South Korea

The Republic of Korea was formally established on August 15, 1948, under Syngman Rhee, following the failure of efforts to reunify Korea after its liberation from Japanese occupation. Its survival was secured by American military intervention in the Korean War of 1950-53. Through the Cold War period the ROK was governed by a succession of authoritarian governments, transitioning to genuine democracy only in the late 1980s. Under the protection of the US-South Korea Mutual Defense Treaty, South Korea achieved remarkable economic development from the 1960s onwards, becoming one of Asia's leading industrial economies.

• Existed: 1948 CE – present
• Type: Entity
• Government: Presidential republic (authoritarian until 1987, democratic thereafter)
• Capital: Seoul