South Korea

South Korea ( ) or , officially the Republic of Korea (ROK; ), is a in , constituting the southern part of the . Officially, its territory consists of the whole Korean Peninsula and , which are largely mountainous. South Koreans lead a distinctive urban lifestyle, as half of them live in concentrated in the with 25 million residents. The capital Seoul is the world's sixth leading with the and is the seventh most in the world.

The earliest neolithic dates to 8000 BC, with flourishing in the 1st century BC. The name Korea is derived from one of them, , also known as Koryŏ, which was one of the great powers in during its time, ruling most of the , , and some parts of the and under . Since the unification of the Korean kingdoms into and in the 7th century, Korea enjoyed over a of relative tranquility under . Koreans developed improved versions many advanced innovations such as the in 1377 A.D. which was developed based on the previous , used to print and publish the , the world's oldest extant movable metal type printed using the 8,000 year old traditional . Under in the 15th century, Koreans had one of the highest in the world along with the and Additionally, in 1443 was invented by the Korean King as an easier alternative to the complex and difficult to learn which was usually reserved for elite academic scholars preparing for the . enabled anyone in the general Korean population to easily learn to read and write and transfer written information rather than spending years learning complicated ancient Chinese. Its rich and vibrant culture left , the , along with . in 1910, Korea was after its surrender in 1945, but a invasion led to the (1950–1953). Peace has since mostly continued with the two and the South solidifying peace as a with the world's .

South Korea, along with , and is one of the four high-tech often referred to as the . The South Korean economy soared at an annual average of 10% for over 30 years in a period of rapid transformation called the . A long legacy of openness and made it successful. Today, it is the world's and with the 's and of any country in . It has with 75% of the world economy and is the only nation trading freely with , the and the simultaneously. Since 1988, guarantees a with and many fundamental rights such as . led to the rise of a globally such as and , a phenomenon called the , known for its distinctive fashionable and trendy style. Home of the and , South Korea is a leader in , committed to helping as a major and contributor. It is the world's third least ignorant country in the Index of , ranking eighth highest for peaceful tolerance and inclusion of minorities on the .

South Korea is a technologically advanced driven by a and skilled workforce, having the world's , the highest in Asia. Globally, it ranks highly in , , and , with the world's and fourth most efficient healthcare system. It is the world's , leading the in graduates in science and engineering and ranking third in the Index. Home of , and , South Korea was named the world's most innovative country for 4 consecutive years since 2014 in the , ranking first in , manufacturing , , second in and fourth in high-tech density and researcher concentration. In 2005, it became the world's to fully transition to and today it has the world's and , ranking first in , and .