ASIA
Level 1 — Exercise Normal Precautions
South Korea
Level 1 — Exercise Normal Precautions
Population
51.2 million
Advisory
Level 1
GDP/Capita
$36,239
Health Alerts
0
Last Updated
Jun 10, 2026
About South KoreaOverview, geography, and key facts
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and the Sea of Japan to the east. South Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands. It has a population of about 52 million, of which half live in the Seoul metropolitan area, the ninth most populous metropolitan area in the world, with other major cities being Busan, Daegu, and Incheon.
Capital
Seoul
Population
51.2 million
Area
100,210 km²
Languages
Korean
Currency
South Korean won (KRW)
GDP/Capita
$36,239
Travel AdvisoryU.S. Department of State
Gov Data
Exercise normal precautions when traveling to this country.
Currency & Economy
- Currency
- South Korean won (KRW)
- GDP
- $1.88T
- GDP per Capita
- $36,239
Development
- Life Expectancy
- 83.4 years
Geography & Practical Details
- Region
- Asia
- Capital
- Seoul
- Area
- 100,210 km²
- Population
- 51,159,889
- Timezone
- UTC+09:00
- Languages
- Korean
- Calling Code
- +82
- Drives On
- Right
- ISO Code
- KR