2. Population
• about 48,860,500 (census from July 2012)
• Population growth- 0.204% (2012 estimate)
• Age structure
-0-14 years:15.7%
-15-64 years: 72.9%
-65 years and over: 11.4%
• Korea’s fertility rate is the lowest in the world.
Population of Korea is rapidly ageing.
3. Capital: Seoul
• Population: over 10 million
• Located on the Han River.
• Ranked eighth in the Global
Cities Index for 2012 and is
considered to be a leading
global city.
• A great number of
international companies are
located in Seoul.
• Hosted the 1986 Asian Games,
1988 Summer Olympics, 2002
FIFA World Cup and the 2012
G-20 Seoul summit.
4. Language
• Korean
-type of writing system: alphabet
-direction of writing: left to write
-number of letters: 14 consonants and 10 vowels
-sounds of some consonants change depending on whether
they are placed at the beginning, middle, or at the end.
-Korean in North Korea is not completely the same as the one
in South Korea.
• English is also greatly taught during middle and high school.
5. Ethnic Groups& Religion
• Ethnic Groups- Homogeneous with the exception of
some Chinese(about 20,000)
-One of the most ethnically and linguistically
homogenous countries in the world.
• Religion- Christian 26.3%(Protestant 19.7%, Roman
Catholic 6.6%), Buddhist (23.2%), other or unknown
1.3%, none 49.3%
-Buddhism in Korea came from the Mahayana branch of
Buddhism like China and Japan.
-Christianity was first introduced to Koreans through the
Jesuits from China.
6. Government Structure
• Structure: Republic
• Executive Branch
-Chief of state: Lee Myung
Bak(since Feb 25th, 2008)
-A president is elected by
popular vote for a single five-
year term.
• Legal System- mixed legal
system combined of
European civil law, Anglo-
American law, and Chinese
classical thought President Lee Myung-bak
http://www.africa-asia-confidential.com/whos-who-profile/id/3280/
7. Interesting Facts #1
• Taekwondo is a traditional
sport in South Korea and
also is very popular.
• What is Taekwondo?
- It is a combination of
various combat skills
including self-defense,
sports, exercise and
sometimes even meditation
and philosophy.
-It also has been chosen
as an Olympic event since
the year 2000.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taekwondo
8. Interesting Facts #2
• Korea has the the world’s highest national IQ as declared by the
OECD(Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development)
• It showed particularly leading rankings in subjects such as
mathematics, science, problem solving and reading.
9. Interesting Facts #3
• South Korean elementary, middle, and high school students
were ranked the lowest in terms of happiness compared to
other OECD countries, according to OECD.
• Why?
-The overloading amount of schoolwork and exam
preparations can harm students physically and mentally.
-The competition for better universities and success is
extremely fierce.
-Students also needs to study for private tutors or hagwons,
which are basically academies held outside of schools.
Picture- http://www.globalpost.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/gp3_small_article/south-korea-education-digital-textbooks-2011-07-06.jpg
10. Interesting Facts #4
• The interest towards K-
POP(Korean pop) is
increasing throughout the
world.
• K-pop?
- A music genre that contains
dance, electronic, electro-pop,
hip hop, and R&B music.
• The fashion and style of K-
Pop singers are also
becoming very popular.
• Movie actors and actresses
from Korean dramas and
movies are also very popular.
Pictures-
http://images.ados.fr/stars-people/photo/hd/3147611314/korean-boys/bigbang-27055915e0.jpg
http://cn.last.fm/group/Girls'+Generation+(SNSD)
11. Citations
• Ager, S.. "Korean alphabet, pronunciation and language." Omniglot.
Simon Ager, n.d. Web. 22 Aug 2012.
<http://www.omniglot.com/writing/korean.htm>.
• U.S. Department of State, . U.s. department of state. U.S Department
of State, 2012. 0. 22 Aug 2012.
<http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2800.htm>.
• CIA, . "South Korea." Central intelligence agency. The World
Factbook, 2012. Web. 22 Aug 2012.
<https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/geos/ks.html>.
• Ripley, A.. "Teacher, Leave Those Kids Alone." Time. N.p., 2011. Web.
22 Aug 2012.
<http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2094427,00.h
tml>.
• Hodgson, A.. Ageing south korea. N.p., 2007. Web. 22 Aug 2012.
<http://blog.euromonitor.com/2007/10/ageing-south-korea.html>.
• . Encyclopedia of the Nations. 2012 Advameg,Inc., n.d. Web. 22 Aug
2012. <http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-
Oceania/Korea-Republic-of-ROK.html
