South Korea
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![The name Korea is derived from Goguryeo, also known as Koryŏ, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.](/Images/godic/202502/16/Three_Kingdoms_of_Korea_Map_with_modernborders0321.png")
![Seokguram Grotto from the Silla era, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.](/Images/godic/202502/16/Seokguram_Buddha0321.JPG")
![Balhae and Silla, 830 CE](/Images/godic/202502/16/Balhae-Territory_in_8300321.JPG")
South Korea ( listen), officially the Republic of Korea (Hangul: 대한민국;hanja: 大韓民國;RR: Daehanminguk, listen), is a sovereign state in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The name Korea is derived from the ancient Kingdom of Goguryeo, also known as Koryŏ. Highly urbanized at 92%, South Koreans lead a distinctive urban lifestyle; half of them live in high-rises concentrated in the Seoul Capital Area with 25 million residents and the world's sixth leading global city with the fourth largest economy.