Eastern Asia · KOR

South Korea

The story · 12 chapters

How it was drawn

The southern half of the Korean peninsula, unified by Silla, Goryeo and Joseon, colonised by Japan, and separated from the north since 1945.

Play the story Take the first lesson

Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states South Korea fought or stood against, from the first to today.

Goguryeo371 to 668
Baekje kills a Goguryeo king at Pyongyang in 371. Goguryeo strikes back, and in 475 it takes Baekje's capital on the Han river. Silla and Baekje fight Goguryeo for the Han valley until Silla and Tang China destroy it in 668.
Yamato Japan660 to 663
After Silla and Tang destroy Baekje in 660, Yamato Japan sends a fleet to help restore its ally. The Tang and Silla navies destroy it at the Battle of Baekgang in 663.
Tang China668 to 676
After the fall of Goguryeo, the Tang try to rule the whole peninsula. Silla fights them for eight years and, after victories in 675 and 676, drives the Tang north of the Taedong river.
Khitan Liao993 to 1019
The Khitan Liao invade Goryeo three times. Diplomacy ends the first invasion, and the general Gang Gam-chan destroys the third Khitan army at Gwiju in 1019.
Mongol Empire1231 to 1273
Mongol armies ravage Goryeo for decades while the court holds out on Ganghwa Island. Goryeo submits in 1259, and the last resisters, the Sambyeolcho, are crushed on Jeju in 1273.
Japanese pirates1350 to 1419
Wokou pirates from Japanese islands raid the Korean coast in the late fourteenth century. General Yi Seong-gye wins fame fighting them, and in 1419 Joseon attacks their base on Tsushima.
Japan under Hideyoshi1592 to 1598
Toyotomi Hideyoshi invades Korea twice, aiming at China. Admiral Yi Sun-sin's victories at sea and Ming armies on land hold the Japanese back, and they withdraw in 1598 after devastating the country.
Manchu Later Jin and Qing1627 to 1637
Manchu armies invade in 1627 and again in 1636. King Injo surrenders after a siege at Namhansanseong in 1637 and Joseon becomes a Qing tributary.
Empire of Japan1875 to 1945
Japan forces Korea open in 1876, defeats China and Russia for control of it, and annexes it in 1910. Koreans protest in the March First Movement of 1919. Colonial rule ends with Japan's surrender in 1945.
North KoreaSince 1948Still open
Both Korean states claim the whole peninsula. The North invades in 1950, and after the armistice it continues attacks, sinking the warship Cheonan and shelling Yeonpyeong Island in 2010, while building nuclear weapons.
China1950 to 1953
Chinese troops enter the Korean War in October 1950, drive United Nations forces back from the Yalu and retake Seoul in January 1951. The war ends in stalemate in 1953.
JapanSince 1952Still open
South Korea has controlled the islets of Dokdo, called Takeshima by Japan, since the early 1950s. Japan still claims them, and disputes over the colonial past, including wartime forced labour, strain relations.

Today

South Korea now

C. Over the subsequent centuries, three main kingdoms -- Kogoryo, Baekche, and Silla -- were established on the Peninsula. , Kogoryo emerged as the most powerful, with control over much of the Peninsula and part of Manchuria (modern-day northeast China). However, Silla allied with the Chinese to create the first unified Korean state in 688. Following the collapse of Silla in the 9th century, Korea was unified under the Koryo (Goryeo; 918-1392) and the Chosen (Joseon; 1392-1910) dynasties.

Capital: Seoul
Government: presidential republic
Head of government: Han Seong-sook
Head of state: Lee Jae Myung
Languages: Korean Sign Language, Korean
Area: 100,460 km²

Through time

Then and now

Population51.7 million2023 · 19.8 million in 1950
Life expectancy84.3 years2023 · 22.2 years in 1950
GDP per person$41,3202022 · $998 in 1950
Living in cities81%2025 · 21% in 1950
Literacy98%2008 · 38% in 1950
Political regimeLiberal democracy2025 · Electoral autocracy in 1950
Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950
Military spending2.6% of GDP2025
War deathsNone2025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Close partners

United States
Japan

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states South Korea fought or stood against, from the first to today.

Goguryeo371 to 668

Baekje kills a Goguryeo king at Pyongyang in 371. Goguryeo strikes back, and in 475 it takes Baekje's capital on the Han river. Silla and Baekje fight Goguryeo for the Han valley until Silla and Tang China destroy it in 668.

Yamato Japan660 to 663

After Silla and Tang destroy Baekje in 660, Yamato Japan sends a fleet to help restore its ally. The Tang and Silla navies destroy it at the Battle of Baekgang in 663.

Tang China668 to 676

After the fall of Goguryeo, the Tang try to rule the whole peninsula. Silla fights them for eight years and, after victories in 675 and 676, drives the Tang north of the Taedong river.

Khitan Liao993 to 1019

The Khitan Liao invade Goryeo three times. Diplomacy ends the first invasion, and the general Gang Gam-chan destroys the third Khitan army at Gwiju in 1019.

Mongol Empire1231 to 1273

Mongol armies ravage Goryeo for decades while the court holds out on Ganghwa Island. Goryeo submits in 1259, and the last resisters, the Sambyeolcho, are crushed on Jeju in 1273.

Japanese pirates1350 to 1419

Wokou pirates from Japanese islands raid the Korean coast in the late fourteenth century. General Yi Seong-gye wins fame fighting them, and in 1419 Joseon attacks their base on Tsushima.

Japan under Hideyoshi1592 to 1598

Toyotomi Hideyoshi invades Korea twice, aiming at China. Admiral Yi Sun-sin's victories at sea and Ming armies on land hold the Japanese back, and they withdraw in 1598 after devastating the country.

Manchu Later Jin and Qing1627 to 1637

Manchu armies invade in 1627 and again in 1636. King Injo surrenders after a siege at Namhansanseong in 1637 and Joseon becomes a Qing tributary.

Empire of Japan1875 to 1945

Japan forces Korea open in 1876, defeats China and Russia for control of it, and annexes it in 1910. Koreans protest in the March First Movement of 1919. Colonial rule ends with Japan's surrender in 1945.

North KoreaSince 1948Still open

Both Korean states claim the whole peninsula. The North invades in 1950, and after the armistice it continues attacks, sinking the warship Cheonan and shelling Yeonpyeong Island in 2010, while building nuclear weapons.

China1950 to 1953

Chinese troops enter the Korean War in October 1950, drive United Nations forces back from the Yalu and retake Seoul in January 1951. The war ends in stalemate in 1953.

JapanSince 1952Still open

South Korea has controlled the islets of Dokdo, called Takeshima by Japan, since the early 1950s. Japan still claims them, and disputes over the colonial past, including wartime forced labour, strain relations.

South Korea now

Capital

Seoul

Government

presidential republic

Head of government

Han Seong-sook

Head of state

Lee Jae Myung

Languages

Korean Sign Language, Korean

Area

100,460 km²

Then and now

Population51.7 million2023 · 19.8 million in 1950

Life expectancy84.3 years2023 · 22.2 years in 1950

GDP per person$41,3202022 · $998 in 1950

Living in cities81%2025 · 21% in 1950

Literacy98%2008 · 38% in 1950

Political regimeLiberal democracy2025 · Electoral autocracy in 1950

Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950

Military spending2.6% of GDP2025

War deathsNone2025