FACTS

Flag:

The South Korea flag was officially adopted on October 15, 1949. It has three parts: a white background; a red and blue taeguk in the center; and four trigrams, one in each corner of the flag. The three black unbroken bars (upper left) symbolize heaven, the trigram (lower left) symbolizes fire, the trigram (upper right) symbolizes water, while the three broken bars (lower right) symbolize earth. The white field represents the traditional color of the Korean people. The centered taeguk (Yin-yang) symbol signifies unity.

Capital city:  Seoul

Main cities:  Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon and Ulsan

Population:  48.847 million as at July 2006

Currency:  South Korean Won (KRW) see here for currency conversion

Political structure:  Democracy

Language:  Korean

Religion/s:  Buddhism, Shamanism, Christianity

Location:  East Asia.

Climate:  Moderate climate with four seasons. The hottest part of the year is during the rainy season between July and August, and the coldest is December to February. Spring and autumn are mild and mainly dry and are generally considered the best times to visit.

Internet:  .kr

Phone calling code:   +82

Direct flights from NZ:  Yes