15 Nations South Korea

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: South Korea
Surname/tag: Global

This sub-project is part of the larger 15 Nations Global Tour. Please visit the main project page for details on the goals and objectives of this project.

G2G: Click here to participate in our current discussion on the South Korea G2G thread, or here for our general discussion on the 15 Nations Global Tour G2G thread.

Contents 1 Geography 2 Demographics 3 History 4 Resources 5 Notable South Koreans

Geography

South Korea, officially known as the Republic of Korea, is located in East Asia. It occupies the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and shares its northern border with North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone. The country’s western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eastern border is defined by the Sea of Japan.

South Korea is made up of 17 first-tier administrative divisions. The largest administrative divisions are the country's nine provinces. These include two special self-governing provinces that have more autonomy. Six metropolitan cities, each with a population greater than one million, have the same administrative level as the provinces. One special city (Seoul) has more autonomy than the metropolitan cities, and one special self-governing city (Sejong) has even more autonomy than the special city. These first-tier divisions are further subdivided into a variety of smaller entities, including cities, counties, districts, towns, townships, neighborhoods, and villages.

South Korea’s capital and largest city is Seoul. Other major cities include Incheon, Busan, and Daegu. The country has a population of approximately 51.96 million, with roughly half living in the Seoul Capital Area.

Demographics

South Korea is one of the most ethnically homogeneous countries in the world. The vast majority of South Korea’s population is made up of ethnic Koreans. The common language and especially race are viewed as important elements by South Koreans in terms of identity, more than citizenship.

In recent decades, however, South Korea has become home to a number of foreign ethnicities. These immigrants mostly come from the People’s Republic of China, the United States of America, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines.

The national and official language of South Korea is Korean. Korean, also referred to as Hangul, belongs to the Koreanic language family and is drastically different from western languages. In South Korea, the language is spoken in various dialects. The Gyeonggi dialect is the most popular and is the basis on which the standard variant of Korean is formed. Apart from Korean, English is also widely spoken in South Korea. Almost all Koreans under 40 years have participated in English lessons as part of their schooling, although many Koreans only know basic English phrases. Many members of the older generation also speak Japanese.

Buddhism arrived in Korea in 372 AD and there are thousands of Buddhist temples across the country. However, today only about 16% of the population practices Buddhism. Today, nearly a quarter of the population practices Christianity (Protestantism and Catholicism) which were introduced to the Korean peninsula as early as the 18th century. A full 60% of the population claims to practice no religion at all.

History

The first Korean kingdom, Gojoseon, was established in 2333 BC by the legendary figure Dangun. Over the following centuries, several Korean dynasties rose and fell, the longest of which was the Joseon Dynasty which lasted 500 years.

In 1897, in response to increasing foreign influence and threats, King Gojong proclaimed the Korean Empire and declared independence from China’s Qing Dynasty. But by the start of the 20th century, Japan, China, and Russia were all vying for control over the Peninsula. Japan emerged as the victor, occupying the Korea in 1905 and formally annexing it five years later. Korea remained under Japanese colonial rule for 35 years (1910-1945). During this time, Koreans suffered brutal repression as the Japanese tried to wipe out its distinctive language and cultural identity.

After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union divided the peninsula into two zones of influence. The U.S.-supported Republic of Korea (or South Korea) was established in Seoul in 1948. South Korea’s declaration of independence in 1950 led North Korea, backed by China and the Soviet Union, to invade its neighbor in an effort to regain control of the entire peninsula. The war cost some 2 million lives before it ended in 1953.

In the period since the Korean War, South Korea has undergone significant transformations, evolving from a war-torn country into a global economic powerhouse.

Resources

Click here for a list of resources relevant to South Korean genealogical research:

South Korean Resources Page

Notable South Koreans

In the below list, columns can be sorted by clicking on the arrow button in any category heading box. A "C" in the final column denotes a Notable who has been successfully connected to the Big Tree. "N/C" stands for Not Connected.

Notable	Born	Died	Claim to Fame	Photo	C
Andrew Kim Taegon	1821	1846	Religious Martyr		N/C
Emperor Gojong	1852	1919	Last Korean Monarch		Connected
Soh Jaipil	1864	1951	Social Activist		Connected
Syngman Rhee	1875	1965	First President of South Korea		Connected
Na Hye-sok	1896	1948	feminist writer and painter		N/C
Yu Gwan-sun	1902	1920	Social Activist		N/C
Ho Jong-suk	1908	1991	Social Activist		N/C
Lee Byung-chul	1910	1987	Samsung Founder		N/C
Nam Sung-yong	1912	2001	Olympic Athlete		N/C
Mas Oyama	1923	1994	Matial Artist		N/C
Choi Eun-hee	1926	2018	Actress		N/C
Nam June Piak	1932	2006	Father of Video Art		Connected
Han Duk-soo	1949	LIVING	Current Prime Minister		N/C
Yoon Suk Yeol	1960	Living	Current President		N/C
Kim Ki-duk	1960	2020	Film Director		N/C