment of death.

— Kim Dae-jung^[6]

Philip Habib, the US ambassador in Seoul, had interceded for him with the South Korean government.^[7]

Although Kim returned to South Korea, he was banned from politics and imprisoned in 1976 for having participated in the proclamation of an anti-government manifesto and sentenced for five years in prison, which was reduced to house arrest in 1978.^[5] During this period, he was designated a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.^[8]

Kim had his political rights restored in 1979 after Park was assassinated. However, in 1980, Kim was arrested and sentenced to death on charges of sedition and conspiracy in the wake of another coup by Chun Doo-hwan and a popular uprising in Gwangju, his political stronghold.^[9]

Pope John Paul II sent a letter to then-South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan on 11 December 1980, asking for clemency for Kim, a Catholic, who had been sentenced to death a week before. The National Archives of Korea revealed the contents of the letter at the request of the Kwangju Ilbo, the local daily newspaper in Gwangju (Kwangju).^[10]

With the intervention of the United States government,^[11] the sentence was commuted to 20 years in prison and later he was given exile in the U.S. Kim temporarily settled in Boston and taught at Harvard University as a visiting professor to the Center for International Affairs.^[12]

During his period abroad, he authored a number of opinion pieces in leading western newspapers that were sharply critical of the South Korean government. On March 30, 1983, Kim presented a speech on human rights and democracy at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and accepted an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the institution. Two years later, in 1985, he returned to his homeland.

Road to the presidency

Kim was again put under house arrest upon his return to Seoul, but resumed his role as one of the principal leaders of the opposition. When Chun Doo-hwan succumbed to the popular demands in 1987 and allowed the country's first honest presidential election, Kim Dae-jung and the other leading opposition figure, Kim Young-sam, initially promised to unite behind one candidate. However, due to a dispute between the two men, Kim Dae-jung split off from the main opposition party, the Reunification Democratic Party, and formed the Party for Peace and Democracy to run for the presidency. As a result, the opposition vote was split in two, and ex-general Roh Tae-woo – Chun Doo-hwan's hand-picked successor – won with only 36.5% of the popular vote. Kim Young-sam receiving 28% and Kim Dae-jung 27% of the vote.

In 1992, Kim made yet another failed bid for the presidency, this time solely against Kim Young-sam, who had merged the RDP with the ruling Democratic Justice Party to form the Democratic Liberal Party (which eventually became the Grand National Party).^[4] Many thought Kim Dae-jung's political career was effectively over when he took a hiatus from politics and departed for the United Kingdom to take a position at Clare Hall, Cambridge University as a visiting scholar.^[12] However, in 1995 he announced his return to politics and began his fourth quest for the presidency.

The situation became favorable for him when the public revolted against the incumbent government in the wake of the nation's economic collapse in the Asian financial crisis just weeks before the presidential election. Allied with Kim Jong-pil, he defeated Lee Hoi-chang, Kim Young-sam's designated successor, in the election held on 18 December 1997. When he was sworn in as the eighth President of South Korea on 25 February 1998, it marked the first time in Korean history that the ruling party peacefully transferred power to a democratically elected opposition victor.^[4][13] The election was marred with controversy, as two candidates from the ruling party split the conservative vote (38.7% and 19.2% respectively), enabling Kim to win with only 40.3% of the popular vote.^[14] Kim's chief opponent, Lee Hoi-chang, was a former Supreme Court Justice and had graduated at the top of his class from Seoul National University School of Law. Lee was widely viewed as elitist and his candidacy was further damaged by charges that his sons dodged mandatory military service. Kim's education in contrast was limited to vocational high school, and many Koreans sympathized with the many trials and tribulations that Kim had endured previously.

The preceding presidents Park Chung Hee, Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, and Kim Young-sam originated from the Gyeongsang region, which became wealthier since 1945 partly due to the policies of the Park, Chun and Roh's regimes. Kim Dae-jung was the first president to serve out his full term who came from the Cholla region in the southwest, an area that had been neglected and less developed, at least partly because of discriminatory policies of previous presidents. Kim's administration included more individuals from the Cholla province, leading to charges of reverse discrimination. However, the actual numbers of the ministers and administrators of Kim Dae Jung's government from Cholla region indicate that they were not over-represented.

Kim Dae-jung took office in the midst of the economic crisis that hit South Korea in the final year of Kim Young-sam's term. He vigorously pushed economic reform and restructuring recommended by the International Monetary Fund, in the process significantly altering the landscape of South Korean economy.^[4] After the economy shrank by 5.8 percent in 1998, it grew 10.2 percent in 1999.^[2] In effect, his policies were to make for a fairer market by holding the powerful chaebol (conglomerates) accountable, e.g., greater transparency in accounting practices. State subsidies to large corporations were dramatically cut or dropped.

North Korea policy See also: Sunshine Policy

In February 2001, Russian president Vladimir Putin dined with Kim Dae-Jung.

His policy of engagement with North Korea has been termed the Sunshine Policy.^[2] He moved to begin détente with the communist regime in North Korea, which culminated in a historic summit meeting in 2000 in Pyongyang with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. This marked a critical juncture in inter-Korean relations, and the two Koreas have had direct contact with each other since. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for these efforts. However, the historic event was tainted significantly by allegations that at least several hundred million dollars had been paid to Pyongyang. His Chief of Staff, Park Ji-Won, was sentenced to twelve years in prison in 2003 for, among other charges, his role in the Hyundai payment to North Korea for the North–South summit.^[15] Also in order to persuade North Korea to attend the summit, several "unconverted long-term prisoners" kept by South Korea were released and returned to North Korea.^[16] The effect of the Sunshine Policy was questioned by American newspaper The Village Voice, which cited the money transfers and the coverup of atrocities in the North.^[17]

Relationship with former Presidents[edit]

After Kim achieved the presidency and moved into the Blue House, there was uncertainty and considerable speculation about how he would handle the office. He had been sentenced to death by Chun Doo Hwan. Chun and his successor Roe Tae Woo had been sentenced by Kim Dae Jung's predecessor President Kim Young Sam. Kim Dae Jung pardoned Chun.^{[citation needed]}

During his presidency, he introduced South Korea's contemporary welfare state,^[18][19] successfully shepherded the country's economic recovery, brought in a new era of economic transparency and fostered a greater role for South Korea in the world stage, including the FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by South Korea and Japan in 2002. Kim completed his 5-year presidential term in 2003 and was succeeded by Roh Moo-hyun. A presidential library at Yonsei University was built to preserve Kim's legacy, and there is a convention center named after him in the city of Gwangju, the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center.^{[citation needed]}

Post-presidency[edit]

Kim called for restraint against the North Koreans for detonating a nuclear weapon and defended the continued Sunshine Policy towards Pyongyang to defuse the crisis. He promised all Koreans that he would take active responsibility if North Korea ever tried to arm themselves with nuclear weapons, but there is ongoing debate about whether the Sunshine Policy facilitated Pyongyang's nuclear programs. He also received an honorary doctorate at the University of Portland on 17 April 2008 where he delivered his speech, "Challenge, Response, and God."^[20]

The Wikileaks data reveals that the U.S. Embassy in Seoul described Kim as "South Korea's first left-wing president" to the American government on his day of death.^[21]

Death

Kim died on 18 August 2009 at 13:43 KST, at Severance Hospital of Yonsei University in Seoul.^[22] The cause of death was given as multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.^[23] An interfaith state funeral was held for him on 23 August 2009 in front of the National Assembly Building, with a procession leading to the Seoul National Cemetery where he was interred according to Catholic traditions. He is the second person in South Korean history to be given a state funeral after Park Chung-hee.^[24] North Korea sent a delegation to his funeral.^[25] He died about 3 months after the 9th South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun committed suicide on May 23, 2009.

South Korea ( listen), officially the Republic of Korea (ROK;  listen), is a sovereign state in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula.^[10]

Highly urbanized at 92%,^[11] South Koreans lead a distinctive urban lifestyle; half of them live in high-rises^[12] concentrated in the Seoul Capital Area with 25 million residents^[13] and the world's sixth leading global city^[14] with the fourth largest economy^[15] and seventh most sustainable city in the world.^[16]

The earliest Korean pottery dates to 8000 BC,^[17] with three kingdoms flourishing in the 1st century BC. The name Korea is derived from one of them, Goguryeo, also known as Koryŏ, which was a powerful empire and one of the great powers in East Asia,^{[18][19][20][21]} ruling Northeast China, parts of Russia^[22] and Inner Mongolia,^[23] and more than two-thirds of the Korean Peninsula under Gwanggaeto the Great.^[24] Since their unification into Later Silla and Balhae in the 7th century, Korea enjoyed over a millennium of relative tranquility under long lasting dynasties,^[25] with innovations like Hangul, the unique alphabet created by Sejong the Great in 1446, enabling anyone to easily learn to read and write.^[26] Its rich and vibrant culture left 19 UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity, the third largest in the world, along with 12 World Heritage Sites. Annexed into Imperial Japan in 1910, Korea was divided after its surrender in 1945. A North Korean invasion led to the Korean War (1950–53). Peace has since mostly continued with the two agreeing to work peacefully for reunification and the South solidifying peace as a regional power with the world's 10th largest defence budget.

South Korea's tiger economy soared at an annual average of 10% for over 30 years^[27] in a period of rapid transformation called the Miracle on the Han River. A long legacy of openness and focus in innovation made it successful.^[28] Today, it is the world's fifth largest exporter and seventh largest importer with the G20's largest budget surplus^[29] and highest credit rating of any country in East Asia.^[30] It has free trade agreements with 75% of the world economy and is the only G20 nation trading freely with China, the US and EU simultaneously.^[31] Since 1987, its constitution guarantees a multi-party democracy with universal suffrage, high government transparency and universal healthcare. High civil liberties led to the rise of a globally influential pop culture^[32] such as K-pop and K-drama, a phenomenon called the Korean Wave, known for its distinctive fashionable and trendy style.^[33] Home of the UN Green Climate Fund and GGGI, South Korea is a leader in low carbon green growth,^[34] committed to helping developing countries as a major DAC and Paris Club contributor. It is the world's third least ignorant country in the Index of Ignorance,^[35] ranking eighth highest for peaceful tolerance and inclusion of minorities on the Fragile States Index.^[36]

South Korea is East Asia's most developed country in the Human Development Index. Driven by a highly educated and skilled workforce, it has the world's eighth highest median household income, the highest in Asia, and its singles in particular earn more than all G7 nations. Globally, it ranks highly in personal safety,^[37] job security, ease of doing business and healthcare quality, with the world's third highest health adjusted life expectancy and fourth most efficient healthcare system.^[38] It is the world's largest spender on R&D per GDP, leading the OECD in graduates in science and engineering^[39] and ranking third in the Youth Wellbeing Index.^[40] Home of Samsung, the world's leading smartphone and TV maker,^[41][42] LG and Hyundai-Kia, South Korea was named the world's most innovative country in the Bloomberg Innovation Index,^[43] ranking first in business R&D intensity and patents filed per GDP. In 2005, it became the world's first country to fully transition to high-speed Internet^[44] and today it has the world's fastest Internet speed and highest smartphone ownership, ranking first in ICT Development, e-Government^[45] and 4G LTE coverage.

Korean People

Korean as a homogeneous people, due to their history and openness – has embraced the major religions and philosophy on top of the traditional Buddhism and Shamanism . Christianity is popular and Confucianism and ancestor worship are strongly infused in the everyday life of Koreans.  We see mega churches like David Cho yong gi  Yoido Full Gospel  and Somang Church – but they have succumbed to financial misdealing. We also see Mudang-  mostly woman dressed elaborate costumes to intervene  and communicate with the spiritual realm with rituals, singing and dancing This is strengthen by the nationalistic jeong- spirit of bonding in the struggle to survive.  It centers around groups of people that share common history and destiny. Korean has a history of poverty, colonial invasion and separation and the ever physical  dominance of US even till today.

In April 2016, South Korea's population was estimated to be around 50.8 million by National Statistical Office, with continuing decline of working age population and total fertility rate.^[5][6] The country is noted for its population density, which was an estimated 505 per square kilometer in 2015,^[5] more than 10 times the global average. Most South Koreans live in urban areas, because of rapid migration from the countryside during the country's quick economic expansion in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.^[162] The capital city of Seoul is also the country's largest city and chief industrial center. According to the 2005 census, Seoul had a population of 10 million inhabitants. The Seoul National Capital Area has 24.5 million inhabitants (about half of South Korea's entire population) making it the world's second largest metropolitan area. Other major cities include Busan (3.5 million), Incheon (2.5 million), Daegu (2.5 million), Daejeon (1.4 million), Gwangju (1.4 million) and Ulsan (1.1 million).^[163]

The population has also been shaped by international migration. After World War II and the division of the Korean Peninsula, about four million people from North Korea crossed the border to South Korea. This trend of net entry reversed over the next 40 years because of emigration, especially to the United States and Canada. South Korea's total population in 1955 was 21.5 million,^[164] and has more than doubled, to 50 million, by 2010.^[165]

South Korea is one of the most ethnically homogeneous societies in the world, with more than 99% of inhabitants having Korean ethnicity.^[166]

The percentage of foreign nationals has been growing rapidly.^[167] As of 2009^[update], South Korea had 1,106,884 foreign residents, 2.7% of the population; however, more than half of them are ethnic Koreans with a foreign citizenship. For example, migrants from China (PRC) make up 56.5% of foreign nationals, but approximately 70% of the Chinese citizens in Korea are Joseonjok (조선족 in Korean), PRC citizens of Korean ethnicity.^[168] Regardless of the ethnicity, there are 28,500 US military personnel serving in South Korea, most serving a one-year unaccompanied tour (though approximately 10% serve longer tours accompanied by family), according to the Korea National Statistical Office.^[169][170] In addition, about 43,000 English teachers from English-speaking countries reside temporarily in Korea.^[171] Currently, South Korea has one of the highest rates of growth of foreign born population, with about 30,000 foreign born residences obtaining South Korean citizenship every year since 2010.

South Korea's birthrate was the world's lowest in 2009.^[172] If this continues, its population is expected to decrease by 13% to 42.3 million in 2050.^[173] South Korea's annual birthrate is approximately 9 births per 1000 people.^[174] However, the birthrate has increased by 5.7% in 2010 and Korea no longer has the world's lowest birthrate.^[175] According to a 2011 report from Chosun Ilbo, South Korea's total fertility rate (1.23 children born per woman) is higher than those of Taiwan (1.15) and Japan (1.21).^[176] The average life expectancy in 2008 was 79.10 years,^[177] (which was 34th in the world^[178]) but by 2015 it had increased to around 81.^[179] South Korea has the steepest decline in working age population of the OECD nations.^[180] In 2015, National Statistical Office estimated that the population of the country will have reached its peak by 2035.^[5][6]

Jeju-do

The Bali of North Asia- Korean’s Hawaii or honeymoon island – it lies 160 km south of main island – Hallasan 1950 m – It has building structures like Hawaii – with grand fathers stones- dolharubang – carved lava rock statues. In the 13 th century – when Goryeo kingdom had been subjugated  by Mongol invaders for over 100 years - - Mongols used Jeju as a land bridge  to invade japan. Mogols also brought Buddhism and also horse breeding. Till today, there are 2 folk villages Seongeup and Jeju Folk village  and Jeju is famous for their diving woman haenyeo

Jeonju

Capital of North Jeolla province – ancestral home of Ye Seong gye – founder of Joseon Dynasty. It is famous for its bibimbap