South Korea has a population of around 48.9 million people that is aging rapidly. The capital, Seoul, has over 10 million residents and has hosted several international events. Korean is the official language, written using an alphabet, and English is commonly taught. The dominant religions are Christianity and Buddhism. The government is a republic with a directly elected president serving a single five-year term. Taekwondo originated in Korea and is a popular sport and cultural element.

1. South Korea
(대한민국)
By: Jenny Lee, Grace Cai, Samy Grenon

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. Korean Characters

6. 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.

7. 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/

8. 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

9. 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.

10. 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

11. 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)

12. 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