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About South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea, is a presidential republic in East Asia, occupying the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. Also known as the "Land of the Morning Calm", it is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east and borders North Korea to the north. South Korea's capital is Seoul, a major financial and cultural hub in Asia and the second largest metropolitan city in the world.
Korea is one of the oldest civilizations in the world, first inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic. Following the unification of the Three Korean Kingdoms under Silla in 668 CE, Korea went through the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasty as one nation until the end of the Korean Empire in 1910. After division, South Korea was established in 1948 and has since developed a successful democracy, maintaining a strong alliance with the United States. Following the Korean War, the South Korean economy grew tremendously, transforming the country into an industrial powerhouse and an influencial military power in the world. South Korea is a member of the United Nations and is a founding member of APEC and EAS. It is now working towards a peaceful reunification with North Korea.
South Korea is a major economic power and one of the wealthiest countries in Asia. It is a developed country with a high standard of living, having a trillion dollar economy that is the third largest in Asia and 13th largest in the world. Forming the G20 industrial nations and the world's top ten exporters, it has the world's sixth largest foreign exchange reserves and is defined as a High-income economy by the World Bank, a Developed market by the FTSE Group and an Advanced economy by the IMF and CIA. South Korea and Japan are the only two OECD members in Asia. Today, the Asian Tiger is leading the Next Eleven nations and is one of the world's fastest growing developed economies. South Korea has a very high-tech and modern infrastructure, and is a world leader in technologically advanced goods such as electronics, automobiles, ships, machinery, petrochemicals and robotics, headed by Samsung, Hyundai and LG.