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South Korea, a country in East Asia occupying the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula
韓国は美味しい料理で有名です
South Korea is famous for its delicious food
The term refers to the sovereign state established in 1948, distinct from North Korea (北朝鮮)
The division between North and South Korea occurred after World War II, with the 38th parallel serving as the initial dividing line
Always distinguish between '韓国' (South Korea) and '北朝鮮' (North Korea) in formal writing
From Korean 한(韓) 'Han' (an ancient Korean kingdom) + 国(國) 'country'
In formal contexts, '大韓民国' (Republic of Korea) is sometimes used, but '韓国' is more common in everyday speech