Republic of Korea

State · 1948–2026 CE · at its largest around 1953 CE

The state occupying the southern Korean Peninsula, founded in 1948 under Syngman Rhee and devastated by the Korean War. After decades of authoritarian rule and rapid industrialisation, it democratised in the late 1980s.

On its lands while it lasted

• Park Chung Hee (1917 CE – 1979 CE): Military ruler of South Korea (1961–1979) whose export-led policies drove rapid industrialisation.
• Korean War (1950–1953 CE): War between North Korea, backed by China and the Soviet Union, and South Korea, backed by UN forces led by the United States.
• Battle of Inchon (1950 CE): Amphibious landing led by Douglas MacArthur that reversed the course of the Korean War.
• Korean Armistice Agreement (1953 CE): Armistice signed at Panmunjom ending hostilities and creating the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
• Gwangju Uprising (1980 CE): Pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju crushed by the military.
• AlphaGo beats Lee Sedol (2016 CE): In Seoul, DeepMind's AlphaGo beat Lee Sedol, one of the best players of Go, a game long thought too subtle for computers.

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