Korea has its own language and alphabet, Hangeul, which was created by King Sejong the Great (1397-1450) of the Joseon Dynasty. Hangeul is recognized worldwide as an excellent alphabet because it is easy to learn and write. It is especially scientifically superior because it can record the sounds of a large number of words by combining 24 syllables.
Seoul Metropolitan City, Busan Metropolitan City, Ulsan Metropolitan City, Gwangju Metropolitan City, Daejeon Metropolitan City, Incheon Metropolitan City
Gongju Historic AreaBuyeo Historic Area-Iksan Historic Areaand Dolmen World Heritage Site
Topographical features
The Korean Peninsula, located in the center of Northeast Asia, is between China to the west and Japan to the east, and is located between 33 and 43 degrees north latitude and 124 and 132 degrees east longitude in global coordinates. The Korean Peninsula is 950 km long from north to south and 540 km long from east to west, with an area of 100,364 km2.
Except for the north side, which borders the continent, three sides of the country are surrounded by sea, with 30% of the land being flat and 70% being mountainous. Although there are many mountains, only 1,000% are over 15m high, and over 500% are low mountains under 65m high.
Population
Archaeologists believe that humans have been living on the Korean Peninsula since the Paleolithic Period, 70 BC. South Korea's total population in 2023 is 5,132 million, with Seoul Metropolitan City at 9,386 million, Busan Metropolitan City at 3,293 million, Daegu Metropolitan City at 2,374 million, and Incheon Metropolitan City at 2,997 million.
South Korea's low birth rate has emerged as a serious social issue. The total fertility rate (the average number of children a woman is expected to give birth to during her reproductive years) for 2023 will be 0.72, and the number of births will be 23, both of which are the lowest levels on record. Meanwhile, the average life expectancy of Koreans is 83.5 years (as of 2023), about three years higher than the average life expectancy of member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Language and script
Korea has its own language and uses Hangeul, a unique alphabet created by King Sejong the Great (1397-1450) of the Joseon Dynasty. Hangeul is known worldwide as an excellent alphabet because it is easy to learn and write.
Currently, Hangeul is made up of 14 consonants (ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ) and 10 vowels (ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ ㅣ). Hangeul is considered a scientifically superior alphabet because it can record a very large number of sounds by combining 24 consonants and vowels.
Every year, UNESCO awards the King Sejong Literacy Prize to those who have contributed to improving literacy around the world. This shows that the efforts of King Sejong, who created Hangeul so that anyone can learn it easily and use it comfortably, have been globally recognized.
National flag (Taegeukgi)
The Taegeukgi is a white background with a taegeuk pattern in the center and four black linear trigrams on all four sides. It was used as the national flag after the Korean Empire was proclaimed in 1897, towards the end of the Joseon Dynasty. The design of the Taegeukgi today is slightly different from the one used at the time.
The Taegeukgi is based on the Taegeuk pattern, which has long been used by Koreans in their daily lives, and embodies the Korean people's ideal of infinite creation and prosperity together with the universe. The white background of the Taegeukgi represents the brightness and purity of the Korean people, who traditionally love peace. The Taegeuk pattern in the center symbolizes the harmony of Yin (Yin: blue) and Yang (Yang: red), and embodies the truth of nature that all things in the universe are created and develop through the interaction of Yin and Yang.
The four zodiac signs at the four corners concretely express the mutual transformation and development of yin and yang through the combination of lines (lines: yin, yang). Among them, Qian hexagram (Qian hexagram) symbolizes heaven in all things in the universe, Kun hexagram (Kun hexagram) symbolizes earth, Kan hexagram (Kan hexagram) symbolizes water, and Li hexagram (Li hexagram) symbolizes fire. These four hexagrams are in harmony with Tai Chi at the center.
