South Korea

The land of K-pop, kimchi and technology

South Korea is a small but very 'smart' country: Samsung phones, LG televisions and Hyundai cars are made here. Korean music, K-pop (BTS, BLACKPINK), is famous worldwide. Koreans eat kimchi — spicy fermented cabbage — with every meal. The Korean alphabet, hangul, was specially invented by a king in 1443 — you can learn it in a day! 180,000 Koreans live in Uzbekistan.

Capital: Seoul. Language: Korean.

The Republic of Korea covers 100,210 km² (the south of the Korean Peninsula) with 51.7 million people (the Seoul metro area holds 26 million — half). Separated from North Korea in 1948; the Korean War 1950–1953; the demilitarised zone along the 38th parallel. The 'Miracle on the Han River': one of the world's poorest countries in the 1960s → now the 13th largest economy — Samsung (the world's chips and screens), Hyundai-Kia, shipbuilding (1st), 5G. Hallyu (the 'Korean wave'): K-pop (BTS, Blackpink), K-dramas, 'Parasite' (Oscar 2020), 'Squid Game'. Hangul (1443, King Sejong — a phonetic alphabet, UNESCO). Confucian traditions and a passion for education (the world's highest share of university graduates). With Uzbekistan: Koreans deported from the Far East in 1937 (180,000 'Koryo-saram'), Seoul Street in Tashkent, car plants (UzAuto — the Chevrolet-Daewoo legacy).

Fun facts

• The Korean alphabet was invented by King Sejong in 1443 — the world's most 'scientific' script.
• South Korea is 1st in the world in shipbuilding.
• 180,000 Koreans live in Uzbekistan — descendants of those deported in 1937.