South Korea, formally the Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia. It occupies the southern half of the Korean Peninsula that lies between the Yellow Sea and the East Sea. It is bordered to the north by North Korea, and Japan lies across the Korea Strait to the southeast.

Capital: Seoul
Government: Republic
Currency: South Korean won (KRW)
Area: total: 98,480 km
land: 98,190 km2
water: 290 km2
Population: 49,044,790 (July 2007 est.)
Language: Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school
Religion: No Affiliation 46%, Christian 26%, Buddhist 26%, Confucianist 1%, Other 1%
Electricity: 220V
Calling Code: 82
Internet TLD: .kr
Time Zone: UTC +9

Regions

- North Chungcheong — landlocked province filled with mountains and national parks
- South Chungcheong
- Gangwon — "No.1 Tourist destination in Korea" designated by the Korea Government.
- Gyeonggi — surrounding Seoul and covered in its urban sprawl
- North Gyeongsang
- South Gyeongsang
- Jeju — Korea's honeymoon island, built by a volcano. Great scenery with wild flowers and horseback riding. One of the few places you may need a car.
- North Jeolla — Great Korean food.
- South Jeolla — Lots of beautiful small islands, good for fishing.

Cities

- Seoul — the 600 year old capital of South Korea, a fusion of the ancient and modern
- Busan — the second largest city and a major port city of Korea. The Largest International Film Festival in Korea (PiFF) open in Fall.
- Daegu — a cosmopolitan city, rich with ancient traditions and sights
- Daejeon — a large and dynamic metropolis located in Chungnam province
- Jeju — an ancient port city, now a vacation hot spot
- Jeonju — once the spiritual capital of the Joseon Dynasty, now a leading center of the arts filled with museums, ancient buddhist temples, and historical monuments
- Suwon — a historic administrative and fortress city of the Joseon Dynasty
- Gwangju — the largest city in South Jeolla province
- Gyeongju — an ancient capital of the kingdom of Silla

Other destinations

- Guinsa — spectacular mountain headquarters of the Buddhist Cheondae sect
- Seoraksan National Park
- Panmunjeom — the only tourist site in the world where the Cold War is still reality