Eastern Asia · Asia

South Korea

Discover South Korea - from war-torn ruins to global cultural superpower in a single lifetime, home to K-pop, Samsung, and the world's fastest internet.

Where Is South Korea?

South Korea is a country in Eastern Asia. Its capital is Seoul, while Sejong City is the de facto administrative capital.

Where South Korea isEastern Asia · Capital Seoul (administrative: Sejong City)

Plan a trip · 2 guides

Capital Seoul (administrative: Sejong City)
Population 51.7M
Area 100,210 km²

South Korea's transformation is the most dramatic national makeover in modern history. In 1960, its GDP per capita was lower than Ghana's. Today it is one of the world's largest economies, home to Samsung, Hyundai, LG, and a cultural export machine that has conquered the planet. K-pop groups sell out stadiums from Los Angeles to London. Korean dramas have hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide. Parasite won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Korean fried chicken, bibimbap, and kimchi are everywhere. The country went from rubble to global cultural superpower in a single human lifetime.

Seoul is the engine - a hyper-connected megacity of 10 million where the world's fastest internet meets 600-year-old palaces. Gangnam really is as flashy as the song suggests. Hongdae pulses with indie music and street art. Myeongdong is a skincare and shopping mecca. But step outside Seoul and South Korea reveals another face: Buddhist temples hidden in misty mountains, 2,000-year-old royal tombs, seafood markets on volcanic Jeju Island, and the eerie quiet of the DMZ, where the Cold War never ended.

Koreans work harder than almost anyone - the culture of ppalli ppalli (hurry hurry) drives everything from construction schedules to delivery apps. The education system is legendarily intense. PC bangs and gaming culture are woven into the national identity. Soju is consumed in quantities that make it the world's best-selling spirit. And beneath it all is a society wrestling with the contradictions of its own success - traditional Confucian values colliding with one of the most wired, fast-moving, trend-setting cultures on Earth.

At a glance

Language

Korean

Currency

South Korean Won (KRW)

Calling Code

+82

Drives On

Right

Internet

.kr

Timezone

KST (UTC+9)

Script

Hangul

Government

Unitary Presidential Republic

Independence

1945

Travel guides

Plan a trip to South Korea

Gwanghwamun gate and the halls of Gyeongbokgung Palace in daylight, with the green peak of Bugaksan rising behind them

South Korea · 5 days

5 Days in Seoul

Royal palaces, night markets, K-everything and the world's most guarded border, an hour apart. Five days in Seoul, planned properly.

Updated Oct 2026Read the plan →

Sandy Haeundae Beach on a clear day, with the glass towers of Marine City rising behind the sand

South Korea · 5 days

5 Days in Busan

Korea's second city is a port with mountains, beaches and a lot of raw fish. Five days in Busan, planned day by day.

Updated Oct 2026Read the plan →

By population

Largest cities in South Korea

Seoul

Capital and megacity where ancient palaces sit beneath gleaming skyscrapers, the beating heart of K-pop, tech, fashion, and Korean culture

9,700,000

Busan

South Korea's second city on the southeastern coast, famous for Haeundae Beach, the Jagalchi fish market, and a vibrant film festival

3,400,000

Incheon

Major port city west of Seoul with the country's main international airport, Chinatown, and the rapidly developing Songdo smart city

3,000,000

Daegu

Inland city known for its hot summers, traditional medicine market, and as a hub for textile manufacturing and technology

2,400,000

Jeju City

Capital of Jeju Island, South Korea's favorite vacation destination with volcanic landscapes, haenyeo women divers, and subtropical beaches

490,000

People

Famous people from South Korea

King Sejong the Great
Politics
15th-century king who invented Hangul, the Korean alphabet, specifically so ordinary people could read and write - widely considered the greatest Korean who ever lived
Bong Joon-ho
Film
Director of Parasite, the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, along with Best Director and Best Original Screenplay
BTS
Music
The biggest boy band in the world who brought K-pop to the global mainstream, with multiple Billboard number ones and a devoted global fanbase called ARMY
Ban Ki-moon
Diplomacy
Served as the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 2007 to 2016, the highest-ranking South Korean in international diplomacy
Park Chan-wook
Film
Director of Oldboy and Decision to Leave, one of the most visually distinctive and influential filmmakers in world cinema

Food

Traditional cuisine of South Korea

Kimchi: Fermented vegetables - usually napa cabbage with chili, garlic, and fish sauce - served at every single Korean meal and made in millions of households each autumn
Bibimbap: Rice topped with sauteed vegetables, chili paste, a fried egg, and often beef, mixed together vigorously before eating
Korean BBQ: Grilled meat - especially bulgogi and galbi - cooked at the table over charcoal, wrapped in lettuce with garlic, ssamjang, and sides
Tteokbokki: Chewy rice cakes in fiery red chili sauce, the quintessential Korean street food found at every pojangmacha food stall
Samgyeopsal: Thick slices of unmarinated pork belly grilled at the table, the most popular meat dish in Korea often paired with soju

Nature

Nature and landmarks in South Korea

Jeju IslandIsland: UNESCO-listed volcanic island off the southern coast with Hallasan, South Korea's highest peak, lava tubes, and the famous haenyeo women divers
Seoraksan National ParkNational Park: Dramatic granite peaks, ancient temples, and spectacular autumn foliage in the Taebaek Mountains, one of Korea's most beautiful parks
DMZLandmark: The 250-kilometer demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, the most heavily fortified border on Earth and an accidental wildlife sanctuary
Boseong Tea FieldsLandmark: Rolling green tea plantations in the south that produce 40% of Korea's tea, with rows of perfectly manicured bushes on misty hillsides
Hallyeo Maritime National ParkNational Park: Stunning archipelago of over 100 islands along the southern coast with crystal waters, fishing villages, and dramatic sea cliffs

Sport

Sports in South Korea

Esports: South Korea is the birthplace of professional esports, dominating games like StarCraft and League of Legends with a gaming culture unmatched anywhere
Football: Co-hosted the 2002 World Cup and reached the semifinals - the best result ever by an Asian team - with Son Heung-min now starring in the Premier League
Archery: The most dominant archery nation in Olympic history, winning gold at virtually every Games and producing generation after generation of champions

Facts

Did you know?

South Korea has the fastest average internet speed in the world, and free Wi-Fi is available on virtually every subway and bus
Hangul, the Korean alphabet, was deliberately invented in 1443 by King Sejong to be easy to learn - it has 24 letters designed to mimic mouth shapes
Soju is the world's best-selling spirit by volume, with South Koreans consuming over 4 billion bottles per year
South Koreans are born at age one - a year is added at birth and everyone ages up together on New Year's Day in the traditional system
The country went from one of the poorest nations on Earth in the 1960s to one of the world's largest economies, a transformation called the Miracle on the Han River
Plastic surgery is so mainstream in South Korea that it is common for parents to gift their children procedures as high school graduation presents
PC bangs - internet gaming cafes - number over 20,000 across the country, and professional gamers are treated like rock stars