Korea

Korea is a country in Northeastern Asia situated on the Korean Peninsula on Earth, the homeworld of Humanity. Korea used to be divided into two countries, North Korea and South Korea, but it is speculated that the two countries have came back to form Korea once again. Their capitals are Pyongyang (Northern Korea) and Seoul (Southern Korea).

Korean History
Korea traces its founding to 2333 BC by the legendary Dangun. Since the establishment of the modern republic in 1948, South Korea struggled with the aftermath of Japanese occupation (1910-1945), the Korean War (1950-1953), and decades of authoritarian governments, undergoing five major constitutional changes. While the government officially embraced Western-style democracy from its founding, presidential elections suffered from rampant irregularities. It was not until 1987 that direct and fair presidential elections were held, largely prompted by popular demonstrations. South Korea has been a vibrant multi-party democracy for two decades.

Before division
Korea began with the legendary founding of Gojoseon in 2333 BC by Dangun. Limited linguistic evidence suggests possible Altaic origins of these people, whose northern Mongolian Steppe culture absorbed immigrants and invaders from northern Manchuria, Mongolia and China. The adoption of the Chinese writing system ("hanja" in Korean) in the 2nd century BC, and Buddhism in the 4th century AD, had profound effects on the Three Kingdoms of Korea (Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla). Koreans later passed on these, as well as their own advances, to Japan.

After the unification of the Three Kingdoms by Silla in 676, Korea was ruled by a single government and maintained political and cultural independence until the nineteenth century, despite the Mongol invasions of the Goryeo Dynasty in the 13th century and Japanese invasions of the Joseon Dynasty in the 16th century. In 1377, Korea produced the Jikji, the world's oldest movable metal print document. In the 15th century, the turtle ships, possibly the world's first ironclad warships, were deployed, and during the reign of King Sejong the Great, the Korean alphabet hangul was created.

During the latter part of the Joseon Dynasty, Korea's isolationist policy earned it the Western nickname the "Hermit Kingdom". By the late 19th century, the country became the object of colonial designs by the imperial aggressors of Japan and Europe. In 1910, Korea was forcibly annexed by Japan and remained occupied until the end of World War II in 1945.

After division
In 1945, Soviet Union and United States troops occupied the northern and southern halves of the country respectively. The two Cold War rivals helped establish governments sympathetic to their own ideologies, leading to Korea's current division into two political entities: North Korea and South Korea.

Despite promises of an independent and unified Korea in the 1943 Cairo Declaration, escalating Cold War antagonism between the United States and Soviet Union eventually led to the establishment of two separate governments: the communist North and the capitalist South. The Soviet Union promptly installed Kim Il-sung as the North Korean premier. While many Koreans wanted a national election to choose a leader for the whole country, the Communists refused to participate in elections by blocking entry into North Korea. Democratic elections were held in South Korea only, and Syngman Rhee was elected president. The Republic of Korea was the sole legitimate government of Korea recognized by the United Nations at that time.

Special Cities

 * Pyongyang
 * Rason

Metropolitan Cities

 * Sinuiju
 * Kaesong
 * Nampho
 * Chongjin
 * Wonsan
 * Sariwon
 * Hoeryong
 * Hamhung
 * Haeju
 * Kanggye
 * Hyesan
 * Kimchaek
 * Kangso

Provinces

 * Chagang
 * North Hamgyŏng
 * South Hamgyŏng
 * North Hwanghae
 * South Hwanghae
 * Kangwŏn
 * North P'yŏngan
 * South P'yŏngan
 * Ryanggang

Special Cities

 * Seoul

Metropolitan Cities

 * Busan
 * Daegu
 * Incheon
 * Gwangju
 * Daejeon
 * Ulsan

Provinces

 * Gyeonggi-do
 * Gangwon-do
 * Chungcheongbuk-do
 * Chungcheongnam-do
 * Jeollabuk-do
 * Jeollanam-do
 * Gyeongsangbuk-do
 * Gyeongsangnam-do

Special self-governing province

 * Jeju

United Nations Space Command
The UNSC has a number of locations in Korea, namely, the Special Warfare Center in Songnam, Kyonggi Province. This is where the MJOLNIR Mark VI was tested before it was sent to Cairo station for use by SPARTAN-117.

Related Articles

 * Earth
 * Kyonggi Province
 * Songnam
 * Special Warfare Center