1. South Korea

2. Wait…aren’t there two Koreas??
Yes there are, smartypants
We will discuss North Korea next class

3. Geography
South Korea is on the southern half of the Korean peninsula off of China
It has a very mountainous terrain
The Yellow Sea is to the west, the Sea of Japan to the east
Most of South Korea is not arable
It has 20 national parks
Humid continental/humid subtropical climate (super cold winters and hot, humid summers)

4. History
The foundation of Korea starts with the kingdom of Joseon in BCE
A series of dynasties established
Korea has had an extensive relationship with China as a model for their dynasties, a cultural partnership, and even language sharing
Even though they went to war quite a few times
Korea went through a “warring states” period, but the weaker/more politically cunning kingdom of Silla united the peninsula again
A “golden age” of art, culture, and the Buddhist religion flourished under Silla (kept peace with China)

5. History – Part 2
When the Mongols invaded in the 13th century, the Koreans sent their crown prince to swear allegiance to Kublai Khan (the Yuan dynasty) to keep the peace
This lasted until the Koreans drove out the Mongols in the 14th century
In 1392, General Yi Seong-gye staged a coup and declared a new “Joseon” dynasty established
A new “golden age” of peace, science, the Hangul alphabet to promote literacy, and Neo-Confucianism

6. History – Part 3
In the 19th century, the corrupt and weak royal family contributed to severe poverty and peasant rebellions
The Joseon government adopted an isolationist policy, which gave it the nickname “the hermit kingdom”
Unfortunately, it was forced to open its borders to imperialist powers
Between , Korea was occupied by Japan and experienced a brutal mass extermination of lives, Korean culture, enslavement and rape

7. Kim Il-Sung
Kim Il-Sung joined the Communist Party during the Japanese occupation (1931)
As a young revolutionary, he rose up through the military ranks to fight the Japanese
The Soviet Union installed Kim as chairman of the North Korean branch of the Communist Party in 1945
Kim and his followers set up a cult of personality to help him gain popularity
He set up the Korean People’s Army, equipped with Soviet weapons

8. Korean War
After WWII ended, Soviet and U.S. troops occupied the northern and southern halves of the peninsula
Kim Il-Sung invaded into the southern half of Korea on June 25th, 1950 to try to expel the United States and to control the whole Korean peninsula
The U.S. and U.N. backed up democratic South Korea
The Soviet Union and China backed up North Korea
It ended in a stalemate at the 38th Parallel

9. Park Chung-hee
In 1960, a student uprising led to the resignation of the South Korean president
General Park Chung-hee staged a coup and made himself president until his assassination in 1979
Ruthless military dictator
However, the economy and infrastructure of South Korea developed enormously under his tenure (rapid industrialization)

10. Struggle for Peace
South Korea went through several coups, student uprisings, martial laws, and national protests for democracy
Eventually, the first elected president was Roh Tae-woo in 1987
Seoul hosted the Olympic games in 1988
South Korea was formally invited to be a part of the U.N. in 1991
The full transition from autocracy to democracy was in 1998 with the election of Kim Dae-jung
The “Nelson Mandela” of Asia for his works with human rights and with North Korean peace talks

11. First woman president
The first woman president of South Korea was President Park Geun-hye (Park Chung- hee’s daughter)
She was impeached in December 2016 by the National Assembly relating to influence peddling (corruption), abuse of power, and leaking government secrets
She is currently in the Seoul Detention Center for 24 years

12. Currently
The current president is Moon Jae- in of the Democratic Party
His increasing willingness to work with Kim Jong Un of North Korea has led to enormous strides in finally ending the Korean War (almost)
The Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea were this year

13. South Korean Culture
Korea enjoys one of the highest literacy rates in the world
Hangul is the Korean alphabet
Koreans follow many Asiatic cultural traditions, such as bowing in greeting, showing loyalty to parents and older siblings, etc.
Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity are the main religions
Many major holidays and celebrations revolve around successful farming

14. BBC
South Korea: the silent cultural superpower