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North and South Koreans speak and write the same language.  It is derived from the Ural-Altaic family, which also includes Turkish, Hungarian, Finnish, Mongolian, Tibetan and Japanese.  The written Korean language is called Hangeul, consisting of 10 vowels and 14 consonants.  King Sejong invented it in the 15th century.  Hangeul is considered easy to learn and write, contributing to Korea’s high literacy rates (98% over age 15).

Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Constitution in Korea.  50.7 percent of Koreans follow a specific religious faith.  Followers of Buddhism and Protestants are in the highest numbers, followed by Catholics.  Other practicing faiths are Shamanism, Taoism, and Islam. Confucian tenets or Confucian doctrine is deeply embedded in many Koreans' lives, regardless of religion.

Seoul’s subway system is the eight-largest in the world.  The railway system includes over 4,000 passenger trains and 13,000 freight trains.  In 1998, the nation’s highways exceeded 2,000 km.  International airports serve 74 cities throughout the world.  Ocean liners, cruise ships, cargo ships and container ships are a frequent site at Korean ports.

Today, most South Koreans think that religion is an important part of their everyday lives—unlike the Japanese and Chinese who generally do not think this.

Buddhism and Christianity are the main religions in South Korea.

What this chart does not teach you, though, is that many South Koreans do not practice a specific religion or they do not claim to belong to a temple or church. According to one study, almost half of the South Korean population claims to have no religion. So, although there are more people practicing organized religions in South Korea than in China or Japan, this is still much fewer than in the United States, for instance