South Korea

A country of eastern Asia at the southern end of the Korean peninsula. A united kingdom since the seventh century A.D., Korea was occupied by Japan (1910-1945) and divided into a northern Soviet zone and a southern American zone after World War II. Soviet resistance to reunification led to the establishment in 1948 of two separate countries, with the Korean War (1950-1953) leaving the peninsula divided along much the same line as before. Ruled by a series of authoritarian military leaders, South Korea developed a prosperous economy on the strength of trade ties with Japan and the United States. Seoul is the capital and the largest city. Population: 49,000,000.