South Korea

Languages spoken in South Korea: Korean.

Located in East Asia, the Republic of Korea, widely referred to as South Korea, is a country on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. The only direct neighbouring country is North Korea, the socialist half of Korea, which lies to the north. The two Korean states were established in 1948 during the emerging Cold War. The division was cemented with the ensuing Korean War.

The official name of the country is the Republic of Korea, but colloquially it is usually referred to as South Korea. In Korean, the country is officially called Daehan Minguk(대한민국, 大韓民國; Eng. "Republic of Greater Korea"). It is commonly called Hanguk(한국, 韓國, "State of Korea") or Namhan(남한, 南韓, "South Korea") in its short form in South Korea, in distinction from Bukhan(북한, 北韓, "North Korea").

As recently as the 1960s, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. After 35 years of Japanese colonial rule (1920-1945) and the Korean War (1950-1953), the north was the industrial focus, while the south was largely agricultural. Under vigorous state control and an export-oriented industrialization strategy, South Korea developed into a dynamic industrial nation in less than a generation. Since the 1960s, the country has rapidly developed into one of the world's most important economies, leading the world in some technology sectors. South Korean industry has achieved a dominant position in the production of ships and electronic products such as semiconductors, microchips, flat screens and computers.

Tensions between North Korea and South Korea continue to arise. Nevertheless, the Republic of Korea is considered a comparatively safe country to travel to. The consequences of the division of the Korean peninsula and the political relations between the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) have so far not affected the safety situation for travellers in South Korea.

Origin of the country’s name    

The German word Korea was conveyed by Islamic traders and derives from the name of the empire Goryeo, which existed on the peninsula until the end of the 14th century.

Neither North Korea nor South Korea is called Korea in the national language. In North Korea (as well as formerly in all of Korea), the common name for the country is Chosŏn, in South Korean Hanguk . Both can denote the whole country or one's half of it, depending on the situation.

Translation agency for Korean

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