1.
South Korea
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South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, is a sovereign state in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The earliest Korean pottery dates to 8000 BC, with three kingdoms flourishing in the 1st century BC and its rich and vibrant culture left 19 UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity, the third largest in the world, along with 12 World Heritage Sites. Annexed into Imperial Japan in 1910, Korea was divided after its surrender in 1945, peace has since mostly continued with the two agreeing to work peacefully for reunification and the South solidifying peace as a regional power with the worlds 10th largest defence budget. South Koreas tiger economy soared at an average of 10% for over 30 years in a period of rapid transformation called the Miracle on the Han River. A long legacy of openness and focus on innovation made it successful, today, it is the worlds fifth largest exporter with the G20s largest budget surplus and highest credit rating of any country in East Asia. It has free trade agreements with 75% of the economy and is the only G20 nation trading freely with China, the US. Since 1988, its constitution guarantees a liberal democracy with high government transparency, high personal freedoms led to the rise of a globally influential pop culture such as K-pop and K-drama, a phenomenon called the Korean Wave, known for its distinctive fashionable and trendy style. Home of the UN Green Climate Fund and GGGI, South Korea is a leader in low carbon growth, committed to helping developing countries as a major DAC. It is the third least ignorant country in the Index of Ignorance, ranking eighth highest for peaceful tolerance. It is the worlds largest spender on R&D per GDP, leading the OECD in graduates in science, the name Korea derives from the name Goryeo. The name Goryeo itself was first used by the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo in the 5th century as a form of its name. The 10th-century kingdom of Goryeo succeeded Goguryeo, and thus inherited its name, the modern spelling of Korea first appeared in the late 17th century in the travel writings of the Dutch East India Companys Hendrick Hamel. After Goryeo was replaced by Joseon in 1392, Joseon became the name for the entire territory. The new official name has its origin in the ancient country of Gojoseon, in 1897, the Joseon dynasty changed the official name of the country from Joseon to Daehan Jeguk. The name Daehan, which means great Han literally, derives from Samhan, however, the name Joseon was still widely used by Koreans to refer to their country, though it was no longer the official name. Under Japanese rule, the two names Han and Joseon coexisted, there were several groups who fought for independence, the most notable being the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. Following the surrender of Japan, in 1945, the Republic of Korea was adopted as the name for the new country. Since the government only controlled the part of the Korean Peninsula
2.
Sea of Japan
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The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, and the Asian mainland. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean and it is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific Ocean and this isolation also reflects in the fauna species and in the water salinity, which is lower than in the ocean. The sea has no islands, bays or capes. Its water balance is determined by the inflow and outflow through the straits connecting it to the neighboring seas. Few rivers discharge into the sea and their contribution to the water exchange is within 1%. The seawater has a concentration of dissolved oxygen that results in high biological productivity. Therefore, fishing is the dominant economic activity in the region, the intensity of shipments across the sea has been moderate owing to political issues, but it is steadily increasing as a result of the growth of East Asian economies. The sea is called Rìběn hǎi or originally Jīng hǎi in China, Yaponskoye more in Russia, Chosŏn Tonghae in North Korea, a naming dispute exists about the sea name, with South and North Korea promoting the English translation of its native name East Sea. In Europe, the sea is called Mer du Japon in French, Japanisches Meer in German, Mar del Giappone in Italian, in Southeast Asia, the sea is called Laut Jepun in Malay, Laut Jepang in Indonesian, and Dagat Hapon in Filipino. The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Japan Sea as follows, the Northeastern limit of the Eastern China Sea and the Western limit of the Inland Sea. A line running from Nagoya Saki in Kyûsyû through the islands of Uma Sima, from the extremity of Siriya Saki to the extremity of Esan Saki. A line joining Sôni Misaki and Nishi Notoro Misaki, from Cape Tuik to Cape Sushcheva. The Sea of Japan was once a landlocked sea when the bridge of East Asia existed. The onset of formation of the Japan Arc was in Early Miocene, the Early Miocene period also corresponds to incipient opening of the Japan Sea, and the northern and southern parts of the Japanese archipelago that were separated from each other. During the Miocene, there was expansion of Sea of Japan, the northern part of the Japanese archipelago was further fragmented at later periods until the orogenesis of the northeastern Japanese archipelago began in the later Late Miocene. The southern part of the Japanese archipelago remained as a large landmass. The land area had expanded northward in the Late Miocene, the orogenesis of high mountain ranges in the northeastern Japan started in Late Miocene and it lasts in Pliocene also
3.
Sea of Japan naming dispute
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The international name for the body of water which is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia, and South Korea is disputed. In 1992, objections to the name Sea of Japan were first raised by North Korea, the Japanese government supports the use of the name Sea of Japan, while South Korea supports the name East Sea, and North Korea supports the name East Sea of Korea. The involved countries have advanced a variety of arguments to support their preferred name, many of the arguments revolve around determining when the name Sea of Japan became the common name. South Korea argues that historically the common name was East Sea, Sea of Korea. South Korea further argues that the name Sea of Japan did not become common until Korea was under Japanese rule, at which time it had no ability to influence international affairs. Japan argues that the name Sea of Japan has been the most common name since at least the beginning of the 19th century. Both sides have conducted studies of antiquarian maps, but the two countries have produced divergent research results, additional arguments have been raised regarding the underlying geography of the sea as well as potential problems regarding the ambiguity of one name or the other. Both sides in the dispute have put forward a number of arguments to support their claims, the first documented map to name the area the Sea of Japan was the world map drawn by the Italian missionary Matteo Ricci in China named Kunyu Wanguo Quantu. No Japanese record published up to the late-18th century indicated any name for the body of water, furthermore, South Korea has pointed out that a few 19th-century Japanese maps referred to the sea as Chōsenkai, including the Simplified Map of Japans Periphery and New World Map. South Korea argues there was no standard name prior to Japans military expansion in the region in the late 19th, additionally, it specifically states that the name Sea of Japan was not widely used, even in Japan, as late as the mid 19th century. Thus, South Korea argues that the current name reflects active promotion by Japan during a time when Korea could not represent its interests internationally. Accordingly, they state, Japan could not have, at time, had an influence on the international community regarding the naming of the sea. Krusenstern was an admiral and explorer, who led the first Russian circumnavigation of the globe, according to Japanese records, it was Krusenstern who popularized the name Mer du Japon in the West. The original book was published in St. Petersburg in German and Russian, translated into Dutch, French, Swedish, Italian and English, and distributed widely among Europe. As a result, the name of the sea changed from no name to the Sea of Japan. Thus, the Japanese side argues that the South Koreans misunderstand the history of the name, to provide evidence for the date when Sea of Japan came to be used internationally, both South Korea and Japan have undertaken surveys of various historical maps. In 2004, South Korea surveyed ancient maps archived in the British Library, the Cambridge University Library, the University of Southern California East Asian Map Collection, Library of Congress, the National Library of Russia, and the French National Library examined 762 maps. They found that 440 maps had used Sea of Korea, Oriental Sea/East Sea,122 had used Sea of Japan, in the French language, the word orientale includes both the meaning of eastern related to compass direction and the meaning of oriental, the Asiatic region
4.
Busan Metro
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The Busan Metro operated by the Busan Transportation Corporation is the urban rail system of Busan, South Korea. The metro network first opened in 1985 with seventeen stations, the Metro itself consists of 4 lines, cover 109.5 kilometres of route and serving 108 stations. Announcements at stations for arriving trains are in Korean, followed by English, then Japanese, all stations are numbered and the first numeral of the number is the same as the line number, e. g. station 123 is on line 1. The Metro map includes information on station, and which numbered exit from that station. Photography in the Busan Metro is permitted, Busan Metro Line 1 is the north-south route. It is 32. 5-kilometre long with 34 stations, the line uses trains that have eight cars each. The total construction cost was 975.1 billion won, plans for this line were made in 1979. Two years later, in 1981, construction began on the first phase, the extension of the line further into Saha-gu is currently under construction and is expected to be finished in late 2016. Busan Metro Line 2 crosses Busan from east to west, running along the shores of Haeundae and Gwangalli and it is 46. 0-kilometre long, serving 43 stations. The line uses trains that have six cars each, construction on the Phase 1 began in 1991. But this 21. 7-kilometre route, serving 21 stations between Hopo and Seomyeon, did not open until 30 June 1999, with Phase 2, the line was first extended 7.7 kilometres southeast from Seomyeon to Geumnyeonsan on 8 August 2001. The remainder of Phase 2 was implemeneted in two stages, Line 2 was extended 1.8 km north to Gwangan on January 16,2002, Phase 3, started in 1998, extends Line 2 north from Hopo more into the city of Yangsan. The phase was supposed to add another 11.3 kilometres to the line. On 10 January 2003, Line 2 was extended 8 kilometres to the current terminus of Yangsan, pusan National University Yangsan Campus Station, which was the fourth station to open in Phase 3, opened on 1 October 2009. The city of Yangsan subsequently gave up on finishing the extension, an extension of Line 2 towards the eastern extremity of Haeundae-gu is planned. If this extension opens, then 4 new stations will be added to Line 2, the station named munjeon changed name to Busan International Finance Center, Busan Bank Busan Metro Line 3 construction began in November 1997. Opening was delayed many times, but the Line 3 finally started service on 28 November 2005, the first phases estimated construction cost was 1,688.6 billion won, with the second phase split off into Line 4. Following the Daegu Subway Fire in 2003, it was decided during construction to install screen doors to all platforms on Line 3
5.
Busanjin District
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Busanjin District is a gu in central Busan, South Korea. It has an area of 29.7 km², and a population of about 410,000, the name is sometimes abbreviated locally as Jin-gu. Busanjin Station Camp Hialeah List of Korea-related topics Geography of South Korea Busan/Central travel guide from Wikivoyage Busanjin-gu website
6.
Higher education
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Higher education, post-secondary education, or third level education is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completion of secondary education. Tertiary education at non-degree level is referred to as further education or continuing education as distinct from higher education. The right of access to education is mentioned in a number of international human rights instruments. In Europe, Article 2 of the First Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights, adopted in 1950, in the days when few pupils progressed beyond primary education, the term higher education was often used to refer to secondary education, which can create some confusion. Higher education includes teaching, research, exacting applied work, within the realm of teaching, it includes both the undergraduate level, and beyond that, graduate-level. The latter level of education is referred to as graduate school. Higher education is important to national economies, both as an industry, in its own right, and as a source of trained and educated personnel for the rest of the economy. College educated workers have commanded a measurable wage premium and are less likely to become unemployed than less educated workers. However, the admission of so many students of average ability to higher education inevitably requires a decline in academic standards. There is some question as to whether advanced mathematical skills or talent are in fact necessary for such as history, English, philosophy. In contrast, the higher education and training that takes place at vocational universities and schools usually concentrates on practical applications. Requirements for admission to such high-level graduate programs is extremely competitive, in the United States, there are large differences in wages and employment associated with different degrees. Medical doctors and lawyers are generally the highest paid workers, and have among the lowest unemployment rates and it may encompass using insights to conceive, model and scale an appropriate solution to a problem or objective. Engineering disciplines include, aerospace, biological, civil, chemical, computer, electrical, industrial, examples are painting, sculpture, and drawing, etc. Higher educational institutions in these arts include Film schools and Art schools, Higher vocational education and training takes place at the non-university tertiary level. Such education combines teaching of practical skills and theoretical expertise. Higher education differs from other forms of education such as that offered by institutions of vocational education. Higher vocational education might be contrasted with education in a broader scientific field
7.
China
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China, officially the Peoples Republic of China, is a unitary sovereign state in East Asia and the worlds most populous country, with a population of over 1.381 billion. The state is governed by the Communist Party of China and its capital is Beijing, the countrys major urban areas include Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Hong Kong. China is a power and a major regional power within Asia. Chinas landscape is vast and diverse, ranging from forest steppes, the Himalaya, Karakoram, Pamir and Tian Shan mountain ranges separate China from much of South and Central Asia. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, the third and sixth longest in the world, respectively, Chinas coastline along the Pacific Ocean is 14,500 kilometers long and is bounded by the Bohai, Yellow, East China and South China seas. China emerged as one of the worlds earliest civilizations in the basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. For millennia, Chinas political system was based on hereditary monarchies known as dynasties, in 1912, the Republic of China replaced the last dynasty and ruled the Chinese mainland until 1949, when it was defeated by the communist Peoples Liberation Army in the Chinese Civil War. The Communist Party established the Peoples Republic of China in Beijing on 1 October 1949, both the ROC and PRC continue to claim to be the legitimate government of all China, though the latter has more recognition in the world and controls more territory. China had the largest economy in the world for much of the last two years, during which it has seen cycles of prosperity and decline. Since the introduction of reforms in 1978, China has become one of the worlds fastest-growing major economies. As of 2016, it is the worlds second-largest economy by nominal GDP, China is also the worlds largest exporter and second-largest importer of goods. China is a nuclear weapons state and has the worlds largest standing army. The PRC is a member of the United Nations, as it replaced the ROC as a permanent member of the U. N. Security Council in 1971. China is also a member of numerous formal and informal multilateral organizations, including the WTO, APEC, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BCIM, the English name China is first attested in Richard Edens 1555 translation of the 1516 journal of the Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa. The demonym, that is, the name for the people, Portuguese China is thought to derive from Persian Chīn, and perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit Cīna. Cīna was first used in early Hindu scripture, including the Mahābhārata, there are, however, other suggestions for the derivation of China. The official name of the state is the Peoples Republic of China. The shorter form is China Zhōngguó, from zhōng and guó and it was then applied to the area around Luoyi during the Eastern Zhou and then to Chinas Central Plain before being used as an occasional synonym for the state under the Qing
8.
Busan
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Busan, officially Busan Metropolitan City, romanized as Pusan before 2000, is South Koreas second most-populous city after Seoul, with a population of approximately 3.6 million. The population of the area, including the adjacent cities of Gimhae. The city is located on the southeastern-most tip of the Korean peninsula, located within South Koreas largest industrial area, The Southeast Economic Zone, the city is the cultural, educational and economic center of the region. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth busiest seaport by cargo tonnage. The most densely built up areas of the city are situated in a number of narrow valleys between the Nakdong River and the Suyeong River, with mountains separating most of the districts, administratively, it is designated as a Metropolitan City. The Busan metropolitan area is divided into 15 major administrative districts, Busan was the host city of the 2002 Asian Games and the APEC2005 Korea. It was also one of the host cities for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, on November 14,2005, the city authorities officially announced its bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics Games. After Pyeongchangs successful bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics, Busan is considering bidding to host the 2028 or 2032 Summer Olympics, Busan has Koreas largest beach and longest river, and is home to the worlds largest department store, the Shinsegae Centum City. Geochilsan-guk existed in the second and 3rd and 4th centuries as a chiefdom of Jinhan and it was absorbed by Silla and renamed Geochilsan-gun. The word Geochilsan means rough mountain, probably referring to Hwangbyeongsan, the mounded burials of Bokcheon-dong were built along the top of a ridge that overlooks a wide area that makes up parts of modern-day Dongnae-gu and Yeonje-gu. Archaeologists excavated more than 250 iron weapons and ingots from Burial No,38, a wooden chamber tomb at Bokcheon-dong. In 757, Geochilsan-gun was again renamed Dongnae, which it is still called, from the beginning of the 15th century, the Korean government designated Busan as a trading port with the Japanese and allowed their settlement. Other Japanese settlements in Ulsan and Jinhae diminished later, but the Busan settlement, called Waegwan at the time, after the war, diplomatic relations with the new shogunate in Japan were established in 1607, and Busan Waegwan was permitted to be reconstructed. The Japanese settlement, though relocated into Choryang later, continued to exist until Korea was exposed to modern diplomacy in 1876, in 1876, Busan became the first international port in Korea. During the Japanese rule, Busan developed into a hub trading port with Japan, Busan was the only city in Korea to adopt the steam tramway before electrification was introduced in 1924. During the Korean War, Busan was one of two cities in South Korea not captured by the North Korean army within the first three months of the War. As a result, the city became a camp site for Koreans during the war. As Busan was one of the few areas in Korea that remained under the control of South Korea throughout the Korean War, UN troops established a defensive perimeter around the city known as the Pusan Perimeter in the summer and autumn of 1950
9.
Suyeong District
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Suyeong District is a gu in central Busan, South Korea. It has a density of about 17,768 inhabitants per square kilometer. Suyeong-gu was created in 1995 following its separation from Nam-gu and it is border in the North-East by the Suyeonggang River. The name Suyeong came from Gyeongsang JwaSuyeong, means navy command of Gyeongsang left area, the line 2 of Busan Subway runs through Suyeong-gu with 5 stations, from Millak to Namcheon. The southern terminal of line 3 is Suyeong station, making Suyeong an important location for subway transportation/transfers
10.
Korean War
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The Korean War began when North Korea invaded South Korea. The United Nations, with the United States as the principal force, China came to the aid of North Korea, and the Soviet Union gave some assistance. Korea was ruled by Japan from 1910 until the days of World War II. In August 1945, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, as a result of an agreement with the United States, U. S. forces subsequently moved into the south. By 1948, as a product of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, Korea was split into two regions, with separate governments, both governments claimed to be the legitimate government of all of Korea, and neither side accepted the border as permanent. The conflict escalated into open warfare when North Korean forces—supported by the Soviet Union, on that day, the United Nations Security Council recognized this North Korean act as invasion and called for an immediate ceasefire. On 27 June, the Security Council adopted S/RES/83, Complaint of aggression upon the Republic of Korea and decided the formation, twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force, with the United States providing 88% of the UNs military personnel. After the first two months of war, South Korean forces were on the point of defeat, forced back to the Pusan Perimeter, in September 1950, an amphibious UN counter-offensive was launched at Inchon, and cut off many North Korean troops. Those who escaped envelopment and capture were rapidly forced back north all the way to the border with China at the Yalu River, at this point, in October 1950, Chinese forces crossed the Yalu and entered the war. Chinese intervention triggered a retreat of UN forces which continued until mid-1951, after these reversals of fortune, which saw Seoul change hands four times, the last two years of fighting became a war of attrition, with the front line close to the 38th parallel. The war in the air, however, was never a stalemate, North Korea was subject to a massive bombing campaign. Jet fighters confronted each other in combat for the first time in history. The fighting ended on 27 July 1953, when an armistice was signed, the agreement created the Korean Demilitarized Zone to separate North and South Korea, and allowed the return of prisoners. However, no treaty has been signed, and the two Koreas are technically still at war. Periodic clashes, many of which are deadly, continue to the present, in the U. S. the war was initially described by President Harry S. Truman as a police action as it was an undeclared military action, conducted under the auspices of the United Nations. In South Korea, the war is referred to as 625 or the 6–2–5 Upheaval. In North Korea, the war is referred to as the Fatherland Liberation War or alternatively the Chosǒn War. In China, the war is called the War to Resist U. S
11.
Qinhuangdao
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Qinhuangdao is a port city on the coast of China located in northeastern Hebei province. It is administratively a prefecture-level city, located about 300 km east of Beijing, on the Bohai Sea and its population during the 2010 national census was 2,987,605, with approximately one million people living in the built-up area made up of 3 urban districts. In the 19th century, Qinhuangdao included the towns of Qinhuangdao. Both were stations along the Peking–Mukden Railway, Qinhuangdao sits on the northwest coast of the Bohai Sea and borders Tangshan to the southwest, Chengde to the northwest, and Liaoning to the northeast. Its administrative area ranges in latitude 39°24 to 40°37 N and in longitude from 118°33 to 119°51 E, since the elevation of Tianjin to a provincial-level municipality, Qinhuangdao is the chief port of Hebei. The Qin emperor Qin Shi Huang is said to have sought immortality on an island in the Haigang district, Qinhuangdao has three main developed areas, Beidaihe, A summer seaside resort for senior government officials. Many political decisions affecting China are made here, making it the equivalent to resorts in Maine or Camp David in Maryland, home of Yan Shan University, the leading university in NE Hebei province. Shanhaiguan, a popular tourist destination, featuring the eastern end of the Great Wall, qinhuangdaos Olympic Sports Centre Stadium was used as an Olympic Competition Venue during the 2008 Summer Olympics. Qinhuangdao has a humid continental climate, with four distinct seasons. As measured by daily temperature, July and August are equally warm. The annual mean is 11.0 °C, and 70% of the precipitation falls from June to August. The Qinhuangdao Economic & Technology Development Zone was approved by the State Council in 1984 to become one of China’s first state-level economic, Qinhuangdao is in the heart of the rapidly growing “Bohai-Rim Economic Circle”, within easy reach of Beijing and Tianjin. It covers a sea area of 23.81 km2 and has a coastline of 6 km, the planned and controlled area of the development zone has reached 56.72 km2. By the end of 2006, the number of approved projects reached 4,546, in which 647 projects were foreign-invested, Qinhuangdao Export Processing Zone is the first export processing zone in Hebei Province. It has passed joint appraisal held by Customs General Administration Peoples Republic of China, State Development Planning Commission, industries encouraged in the zone include electronics assembly and manufacturing, building/construction materials, computer software, trading and distribution. Qinhuangdao Port is an important port and is the largest coal shipping port in the country. With recent expansion, its capacity has reached 209 million metric tons, China is the worlds third largest coal exporter, and Qinhuangdao is expected to handle much of the nations coal exports. Other Chinese and foreign service suppliers are moving to Qinhuangdao to support this, Qinhuangdao is on the Jingshen Expressway which links Beijing with Shenyang, Liaoning
12.
Geography of South Korea
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South Korea is located in East Asia, on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula jutting out from the far east of the Asian land mass. The only country with a border to South Korea is North Korea. South Korea is mostly surrounded by water and has 2,413 kilometres of coast line along three seas, to the west is the Yellow Sea, to the south is the East China Sea, and to the east is Ulleung-do and Liancourt Rocks in the Sea of Japan. Geographically, South Koreas land mass is approximately 100,032 square kilometres,290 square kilometres of South Korea are occupied by water. The approximate coordinates are 37° North, 127°30 East, the Korean Peninsula extends southward from the northeast part of the Asian continental landmass. The Japanese islands of Honshū and Kyūshū are located some 200 km to the southeast across the Korea Strait, the Shandong Peninsula of China lies 190 kilometers to the west. The west coast of the peninsula is bordered by the Korea Bay to the north and the Yellow Sea and Korea Strait to the south, the 8, 640-kilometer coastline is highly indented. Some 3,579 islands lie adjacent to the peninsula, most of them are found along the south and west coasts. The line between the two Korean states was the parallel of latitude. After the Korean War, the Korean Demilitarized Zone formed the boundary between the two, the total land area of the peninsula, including the islands, is 223,170 square kilometers. Some 44.6 percent of total, excluding the area within the DMZ. The combined territories of North Korea and South Korea are about the size as the U. S. state of Minnesota. South Korea alone is about the size of Portugal or Hungary, the largest island, Jeju-do, lies off the southwest corner of the peninsula and has a land area of 1,825 square kilometers. Other important islands include Ulleung and Liancourt Rocks in the Sea of Japan, although the eastern coastline of South Korea is generally unindented, the southern and western coasts are jagged and irregular. The difference is caused by the fact that the eastern coast is gradually rising, early European visitors to Korea remarked that the land resembled a sea in a heavy gale because of the large number of successive mountain ranges that crisscross the peninsula. The highest mountains are in North Korea, the highest mountain peak in South Korea is Hallasan, which is the cone of a volcanic formation constituting Jeju Island. There are three mountain ranges within South Korea, the Taebaek Mountains, and Sobaek ranges. Unlike Japan or the provinces of China, the Korean Peninsula is geologically stable
Central Busan travel guide from Wikivoyage
