South Korea is a semi-presidential republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It borders North Korea to the north and closely neighbors China to the west and Japan to the east. Korea is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. South Korea is a developed country. It has the fourth-largest economy in Asia. South Korea is at the leading edge of the digital revolution. It is a trailblazer for high-speed and wireless internet services; in September 2008 officials said almost every household had a high-speed net connection.
Its capital is Seoul. The Government is a semi-presidential republic. The President Lee Myung-bak. He ended his five-year term on February 25, 2013, and was succeeded by Park Geun-hye . She is the first woman to be elected as President in South Korea.
According to the results of the census of 2015 more than half of the South Korean population (56.1%) declared themselves not affiliated with any religious organizations. In a 2012 survey, 52% declared themselves "religious", 31% said they were "not religious" and 15% identified themselves as "convinced atheists". Of the people who are affiliated with a religious organization, most are Christians and Buddhists. According to the 2015 census, 27.6% of the population were Christians (19.7% identified themselves as Protestants, 7.9% as Roman Catholics), and 15.5% were Buddhists. Other religions include Islam (130,000 Muslims, mostly migrant workers from Pakistan and Bangladesh but including some 35,000 Korean Muslims,the homegrown sect of Won Buddhism, and a variety of indigenous religions, including Cheondoism (a Confucianizing religion), Jeungsanism, Daejongism, Daesun Jinrihoe and others. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the constitution, and there is no state religion.
On December 9, 2016, Park was impeached by the National Assembly on charges related to influence peddling by a top aide. Her presidential powers and duties were suspended with the ratification of the impeachment proposal, and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn assumed those powers and duties as Acting President. The impeachment was upheld by the Constitutional Court on March 10, 2017, ending Park's presidency and forcing her out of office.
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Pope Francis has celebrated a huge open-air Mass in the center of Seoul to beatify 124 Korean martyrs who were killed in the 18th and 19th centuries for refusing to renounce Christianity. Per Wikipedia, Christianity is South Korea's largest religion, accounting for more than half of all South Korean religious adherents. There are approximately 13.7 million Christians in South Korea today, about 63% of Christians belong to Protestant churches, while about 37% belong to the Roman Catholic Church. The number of Protestant Christians have slowly decreased since the 1990s, while the number of Roman Catholics has rapidly increased since the 1980s. Presbyterian denominations are the biggest Christian denominations in South Korea.
11.29.16: Corruption charges
Prosecutors have said they want to speak to Park Geun-hye after naming her as a suspect in a corruption probe involving her confidante Choi Soon-sil and other aides.
Choi has been in prison for weeks after being indicted on charges of fraud, abuse of power and coercion, accused of extorting millions of dollars from big businesses for her foundations and personal use. Offices have been raided, top executives hauled in for questioning and two of Park's former Presidential aides, among others, have also been indicted.
As President, Park Geun-hye is currently immune from prosecution. Though her lawyers have said she is willing to cooperate with the investigation, this week she claimed to be too busy to meet with prosecutors.
12.9.16: South Korea's parliament has voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal.
3.12.17: Park Geun-hye left the presidential Blue House two days after the Constitutional Court issued a verdict removing her from office over a corruption scandal.
Hwang Gyo-an is a South Korean lawyer and is the Acting President of South Korea, having continued in that role following the impeachment and removal of President Park Geun-hye by the Constitutional Court of Korea on 10 March 2017. He had already taken over Park's presidential powers and duties on 9 December 2016 when impeachment proceedings were launched against her by the National Assembly and she was suspended from the powers and duties of the office.
