Map Courtesy CIA World Factbook South Korea, officially the
Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia, covering the
southern half of the Korean Peninsula. To the north, the
Republic of Korea borders North Korea, with which it formed a
single nation until 1948. Its division was finalized by the
Korean War. Japan lies across the sea. The country is commonly
called Hanguk ("Han Nation") or Namhan ("South Han") by South
Koreans and Namjosŏn ("South Chosŏn") in North Korea. The
capital is Seoul. After the end of World War II, the world's
superpowers divided Korea into two zones of influence. In 1948,
two matching governments were formed: a communist North and a
United States-influenced republic South. In June 1950, the
Korean War broke out. The United Nations-backed South and the
USSR-backed North eventually reached a stalemate and an
armistice was signed in 1953, splitting the peninsula along the
demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel, which had been
the original demarcation line. Thereafter, South Kore