Facts for Kids

Korea is a place in East Asia made up of a long block of land called the Korean Peninsula, the island of Jeju, and many small islands. Because of world events, the peninsula is divided near the middle along the 38th parallel. The northern part is called North Korea and the southern part is called South Korea. Both became separate countries in 1948, and the big fight called the Korean War happened between 1950 and 1953.

South Korea today is a modern, busy country with a strong economy (about the 14th largest in the world). North Korea has a powerful military and a strict government that controls many parts of life.

The Korean War began in June 1950 when North Korea invaded the south. The fighting lasted until 1953, and both sides pushed forward and back across the peninsula at different times. Many soldiers and civilians lost their lives during those years, and families were separated when the country split.

Fighting stopped with an agreement called an armistice in 1953, but no peace treaty was signed, so the two Koreas remain officially at war. Today a buffer zone called the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) follows roughly the old dividing line and separates North and South Korea.

Korean is the main language spoken in both South Korea and North Korea, and also by people in parts of China such as the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture. About 80 million people speak Korean around the world—roughly 50 million in South Korea and 25 million in North Korea. That makes it one of the most widely used languages in East Asia.

People in Korea usually write with the alphabet called Hangul, which was created in the 15th century to make reading and writing easier. Long ago, writers often used Chinese characters called Hanja, but today those characters are used only sometimes and mostly for special cases or old texts.

Korean Demilitarized Zone is more than a border—because people left it mostly alone, it grew into forests and wetlands that help many animals. The Korean Peninsula has lots of birds and native freshwater fish. You can also find animals like the Korean hare, Korean water deer, and the Korean field mouse, plus frogs such as the Korean brown frog. There are about 3,034 kinds of vascular plants, which are the leafy and woody plants that grow here.

Long ago, big cats called Siberian tigers lived on the peninsula, but they disappeared from the south. The DMZ now protects habitats for many plants and about 82 endangered species, so it is an important place for nature.

People have lived on the Korean Peninsula for a very long time—archaeologists find signs of people there tens of thousands of years ago. By about 10,000 BCE, people were making pottery, and during the Neolithic period, they lived in small villages, grew some plants, and made tools from stone and bone.

Around 300 BCE, groups moved around East Asia. Some people from Korea crossed to Japan and mixed with people already there. Other groups, called Proto-Koreans, likely came from lands to the north and settled in southern Korea. Over time these groups mixed and shared ideas, food, and skills.

Korean writing has a long history. For many years, people wrote in Chinese characters or mixed styles, and later more was written in Korean. Poets used several traditional forms, such as sijo, hyangga, changga (long poems), and gasa (long verses). These poems were often meant to be sung, with steady rhythms made from groups of three or four syllables. Some famous old pieces praised rulers or told stories and were used at important events.

Music in Korea mixes folk songs, singing for rituals, and music for the court. Traditional Korean music divides into two broad kinds: Hyangak, which is native Korean music, and yangak, which shows Western influence. One very old Hyangak piece, Sujechon, is more than a thousand years old and is still played today. What song would you like to hear from long ago?

From about the first few centuries AD, Korea was made up of the Three Kingdoms: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. Goguryeo ruled the north and grew large and strong. Baekje was a sea power in the southwest and traded with and taught ideas to Japan. Silla controlled the southeast and, over time, grew closer to China.

Silla joined with Tang China and used that friendship to bring the peninsula together. In 660 and then 668, Silla helped defeat Baekje and Goguryeo and so united much of Korea. After Goguryeo fell, a new kingdom called Balhae formed in the north from some of its people.