Geographical and Topographical Features

The Korean Peninsula (lat. 33˚ - 43˚; long. 124˚ - 132˚) lies in the middle of Northeast Asia, flanked by China to its west and Japan to its east. The peninsula is 950km long longitudinally and 540km wide latitudinally. The total area of South Korea is 100,364 km2. Excluding the northern end, which is joined to the Asian continent, the peninsula is surrounded by water on three sides, with flat land and mountains accounting for 30% and 70% of the entire territory, respectively. Mountains over 1,000m above sea level make up only 15% of the mountainous areas, while mountains lower than 500m account for 65%.

The Taebaeksan Mountain Range forms the backbone of the peninsula, with the eastern part of the range rising higher than the western part. Rivers, both small and large, originate from the high mountainous areas in the east and flow toward the West and South Seas, forming plains suitable for grain cultivation.

The climate created by the mountainous areas in the east has an impact on people’s lives. The easterly wind’s passage across the mountainous areas is subject to the Foehn effect, creating a warm and dry wind in the western downwind side of the mountain range. People living in the areas to the east of the high mountains experience considerable inconveniences with regard to transportation, as these areas have undergone very little development compared to the area to the west of the high mountains. However, the slow pace of development has brought at least one advantage to local residents: the natural scenery has remained unspoiled, and many people now choose these areas as travel destinations.

The East Sea has a relatively straight, featureless coastline, and the difference between high and low tide is only 30 cm. However, the sea along the coast is generally deeper than 1,000 m. According to the result of a sonar measurement carried out by the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency, the deepest part of the East Sea lies in the area north of Ulleungdo Island (2,985 m deep). In contrast, the sea along the West Sea is shallow, which has led to the formation of wide tidal flats.

During the summer holiday season, Haeundae Beach in Busan attracts around 1 million visitors per day. Gyeongpodae Beach in Gangneung and Daecheon Beach on the West Sea are also popular holiday destinations during the summer.

In winter, people enjoy skating and skiing across the country. There are many ski slopes in Gangwon-do. Winter snowfall in the mountainous areas of Gangwon-do sometimes reaches 50–60 cm in a day or two. The average daytime temperature in spring and fall is maintained at 15˚C–18˚C. In these seasons, the sky is clear and the weather is pleasant and agreeable, encouraging many people to engage in outdoor activities or go on a trip.

Recently, the Korean Peninsula has shown signs of transition to a subtropical climate amid the phenomenon of global warming. In summer, the temperature rises above 35˚C. In spring, azaleas and forsythias bloom earlier than in the past. Over the past 4–5 years, many new and extraordinary climate-related records have been reported.

Summer heat waves have become more common, and precipitation patterns are also changing. During the monsoon seasons in the past, rain used to fall nationwide because of the influence of a wet front. Today, torrential downpours, which bring rain to a concentrated area, are often observed. In winter, heavy snow also tends to fall in concentrated regions. Only 10 years ago, it was usual for cold and warm weather to succeed each other on the peninsula every three or four days, but that pattern has almost completely disappeared as well.

Population

Archaeologists think that people started settling in the Korean Peninsula around 700,000 BCE during the Paleolithic Age. South Korea’s 2019 population was estimated at 51.71 million, and according to the 2018 Population and Housing Census, 49.8% of the population resided in the Seoul metropolitan area. This was up by 0.7% from 49.1% in 2010, showing a distinct trend toward the concentration of the population in the capital.

Meanwhile, the country’s low birth rate has emerged as a serious social problem. In 2019, the total fertility rate, meaning the average number of childbirths by fertile women, stood at 0.92, with the number of newborns reaching 3,02,700, all of which were the lowest ever recorded. Meanwhile, the life expectancy of South Koreans reached 82.7 years (as of 2018), higher than the OECD average (80.7 years).

The international migration of South Koreans began at the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century, with people leaving for China and Russia. Around the mid-20th century, after the 1945 Liberation of Korea, the United States was their main destination, though Koreans also started to emigrate to diverse regions around the world including Europe, the Middle East, and South America. As a result, the number of overseas South Koreans amounted to 7.49. million (2019). Statistics showed that the largest number of Korean expatriates was in the United States (2.54 million), followed by China (2.46 million), and Japan (820,000).

Since 2011, the net inflow of population has outnumbered the net outflow. The number of foreign nationals residing or working in the country has increased dramatically, particularly since 2000. Despite fluctuations every year, the number of inflows of foreign nationals has been increasing as a whole. According to Statistics Korea, the number of foreigners entering Korea reached 293,000 in 2010, 373,000 in 2015, and 438,000 in 2019, respectively. With respect to the purposes of their entry into the country, a short-term stay (34.5%) topped the list, followed by employment (26%), study (14.9%), and arrivals of overseas Koreans (12%). Although not included in the major rankings, the number of people entering the country because of permanent residence and marriage increased by 7.7% year on year (as of 2019).

Language and Letters

Korea has a unique language and its own writing system, “Hangeul,” which was invented by King Sejong (1397–1450) during the Joseon dynasty. Koreans are very proud of this remarkable achievement. Hangeul is a very efficient and easy script to learn and use, and most of all, its promulgation was exactly recorded, which is unique in the world.

Hangeul is composed of 14 consonant letters (ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ) and 10 vowel letters (ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ ㅣ). It can express virtually all the sounds produced by nature and humans. Every year, UNESCO presents the King Sejong Literacy Prize to people who have made a distinguished contribution to the elimination of illiteracy. The inclusion of “King Sejong” in the name of the prize may be said to be a tacit recognition of his greatest accomplishment, the creation of Hangeul, which is easy to learn and use.

National Flag (Taegeukgi)

The Taegeukgi consists of a red and blue taegeuk pattern in the center with four black trigrams located at each corner against a white background. The Taegeukgi was first used as the national flag when the Korean Empire was proclaimed in 1897. Today, the pattern has somewhat changed from the flag used at that time.

Mainly designed around the taegeuk pattern that Koreans have long enjoyed using in their lives, the national flag represents the Korean people’s ideals of endless creation and prosperity in harmony with the universe. The white background symbolizes brightness, purity, and peace-loving ethnic characteristics. The taegeuk symbolizes harmony between yin (blue) and yang (red), which embodies the truth about Mother Nature: All things in the universe are created and evolved through the interaction between yin and yang.

The four trigrams indicate the mutual changes and development of yin and yang through the combinations of horizontal lines (yin: “” and yang: “). Among them, geongwae symbolizes the sky; gongwae the earth; gamgwae water; and rigwae fire. The four trigrams represent movement and harmony centered around the taegeuk.

National Anthem (Aegukga)

Aegukga, the national anthem of South Korea, was composed in 1935 by Mr. Ahn Eak-tai, who added a melody to the lyrics written in the early 1900s. Initially, the national anthem was sung to the tune of the Scottish folk song Auld Lang Syne. It was officially adopted with the establishment of the government of the Republic of Korea in August 1948.

National Flower (Mugunghwa)

The Mugunghwa (Rose of Sharon) is the national flower of South Korea, literally meaning “eternal blossom that never fades.”It is deeply associated with what is regarded as the most typical Korean characteristics: a sincere heart, inwardness, and tenacity. The national anthem includes the line: “Three thousand ri of splendid rivers and mountains covered with mugunghwa blossoms.” The emblem of the government and the National Assembly contains the shape of a mugunghwa.

Political System

The country has adopted a Presidential system in which the President is elected by the direct vote of the people for a five-year term. President Yoon Suk Yeol was sworn in as the 20th president of South Korea on May 10, 2022.

The government is composed of three independent branches: the Executive branch; the Legislative branch composed of 300 four-year term members of the National Assembly; and the Judiciary branch, which includes 14 six-year term Supreme Court justices. There are 17 upper-level local governments and 226 lower-level local governments. The heads of the local governments and the members of local councils are each elected for a four-year term.

Division

In 1948, the two Koreas established their respective governments: the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). Defined as two different countries under international law, they joined the United Nations simultaneously. The Constitution of South Korea, however, regards North Korea as part of the Republic of Korea.

Education System 

The Korean people have long regarded education as very important. In the process of industrialization, human resources emerged as an important factor in connection with the need to cope with scarce capital and resources more efficiently. Parents’ fervor regarding their children’s education has resulted in the production of a large number of well-educated people, which, in turn, has helped the country achieve rapid economic growth. The basic school system is composed of kindergarten (1–3 years), elementary school (6 years), middle school (3 years), high school (3 years), and university (4 years). There are also junior colleges (2 or 3 years) and graduate schools (for masters and PhD degrees).

All South Koreans are required to finish middle school under compulsory education. Since 2013, the government has provided child care subsidies for young children aged up to five years.

High Educational Competitiveness

Thanks to the remarkable education system and the high regard for education, the country has many skilled people in virtually all sectors. Korea’s universities produce talented young people specializing in basic science, including physics, and other major sectors, such as electronics, mechanical engineering, business management, economics, and accounting. Many educated adults can make themselves understood in English, some of whom can speak another foreign language. At present, the widespread availability of vocational education sessions at high schools helps students obtain qualifications in specialty areas.

According to the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), South Korean students display a high level of academic achievement in reading, mathematics, and science. The PISA 2018 results showed that Korea was among the highest ranked OECD countries, ranking 2nd to 7th in reading, 1st to 4th in mathematics, and 3rd to 5th in science.

R&D Investment

South Korea has a large number of talented people engaged in cutting-edge research. Government-funded research institutes for basic science research, universities, and many world-leading corporations are dedicated to a vast range of projects from basic research to the development of advanced technologies and new commercial innovations.

In recent years, more research and development projects have focused on the fields of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including artificial intelligence (AI), electronics, computers, the Internet of Things (IoT), and big data.

As of 2018, the total number of researchers in South Korea stood at 514,000, showing a high-level equivalent to 14.7 per 1,000 of the economically active population. Their activities result in numerous patent applications, both at home and abroad.

Sophisticated Information Society

South Korea is a leading powerhouse in information and communication technology. It is a country full of dynamism. It became the first country in the world to commercialize the CDMA and WiBro technologies as well as established nationwide 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks. In March 2019, South Korea launched the world’s first nationwide 5G mobile networks.

These sophisticated information and communication technologies have led changes in diverse social sectors, including the innovation of government administration. With the help of such advanced technologies, the procedures for reporting a baby’s birth, moving home, or registering a person’s death are handled more efficiently.

In addition, two-way communication systems based on social networking services (SNSs) allow the government to provide useful information for the people, who, in turn, can report any inconveniences in their lives to their government. In 2018, the number of exports of South Korea’s e-government systems totaled 201, whose value reaches USD 258 million.

According to the 2020 UN E-Government Survey, South Korea ranked second, following Denmark. In the same survey of 2010, 2012, and 2014, South Korea ranked first.

The expansion of advanced communication infrastructure and the increased distribution of mobile devices have actualized global communication in real time, thus drastically transforming the conventional exchange information systems.

KakaoTalk, a smartphone messenger app developed in South Korea, is an indispensable platform when it comes to digital communication among South Koreans. Also, many of them actively utilize social networking services such as Instagram and TikTok.

A podcast, another form of social networking service, is establishing a new area in the communication (broadcasting) sector. Now, social networking services are exerting influence even over politics through the formation of public opinion, in addition to its inherent functions such as the delivery of information or entertainment.

Changes and Vision

South Korea is rapidly changing into a knowledge-based society, thus prioritizing human resources. In a knowledge-based society, human capital is more important than natural resources or industrial production, and humans are the barometer of national competitiveness.

In South Korea, the development of creative good-quality cultural products, in which human resources are combined with cultural resources, is viewed as an industrial sector that will play a leading role in the 21st century. The representative examples of the country’s successful items as cultural products include not only K-pop, enrapturing the world, but also TV dramas such as Kingdom and Crash Landing on You, and TV animations for infants such as Pororo.

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the country’s Human Development Index (HDI) is rising, apparently as a result of the growing emphasis on investment and the development of human resources as key actors of creative industrial sectors. The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite statistic of the life expectancy, education, and income indices used to rank countries into four tiers of human development. In 2018, South Korea’s HDI came to 0.906, ranking 22nd among 189 countries.

Korean Social Security System

South Korea operates a labor and welfare system that meets international norms. It guarantees the three basic rights of labor. Public officials also have their basic rights guaranteed as workers despite some restrictions on their right to collective action.

In 1988, the country adopted the minimum wage system, whose purpose is to protect the rights and interests of workers. There has been a gradual increase in the statutory minimum wage, and the hourly minimum wage for 2020 was set at KRW 8,590. Other relevant acts have been enforced, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity and Work-Family Balance Assistance Act, which realizes equal employment for both genders by guaranteeing equal opportunities and treatment in employment between men and women, in addition to the mandatory employment quota for people with disabilities, which requires companies to hire workers with disabilities above a certain rate.

In addition, social insurance schemes are carried out against contingencies relating to disaster, disease, unemployment, and death. Workers are covered by industrial accident compensation insurance against work-related accidents, diseases, or deaths. All of the people shall be covered by national health insurance.

As of the end of 2018, 51 million people or 98.6% of the entire population enjoyed the benefits provided under the state-run national health insurance system. The Korean national health-care system, which provides a high-quality medical service for reasonable service fees, has been appraised as an exemplary case by other countries.

Workers are covered by employment insurance. When an insured worker is dismissed voluntarily, he/she is entitled to half of his/her wage for a given period and to job transfer training. Workers are also subject to retirement pension and national pension plans.

In addition, workers are entitled to take partially paid parental leave for one year. Pregnant employees are eligible for 90 days of maternity leave before and after giving birth. Male employees are also allowed to request paternity and child care leave in relation to their child’s birth and child rearing.

Elementary students are provided with the Dolbom (care) class service. The whole-day care program is to be expanded to all elementary school grades.

With an increasing number of senior citizens, welfare for the elderly has emerged as an important social issue. To address this, the country adopted a national long-term care insurance system for the elderly and a basic old-age pension system.

In 2018, the government launched a new program named State Responsibility for Dementia, which lowers the financial burden for patients with severe dementia and covers the cost of dementia diagnoses made via neurocognitive tests and imaging (MRI, CT, etc.) and so on, through national health insurance.

Information Systems of Administrative Agencies *
administrative agencies utilize information and communication technologies to carry out their administrative businesses more efficiently by providing information services relating to individual sectors such as customs clearance, patents, budget accounting, disaster management, immigration control, mail classification, public complaints, employment, transportation, civil affair documents, the registration of residence, etc.

The Four Social Insurance Schemes
Relevant individuals, businesses, and the government share the burden of four major social insurance schemes: National Pension, National Health Insurance, Employment Insurance, and Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Scheme.

In 2001, the Ministry of Gender Equality was established, and its name was later changed to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. It also covers policies for teenagers and multicultural families. In 2013, Park Geun-hye became the first woman President in South Korea’s 65-year history.

According to the 2018 Gender Inequality Index (GII) released by the UNDP, South Korea ranked 10th among 189 nations, which shows the global recognition of South Korea as a leader in the realization of gender equality.

Korea has long been a culturally homogeneous society, but the number of migrant workers and foreign students has rapidly increased since the end of the 20th century. According to the Population and Housing Census conducted in November 2018, the number of foreign nationals residing in the country stood at 1.65 million, accounting for nearly 3.2% of the total population, and 46.0% of these were Chinese nationals.

Recently, the rapidly growing number of multicultural households has reached 330,000, which is largely attributed to increasing international marriage. The government launched an office dedicated to providing support for foreign citizens’ social activities within the country and enacted the Multicultural Families Support Act. Under the act, 228 multicultural family support centers (www.liveinkorea.kr) are in operation as of 2020 across the country to provide the following services: Korean language education sessions designed to help foreigners adapt to life in Korea; psychological counseling; events for experiencing the cultures of foreign spouses; and employment support programs with affiliated agencies such as Saeil Center (Career Development Center for career interrupted women).

The South Korean government has recognized the importance of disparate foreign cultures and thus is taking diverse measures to avoid social problems arising from the inflow of foreign cultures. One of those measures is to support the transformation of multicultural villages into tourist destinations.

Chinatown in Seollin-dong in Incheon is one of the representative examples of a unique foreign culture in South Korea. Its history began when ethnic Chinese settled there to do business by taking advantage of the geographical proximity to China during the modernization in the late 19th century. Nowadays, serving as a forward base for exchanges with China, this area has also emerged as a new cultural tourism destination for enthusiasts as its history and culture are drawing public attention.

Another example is the Ansan Multicultural Village Special Zone in Gyeonggi-do. People from China, India, and Pakistan living in the zone can purchase specialties of their home countries. Seoul is well-known for its global villages: the Japanese Village in Ichon 1-dong and the Muslim village around the Seoul Central Mosque in Itaewon-dong, both of which are located Yongsan-gu; the French village called Seorae Village in Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu; the Vietnamese town in Wangsimni, Dongdaemun-gu; and the Nepalese town in Changsin-dong, Jongno-gu.

In 2013, the Seoul Metropolitan Government chose Daerim 2-dong in Yeongdeungpo-gu, in which a large number of foreigners reside, as a trial area for a project to invigorate multicultural village communities. Subsequently, a new cultural complex center, Dadeurim Cultural Center, was opened in the area in March 2018.

Currently, a number of foreign-born Koreans are serving as public officials in the central or local governments. Foreign residents with various cultural backgrounds are also actively working in the broadcasting industry. Their participation will greatly contribute to the creation of an environment where diverse cultures coexist in harmony, and even to social integration.