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South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and the Sea of Japan to the east. Like North Korea, South Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula and List of islands of South Korea, adjacent islands. It has Demographics of South Korea, a population of about 52 million, of which half live in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, the List of largest cities, ninth most populous metropolitan area in the world; other major cities include Busan, Daegu, and Incheon. The Korean Peninsula was inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period. Gojoseon, Its first kingdom was noted in Chinese records in the early seventh century BC. From the mid first century BC, various Polity, polities consolidated into the rival Three Kingdoms of Korea, kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Sil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities by GDP, sixth largest metropolitan economy in 2022, trailing behind New York metropolitan area, New York, Greater Tokyo Area, Tokyo, Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Paris metropolitan area, Paris, and London metropolitan area, London, and hosts more than half of South Korea's population. Although Seoul's population peaked at over 10 million, it has gradually decreased since 2014, standing at about 9.6 million residents as of 2024. Seoul is the seat of the Government of South Korea, South Korean government. Seoul's history traces back to 18 BC when it was founded by the people of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. During the Joseon dynasty, Seoul was officially designated as the capital, surrounded by the Fortress Wall of Seoul. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Korean Sign Language
Korean Sign Language or KSL ( or short name ) is a sign language used for deaf communities of South Korea. It is one of two official languages in the country, alongside Korean. Beginnings The beginnings of KSL date from 1889,Fischer, Susan ''et al.'' (2010). "Variation in East Asian Sign Language Structures" in although standardization efforts have only begun in 2000. The first South Korean school for the Deaf was established on April 1, 1913, in Seoul, and it was renamed as the National School for the Deaf in 1945, to be later renamed the Seoul School for the Deaf in 1951. Commonality Although the origins of KSL predate the Japanese colonial period (''de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' (; ; ) describes practices that are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. The phrase is often used in contrast with '' de facto'' ('from fa ...'' beginning 1910), the sign language developed some features in com ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hanja
Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, which can be written with Hanja, and () refers to Classical Chinese writing, although ''Hanja'' is also sometimes used to encompass both concepts. Because Hanja characters have never undergone any major reforms, they more closely resemble traditional Chinese and kyūjitai, traditional Japanese characters, although the stroke orders for certain characters are slightly different. Such examples are the characters and , as well as and . Only a small number of Hanja characters were modified or are unique to Korean, with the rest being identical to the traditional Chinese characters. By contrast, many of the Chinese characters currently in use in mainland China, Malaysia and Singapore have been simplified Chin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catholic Church In South Korea
The Catholic Church in South Korea (called Cheonjugyo, ) is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. In 2023, it had 5,970,675 adherents (11.3% of the population) with almost 5,000 priests and 9,000 nuns serving across 1,842 parishes. History Spanish Jesuit priest Gregorio Céspedes was possibly the first Catholic missionary in Korea, said to have arrived in Busan on 27 December 1593. At the time of the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98), Japanese leader Konishi Yukinaga married a Korean Christian woman, who had adopted Julia as her name. Macau received an influx of African slaves, Japanese slaves as well as Christian Korean slaves who were bought by the Portuguese from the Japanese after they were taken prisoner during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98). However, Catholicism (and Christianity in general) in Korea more generally began in 1784 when Yi Seung-hun was baptized while in China under the Christi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cho Hee-dae
Cho Hee Dae (; also written "Jo Hee-de"; born 6 June 1957) is a South Korean judge who has served as the 17th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Korea since his appointment by President Yoon Suk Yeol in December 2023. He was responsible for reading the controversial verdict on overturning of acquittal judgement of Lee Jae-myung regarding the violation of Public Official Election Act on 1 May 2025. Life and career Cho Hee-dae was born on 6 June 1957 in Gyeongju, South Korea. He graduated from Kyeongbuk High School and Seoul National University School of Law, and started his legal career as trial court judge in 1986. After almost thirty years of serving in South Korean ordinary courts as judge, he got promoted to associate justice of the Supreme Court of Korea, by nomination of 15th Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae and appointment from President Park Geun-hye in 2014. During his term as associate justice, he was well known for his conservative views, including making diss ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chief Justice Of The Supreme Court Of Korea
The chief justice of the Supreme Court of Korea () is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of Korea. As presiding judge of the grand bench composed of two-thirds of fourteen Supreme Court justices, the chief represents the Supreme Court of Korea. The chief justice is regarded as one of two equivalent heads of judicial branch in Government of South Korea. Another head is the president of the Constitutional Court of Korea. The current chief justice of the Supreme Court of Korea is Cho Hee-dae who was appointed by Yoon Suk Yeol after his first nominee was rejected by the National Assembly. Appointment and tenure Under chapter 5, article 104(1) of Constitution, and article 12(1) of Court Organization Act, the chief justice is appointed by the president of South Korea with the consent of the National Assembly of South Korea. While article 105(1) of Constitution sets term length of the chief justice as non-renewable single term of six-years, its mandatory age of retirement is d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Woo Won-shik
Woo Won-shik (; born 18 September 1957) is a South Korean politician who has served as the speaker of the 22nd National Assembly of South Korea since June 2024. He was a member of the National Assembly for Nowon, Seoul from 2004 to 2008 and returned to office in 2012. He was a member of Democratic Party of Korea prior to his election as speaker in 2024. As speaker, he was the one who hosted the vote to lift the 2024 martial law. He also presided over the impeachments of President Yoon Suk Yeol and Acting President Han Duck-soo. Early life and education Woo was born in Seoul in 1957 and studied civil engineering at Yonsei University, later receiving a master's degree in environmental studies from the same university. He was arrested in 1981 and sentenced to three years of penal labor under the Chun Doo-hwan regime for taking part in protests demanding Chun's resignation, then released in 1984. Career Woo was elected to the National Assembly in 2004 as an Uri Party cand ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Speaker Of The National Assembly Of South Korea
The speaker of the National Assembly () is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the National Assembly (South Korea), National Assembly of South Korea. List of speakers List of deputy speakers Timeline Notes References {{DEFAULTSORT:Speakers of the National Assembly of South Korera Politics of South Korea Lists of legislative speakers, South Korea Lists of political office-holders in South Korea, Speakers of the National Assembly Speakers of the National Assembly (South Korea), * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kim Min-seok (politician)
Kim Min-seok (, born 29 May 1964) is a South Korean activist, educator and politician who is the prime minister-designate of South Korea. He has served as the member of the National Assembly for Yeongdeungpo B since 2020, a seat he previously held from 1996 to 2002. Born in Seoul, Kim has degrees from Seoul National University, Columbia University, Harvard University, Tsinghua University, and Rutgers University. He was detained for occupying the American Culture Centre in Seoul. He was elected to the National Assembly in the 1996 election, and was regarded as one of rising stars of the Democratic Party during that period. However, his loss in the Seoul mayoral election in 2002 to Lee Myung-bak contributed to a decline in his popularity. Kim was able to make a political comeback when he was once again elected as the MP for the Yeongdeungpo 2nd constituency in the 2020 election, marking a return to the National Assembly after 18 years. He is an advisor to President Lee Jae ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lee Ju-ho
Lee Ju-ho (; born 17 February 1961) is a South Korean economist who served as the acting president of South Korea from May to June 2025 and has served as the acting prime minister of South Korea since May 2025. He has also served as the deputy prime minister and education minister since 2022. He is a professor at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management. From 1 May 2025 to 4 June 2025, after the impeachment of president Yoon Suk Yeol, resignation of prime minister Han Duck-soo, and subsequent resignation of minister of economy Choi Sang-mok, Lee was the acting President of South Korea, acting Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Education concurrently. Early life Lee Joo-ho was born in Chilgok County, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea on 17 February 1961. Lee holds three degrees in economics – a bachelor's and a master's from Seoul National University and a doctorate from Cornell University. Early political career He served as a Korea Dev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prime Minister Of South Korea
The prime minister of the Republic of Korea () is the deputy head of government and the second highest political office of South Korea. The prime minister is appointed by the president of the Republic of Korea, with the National Assembly's approval. The prime minister may be a member of the National Assembly, but this is not required to hold the office. Unlike prime ministers of parliamentary democracies, the prime minister of South Korea is not the head of government of South Korea but a senior member of the cabinet, since the president is both the head of state and head of government in the country. The prime minister is the principal executive assistant to the president, and is first in the order of succession; the prime minister assumes the presidency in acting capacity, upon the removal or incapacitation of the sitting president, similar to the vice president of the United States. The current acting prime minister is Lee Ju-ho, having taken office on 2 May 2025 after the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lee Jae-myung
Lee Jae-myung (; born ) is a South Korean politician and lawyer who has served as the 14th president of South Korea since 2025. Lee previously held office as the governor of Gyeonggi Province from 2018 to 2021, as the leader of the Democratic Party from 2022 to 2025, and as the member of the National Assembly for Gyeyang B from 2022 to 2025. Born to a poor family in Andong, Lee became a factory worker after primary school and became disabled due to workplace injuries. He earned middle and high school equivalency diplomas and studied at Chung-Ang University, earning his law degree in 1986. As a human rights and labour lawyer, Lee organized with Minbyun and advocated for opening a new hospital in Seongnam. Lee entered politics in 2005 and unsuccessfully contested a few elections. He was elected Mayor of Seongnam in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. He first ran for the presidency in 2017, losing the Democratic nomination to Moon Jae-in. Lee resigned as mayor in 2018 for a succes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
