15 Facts About Korea

Goryeo, whose name developed into the modern exonym "Korea", was a highly cultured state that created the world's first metal movable type in 1234.

Goryeo's name was a continuation of Goguryeo the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, which was officially known as Goryeo beginning in the 5th century.

The name Korea is commonly used in English contexts by both North and South Korea.

In 1910, an already militarily occupied Korea was a forced party to the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty.

North Korea is a one-party state, now centred on Kim Il-sung's Juche ideology, with a centrally planned industrial economy.

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South Korea is a multi-party state with a capitalist market economy, alongside membership in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Group of Twenty.

In 1957, South Korea had a lower per capita GDP than Ghana, and by 2008 it was 17 times as high as Ghana's.

The highest mountain in Korea is Mount Paektu, through which runs the border with China.

Unlike most ancient mountains on the mainland, many important islands in Korea were formed by volcanic activity in the Cenozoic orogeny.

Korea has a temperate climate with comparatively fewer typhoons than other countries in East Asia.

Korea once hosted many Siberian tigers, but as the number of people affected by the tigers increased, the tigers were killed in the Joseon Dynasty and the Siberian tigers in the South Korea became extinct during the Japanese colonial era period.

The number of foreigners living in Korea has steadily increased since the late 20th century, particularly in South Korea, where more than 1 million foreigners reside.

South Korea has around 50 million speakers while North Korea around 25 million.

However, western reckoning is sometimes applied with regard to the concept of legal age; for example, the legal age for purchasing alcohol or cigarettes in the Republic of Korea is 19, which is measured according to western reckoning.

Korea is unique among Asian countries in its use of metal chopsticks.