South Korea

=== Modern history ===
{{Main|History of South Korea}}
[[File:War Memorial of Korea main building.JPG|thumb|left|The [[War Memorial of Korea]], built in remembrance of the [[Korean War]] (1950–1953)]]
[[File:South Korea's GDP (PPP) growth from 1911 to 2008.png|thumb|left|Between 1962 and 1994, the [[Economy of South Korea|South Korean economy]] grew at an average of 10% annually, fueled by annual export growth of 20%,<ref name="worldbank.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/korea/overview |title=Republic of Korea |work=worldbank.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502130240/http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/korea/overview |archive-date=2 May 2014}}</ref> in a period called the [[Miracle on the Han River]].]]

Despite intentions to liberate a unified peninsula in the [[1943 Cairo Declaration]], escalating tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States led to the [[division of Korea]] into two political entities in 1948: North Korea and South Korea.

In the South, the United States appointed and supported the former head of the Korean Provisional Government [[Syngman Rhee]] as leader. Rhee won the first presidential elections of the newly declared Republic of Korea in May 1948. In the North, the Soviets backed a former anti-Japanese guerrilla and communist activist, [[Kim Il Sung|Kim Il-sung]], who was appointed premier of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in September.<ref>Malkasian, Carter (2001). ''The Korean War 1950–1953''. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn. p. 13. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/978-1-57958-364-4|<bdi>978-1-57958-364-4</bdi>]].</ref>

In October, the Soviet Union declared Kim Il-sung's government as sovereign over both the north and south. The UN declared Rhee's government as "a lawful government having effective control and jurisdiction over that part of Korea where the UN Temporary Commission on Korea was able to observe and consult" and the government "based on elections which was observed by the Temporary Commission" in addition to a statement that "this is the only such government in Korea."<ref name="UN195">[http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/043/66/IMG/NR004366.pdf?OpenElement "195 (III) The problem of the independence of Korea"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023061108/http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/043/66/IMG/NR004366.pdf?OpenElement |date=23 October 2013 }}, 12 December 1948, ''Resolutions Adopted by the General Assembly During its Third Session'', p. 25.</ref> Both leaders engaged in authoritarian repression of political opponents.<ref>Regarding Syngman Rhee (South Korea):{{bulleted list|{{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Gil-sang |title=Korea through the Ages |date=2005 |publisher=Center for Information on Korean Culture, the Academy of Korean Studies |location=Seongnam |pages=166–181}}|{{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Hyun-hee |last2=Park |first2=Sung-soo |last3=Yoon |first3=Nae-hyun |title=New History of Korea |date=2005 |publisher=Jimoondang |location=Paju |pages=584–590}}}}Regarding Kim Il-sung (North Korea):{{bulleted list|{{cite book| title = The Making of Modern Korea | last = Buzo | first = Adrian | year = 2002| publisher = Routledge|  location = London | isbn = 978-0-415-23749-9 |pages=71–91}}}}</ref> South Korea requested military support from the United States but was denied,<ref>{{cite book |last=Appleman |first=Roy E. |title=South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu |publisher=[[United States Army Center of Military History]] |year=1998 |orig-year=1961 |page=17 |url=http://www.history.army.mil/books/korea/20-2-1/toc.htm |isbn=978-0160019180 |archive-date=7 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140207235336/http://www.history.army.mil/books/korea/20-2-1/toc.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> and North Korea's military was heavily reinforced by the Soviet Union.<ref>{{cite book |last=Millett |first=Allan R. |series=The Essential Bibliography Series |title=The Korean War: The Essential Bibliography |year=2007 |publisher=Potomac Books Inc. |location=Dulles, VA |isbn=978-1574889765 |page=14}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Stuecker|first=William|date=2004|title=Korean War: World History|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|pages=102–103}}</ref>

==== Korean War ====
On 25 June 1950, [[Operation Pokpung|North Korea invaded]] South Korea, sparking the [[Korean War]], the [[Cold War]]'s first major conflict, which continued until 1953. At the time, the Soviet Union had boycotted the UN, thus forfeiting [[United Nations Security Council veto power|their veto rights]]. This allowed the UN to intervene in a civil war when it became apparent that the superior North Korean forces would unify the entire country. The Soviet Union and China backed North Korea, with the later participation of millions of [[People's Volunteer Army|Chinese troops]]. After an ebb and flow that saw both sides facing defeat with massive losses among Korean civilians in both the north and the south, the war eventually reached a stalemate. During the war, Rhee's party promoted the [[Ilminism|One-People Principle]], an effort to build an obedient citizenry through ethnic homogeneity and authoritarian appeals to [[nationalism]].<ref name="Hwang93">Su-kyoung Hwang, ''Korea's Grievous War.'' Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2016; pg. 90–95.</ref>

The [[Korean Armistice Agreement|1953 armistice]], never signed by South Korea, split the peninsula along the [[Korean Demilitarized Zone|demilitarized zone]] near the original demarcation line. No peace treaty was ever signed, resulting in the two countries remaining technically at war. Approximately 3 million people died in the Korean War, with a higher proportional civilian death toll than [[World War II]] or the [[Vietnam War]], making it one of the deadliest conflicts of the Cold War era.<ref name="Kim p.45">{{cite book|last=Kim|first=Samuel S.|chapter=The Evolving Asian System|title=International Relations of Asia|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]]|year=2014|isbn=978-1-4422-2641-8|page=45|quote=With three of the four major Cold War fault lines—divided Germany, divided Korea, divided China, and divided Vietnam—East Asia acquired the dubious distinction of having engendered the largest number of armed conflicts resulting in higher fatalities between 1945 and 1994 than any other region or sub-region. Even in Asia, while Central and South Asia produced a regional total of 2.8 million in human fatalities, East Asia's regional total is 10.4 million including the [[Chinese Civil War]] (1 million), the Korean War (3 million), the [[Vietnam War]] (2 million), and the [[Pol Pot]] [[Cambodian genocide|genocide]] in Cambodia (1 to 2 million).}}</ref><ref name="Cumings p. 35">{{cite book|last=Cumings|first=Bruce|author-link=Bruce Cumings|title=The Korean War: A History|publisher=[[Modern Library]]|year=2011|isbn=978-0-8129-7896-4|page=35|quote=Various encyclopedias state that the countries involved in the three-year conflict suffered a total of more than 4 million casualties, of which at least 2 million were civilians—a higher percentage than in World War II or Vietnam. A total of 36,940 Americans lost their lives in the Korean theater; of these, 33,665 were killed in action, while 3,275 died there of nonhostile causes. Some 92,134 Americans were wounded in action, and decades later, 8,176 were still reported as missing. South Korea sustained 1,312,836 casualties, including 415,004 dead. Casualties among other UN allies totaled 16,532, including 3,094 dead. Estimated North Korean casualties numbered 2 million, including about one million civilians and 520,000 soldiers. An estimated 900,000 Chinese soldiers lost their lives in combat.}}</ref> In addition, virtually all of Korea's major cities were destroyed by the war.<ref name="Lewy pp. 450-453">{{cite book|last=Lewy|first=Guenter|author-link=Guenter Lewy|title=America in Vietnam|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=1980|isbn=978-0-19-987423-1|pages=[https://archive.org/details/americainvietnam00lewy/page/450 450]–453|quote=The total number of Korean civilians who died in the fighting, which left almost every major city in North and South Korea in ruins, has been estimated at between 2 and 3 million. This adds up to almost 1 million military deaths and a possible 2.5 million civilians who were killed or died as a result of this extremely destructive conflict.|title-link=America in Vietnam}}</ref>

==== Post-Korean War (1960–1990) ====
[[File:Park Chung-hee.jpg|thumb|President [[Park Chung Hee]] played a pivotal role in rapidly developing South Korea's economy through [[export-oriented industrialization]].]]In 1960, a student uprising (the "[[April Revolution]]") led to the resignation of the autocratic President Syngman Rhee. This was followed by 13 months of political instability as South Korea was led by a weak and ineffectual government. This instability was broken by the [[May 16 coup|16 May 1961 coup]] led by General [[Park Chung Hee]]. As president, Park oversaw a period of rapid [[Export-oriented industrialization|export-led economic growth]] enforced by [[Political repression in South Korea|political repression]]. Under Park, South Korea [[South Korea in the Vietnam War|took an active role]] in the Vietnam War.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Griffiths |first=James |title=The 'forgotten' My Lai: South Korea's Vietnam War massacres |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/23/asia/south-korea-vietnam-massacre-intl/index.html |date=23 February 2018 |access-date=28 March 2024 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612151022/https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/23/asia/south-korea-vietnam-massacre-intl/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Park was heavily criticized as a ruthless military dictator, who in 1972 extended his rule by creating a [[Yusin Constitution|new constitution]], which gave the president sweeping (almost dictatorial) powers and permitted him to run for an unlimited number of six-year terms. The [[Economy of South Korea|Korean economy]] developed significantly during Park's tenure. The government developed the [[Expressways in South Korea|nationwide expressway system]], the [[Seoul Metropolitan Subway|Seoul subway system]], and laid the foundation for economic development during his 17-year tenure, which ended with [[Assassination of Park Chung Hee|his assassination]] in 1979.

The years after Park's assassination were marked again by political turmoil, as the previously suppressed opposition leaders all campaigned to run for president in the sudden political void. In 1979, General [[Chun Doo-hwan]] led the [[coup d'état of December Twelfth]]. Following the coup d'état, Chun planned to rise to power through several measures. On May 17, Chun forced the Cabinet to expand martial law to the whole nation, which had previously not applied to the island of [[Jejudo]]. The expanded martial law closed universities, banned political activities, and further curtailed the press. Chun's assumption of the presidency through the events of May 17 triggered nationwide protests demanding democracy; these protests were particularly focused in the city of [[Gwangju]], to which Chun sent special forces to violently suppress the [[Gwangju Uprising|Gwangju Democratization Movement]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/752055.stm Flashback: The Kwangju massacre] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907135824/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/752055.stm |date=7 September 2011 }}, 17 May 2000.</ref>

Chun subsequently created the National Defense Emergency Policy Committee and took the presidency according to his political plan. Chun and his government held South Korea under a despotic rule until 1987, when a [[Seoul National University]] student, [[Park Jong-chul]], was tortured to death.<ref>[http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/184219.html "20 years later, father still seeks truth in son's death"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303173203/http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/184219.html |date=3 March 2016 }}, ''The Hankyoreh'', 15 January 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2010.</ref> On {{Nowrap|June 10}}, the [[Catholic Priests Association for Justice]] revealed the incident, igniting the [[June Democratic Struggle]] across the country. Eventually, Chun's party, the [[Democratic Justice Party]], and its leader, [[Roh Tae-woo]], announced the [[June 29 Declaration]], which included the direct election of the president. Roh went on to win the election by a narrow margin against the two main opposition leaders, [[Kim Dae-jung]] and [[Kim Young-sam]]. Seoul hosted the [[1988 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games in 1988]], widely regarded as successful and a significant boost for South Korea's global image and economy.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/10/229_12790.html |title=Two Decedes After Seoul Olympics |date=30 October 2007 |newspaper=[[The Korea Times]] |access-date=12 March 2018 |archive-date=25 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025132245/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/10/229_12790.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[United Nations Security Council Resolution 702|South Korea was formally invited]] to become a member of the United Nations in 1991. The transition of Korea from autocracy to modern democracy was marked in 1997 by the election of Kim Dae-jung, who was sworn in as the eighth president of South Korea on 25 February 1998. His election was significant given that he had in earlier years been a political prisoner sentenced to death (later commuted to exile). He won against the backdrop of the [[1997 Asian financial crisis]], where he took [[IMF]] advice to restructure the economy and the nation soon recovered its economic growth, albeit at a slower pace.<ref name="The Guardian-2009">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/aug/18/obituary-kim-dae-jung |title=Kim Dae-jung |date=18 August 2009 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=12 March 2018 |archive-date=10 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010123345/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/aug/18/obituary-kim-dae-jung |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Contemporary history ====
[[File:Kim Dae-jung presidential portrait.jpg|thumb|upright|President [[Kim Dae-jung]], the 2000 [[Nobel Peace Prize]] recipient for advancing democracy and human rights in South Korea and East Asia and for reconciliation with North Korea, was sometimes called the "[[Nelson Mandela]] of Asia".<ref name="The Guardian-2009" />]]
In June 2000, as part of President Kim Dae-jung's "[[Sunshine Policy]]" of engagement, a [[Inter-Korean summit|North–South summit]] took place in [[Pyongyang]], the capital of North Korea.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=North and South Korean leaders meet |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/jun/13/northkorea1 |work=the Guardian |date=13 June 2000 |language=en |access-date=31 October 2022 |archive-date=14 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214015818/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/jun/13/northkorea1 |url-status=live }}</ref> Later that year, Kim received the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] "for his work for democracy and human rights in South Korea and in East Asia in general, and for peace and reconciliation with North Korea in particular".<ref>{{cite web |url= http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2000/index.html |title= The Nobel Peace Prize 2000 |publisher= The Nobel Foundation |year= 2000 |access-date= 17 February 2009 |archive-date= 3 February 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120203175049/http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2000/index.html |url-status= live }}</ref> However, because of discontent among the population for fruitless approaches to the North under the previous administrations and, amid North Korean provocations, a conservative government was elected in 2007 led by President [[Lee Myung-bak]], former [[mayor of Seoul]].<ref>{{cite news |title=South Korea's New President Sworn In – DW – 02/25/2008 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/south-koreas-new-president-sworn-in/a-5213894 |work=dw.com |language=en |access-date=31 October 2022 |archive-date=31 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031125726/https://www.dw.com/en/south-koreas-new-president-sworn-in/a-5213894 |url-status=live }}</ref> Meanwhile, South Korea and Japan jointly co-hosted the [[2002 FIFA World Cup]].<ref>{{cite news |title=FIFA World Cup: When South Korea created history in 2002 {{!}} Goal.com |url=https://www.goal.com/en/news/fifa-world-cup-2002-south-korea-history-semifinal/blt7b0eedc7838c3dc9 |work=www.goal.com |access-date=1 November 2022 |archive-date=1 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101084318/https://www.goal.com/en/news/fifa-world-cup-2002-south-korea-history-semifinal/blt7b0eedc7838c3dc9 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, [[Japan–Korea relations|South Korean and Japanese relations]] later [[Japan–Korea disputes|soured]] because of conflicting claims of sovereignty over the [[Liancourt Rocks dispute|Liancourt Rocks]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Rocky relations between Japan and South Korea over disputed islands |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/aug/18/japan-south-korea-disputed-islands |work=the Guardian |date=18 August 2010 |language=en |access-date=1 November 2022 |archive-date=16 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316055633/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/aug/18/japan-south-korea-disputed-islands |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:2010 G-20 Seoul summit.jpg|thumb|South Korea became the first non-[[G7]] chair of the [[G-20]] when it hosted the [[2010 G-20 Seoul summit|2010 Seoul summit]].<ref>Oliver, Christian. "Seoul: S Korea looks forward to its own party", ''Financial Times'' (UK). 25 June 2010.</ref>]]

In 2010, there was an [[List of border incidents involving North and South Korea|escalation in attacks]] by North Korea. In March 2010 the South Korean warship [[ROKS Cheonan sinking|ROKS ''Cheonan'' was sunk]] killing 46 South Korean sailors, allegedly by a North Korean submarine. In November 2010 [[Yeonpyeongdo|Yeonpyeong Island]] [[Bombardment of Yeonpyeong|was attacked]] by a significant North Korean artillery barrage, with 4 people dying. The lack of a strong response to these attacks from both South Korea and the international community (the official UN report declined to explicitly name North Korea as the perpetrator for the ''Cheonan'' sinking) caused significant anger with the South Korean public.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.asiafoundation.org/resources/pdfs/201104SnyderandByun.pdf|title=Cheonan and Yeonpyeong. The Northeast Asian Response to North Korea's Provocations|date=1 May 2011|publisher=[[Asia Foundation]]|access-date=13 March 2018|archive-date=14 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314174320/https://www.asiafoundation.org/resources/pdfs/201104SnyderandByun.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

South Korea saw another milestone in 2012 with the first ever female President [[Park Geun-hye]] [[2012 South Korean presidential election|elected]] and assuming office. The daughter of former President Park Chung Hee, she carried on a conservative brand of politics.<ref>{{cite news |title=Park Geun-hye sworn in as South Korea president |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-21570512 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=25 February 2013 |access-date=31 October 2022 |archive-date=31 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031121124/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-21570512 |url-status=live }}</ref> President Park Geun-hye's administration was formally accused of corruption, bribery, and influence-peddling for the involvement of close friend [[Choi Soon-sil]] in state affairs. There followed a series of [[2016–2017 South Korean protests|massive public demonstrations]] from November 2016,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://asiatimes.com/article/long-will-south-koreas-protests-remain-peaceful/|title=How long will Seoul protests remain peaceful?|last=Langan|first=Peter|date=28 November 2016|publisher=[[Asia Times]]|access-date=2 December 2016|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328145415/https://asiatimes.com/2016/11/long-will-south-koreas-protests-remain-peaceful/|url-status=live}}</ref> and she was removed from office.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-south-korea-park-impeach-2017-story.html|title=South Korea's president is removed from office as court upholds her impeachment|date=10 March 2017|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=10 March 2017|archive-date=9 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170309190803/http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-south-korea-park-impeach-2017-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After the fallout of Park's impeachment and dismissal, elections were held and [[Moon Jae-in]] of the [[Democratic Party of Korea|Democratic Party]] won the presidency, assuming office on 10 May 2017.<ref>{{cite news |title=New Korean president willing to work with North – DW – 05/10/2017 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/new-south-korean-president-moon-sworn-in-and-willing-to-visit-north-korea/a-38779018 |work=dw.com |language=en |access-date=31 October 2022 |archive-date=31 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031121333/https://www.dw.com/en/new-south-korean-president-moon-sworn-in-and-willing-to-visit-north-korea/a-38779018 |url-status=live }}</ref> His tenure saw an improving political relationship with North Korea, some increasing divergence in the military alliance with the United States, and the successful hosting of [[2018 Winter Olympics|the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2018/02/11/south-koreas-moon-may-be-on-brink-of-legacy-defining-moment/110314864/|title=South Korea's Moon may be on brink of legacy-defining moment|date=11 February 2018|newspaper=USA Today|access-date=28 March 2024|archive-date=13 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613051923/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2018/02/11/south-koreas-moon-may-be-on-brink-of-legacy-defining-moment/110314864/|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2018, Park Geun-hye was sentenced to 24 years in jail because of abuse of power and corruption.<ref>{{cite news |title=Park Geun-hye: South Korea's ex-leader jailed for 24 years for corruption |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43666134 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=6 April 2018 |access-date=31 October 2022 |archive-date=1 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101144853/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43666134 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea|The COVID-19 pandemic]] has affected the nation since 2020. That same year, South Korea recorded more deaths than births, resulting in a population decline for the first time on record.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/04/world/asia/south-korea-population.html|title=As Birthrate Falls, South Korea's Population Declines, Posing Threat to Economy|last=Gladstone|first=Rick|website=[[The New York Times]]|date=4 January 2021|access-date=5 January 2021|archive-date=4 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104222029/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/04/world/asia/south-korea-population.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In March 2022, [[Yoon Suk Yeol]], the candidate of conservative opposition [[People Power Party (South Korea)|People Power Party]], won a close [[2022 South Korean presidential election|election]] over the Democratic Party candidate by the narrowest margin ever. Yoon was sworn in on 10 May 2022.<ref>{{cite news |title=Who is South Korea's new president Yoon Suk Yeol? |url=https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20220510-who-is-south-korea-s-new-president-yoon-suk-yeol |work=France 24 |date=10 May 2022 |language=en |access-date=28 March 2024 |archive-date=23 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923202013/https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20220510-who-is-south-korea-s-new-president-yoon-suk-yeol |url-status=live }}</ref>