Empire of Korea

Empire of Korea 대한제국 Daehan Jegug
Flag Imperial Seal
Motto:  Illuminate Heaven and Earth 광명천지 Gwangmyeong Cheonji
Anthem:  State Anthem of the Empire of Korea 대한제국 애국가 Daehanjegug Aegugga
National Seal Imperial Emblem
Capital and largest city	Seoul
Official languages	Korean
Recognised national languages	English
Official script	Hangul
Ethnic groups (2019)	95.1% Korean 4.9% other
Religion	Confucianism (official) Buddhism Korean Shamanism Christianity
Demonym	Korean
Government	Unitary Parliamentary Semi-Constitutional Monarchy
• Emperor	Yi Won
• Prime Minister	Han Duck-soo
• Speaker of the National Assembly	Kim Jin-pyo
Legislature	National Assembly
Establishment history
• Gojoseon	2333 BCE
• Three Kingdoms	57 BCE
• Balhae and Silla Kingdoms	668
• Goryeo dynasty	918
• Joseon dynasty	17 July 1392
• Korean Empire Establishment	12 October 1897
• Japanese annexation	22 August 1910
• Independence from Japan declared	1 March 1919
• Provisional Government	11 April 1919
• Capitulation of Japan	2 September 1944
• Proclamation of the Republic	4 September 1944
• Korean Empire Restoration	12 October 1990
Area
•	223,172 km2 (86,167 sq mi)
Population
• 2017 estimate	77,000,000
• Density	349.06/km2 (904.1/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2024 estimate
• Total	$3.058 trillion
• Per capita	$59,330
GDP (nominal)	2024 estimate
• Total	$1.761 trillion
• Per capita	$34,165
Gini	33.3 medium
HDI	0.929 very high
Currency	Korean Empire won (₩)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Korea Standard Time)
Drives on the	right
Calling code	+82

Korea (Korean: 한국; RR: Hangug), officially the Empire of Korea (Korean: 대한제국; RR: Daehan Jegug), also commonly called the Korean Empire or Imperial Korea, is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the entire the Korean Peninsula and borders China; though it also claims the land border with China and Russia. The country's western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eastern border is defined by the Sea of Japan. Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands. It has a population of 70 million, of which roughly half live in the Seoul Capital Area, the ninth most populous metropolitan area in the world. Other major cities include Pyongyang, Incheon, Busan, and Daegu.

The Korean Peninsula was inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period. Its first kingdom was noted in Chinese records in the early 7th century BCE. Following the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea into Silla and Balhae in the late 7th century, Korea was ruled by the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) and the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897). The succeeding Korean Empire (1897–1910) was annexed in 1910 into the Empire of Japan. Japanese rule ended following Japan's capitulation in World War II, after which Korea was divided into two zones: a northern zone occupied by the Soviet Union, and a southern zone occupied by the United States. After negotiations on reunification succeeded, the entire peninsula became part the Republic of Korea in August 1948.

In 1950, a Communist uprising began the Korean Civil War, which ended in 1953 after extensive fighting involving the American-led United Nations Command and the People's Volunteer Army from China with Soviet assistance. The war left 3 million Koreans dead and the economy in ruins. The authoritarian First Republic of Korea led by Syngman Rhee was overthrown in the April Revolution of 1960. However, the Second Republic was incompetent as it could not control the revolutionary fervor. The May 16 coup of 1961 led by Park Chung Hee put an end to the Second Republic, signaling the start of the Third Republic in 1963. Korea's devastated economy began to soar under Park's leadership, recording the one of fastest rises in average GDP per capita. Despite lacking natural resources, the nation rapidly developed to become one of the Four Asian Tigers based on international trade and economic globalization, integrating itself within the world economy with export-oriented industrialization. The Fourth Republic was established after the October Restoration of 1972, in which Park wielded absolute power. The Yushin Constitution declared that the president could suspend basic human rights and appoint a third of the parliament. Suppression of the opposition and human rights abuse by the government became more severe in this period. Even after Park's assassination in 1979, the authoritarian rule continued in the Fifth Republic led by Chun Doo-hwan, which violently seized power by two coups and brutally suppressing the Gwangju Uprising. The June Democratic Struggle of 1987 ended authoritarian rule, forming the Sixth Republic until in 1990 when a referendum was made to propose the monarchy restoration to the people, of which 90% of the population voted for while 10% voted against it. The Korean Empire was eventually restored. The country is now considered among the most advanced democracies in Continental and East Asia.

Korea maintains a unitary semi-constitutional monarchy under the 1990 constitution with a unicameral legislature, the National Assembly. It is considered a regional power and a developed country, with its economy ranked as the world's twelfth-largest by nominal GDP and the fourteenth-largest by GDP (PPP). Its citizens enjoy one of the world's fastest Internet connection speeds and densest high-speed railway networks. The country is the world's ninth-largest exporter and ninth-largest importer. Its armed forces are ranked as one of the world's strongest militaries, with the world's second-largest standing army by military and paramilitary personnel. In the 21st century, Korea has been renowned for its globally influential pop culture, particularly in music, TV dramas and cinema, a phenomenon referred to as the Korean Wave. It is a member of the OECD's Development Assistance Committee, the G20, the IPEF, the Paris Club and the East Asia Collective Security Alliance. Korea is one of the three countries in the world, alongside Imperial China and Imperial Japan, to have an "Emperor" as a head of state.