Korea
[ kuh-ree-uh, kaw-, koh- ]
/ kəˈri ə, kɔ-, koʊ- /
noun
a former country in E Asia, on a peninsula SE of Manchuria and between the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea: a kingdom prior to 1910; under Japanese rule 1910–45; now divided at 38° N into North Korea and South Korea.
Compare Korean War.
Democratic People's Republic of,
official name of North Korea.
Republic of,
official name of South Korea.
Compare
North Korea,
South Korea.
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH Korea
chorea KoreaExample sentences from the Web for korea
British Dictionary definitions for korea
Korea
/ (kəˈriːə) /
noun
a former country in E Asia, now divided into two separate countries, North Korea and South Korea. Korea occupied the peninsula between the Sea of Japan (East Sea) and the Yellow Sea: an isolated vassal of Manchu China for three centuries until the opening of ports to Japanese trade in 1876; gained independence in 1895; annexed to Japan in 1910 and divided in 1945 into two occupation zones (Russian in the north, American in the south), which became North Korea and South Korea in 1948
Japanese name (1910–45): Chosen See North Korea, South Korea
Cultural definitions for korea
Korea
Historic region consisting of North Korea and South Korea; peninsula off northeastern China separating the Yellow Sea and Sea of Japan, two arms of the Pacific Ocean.
notes for Korea
Korea was under Japanese rule in the early twentieth century. At the end of
World War II, Korea was divided at the thirty-eighth parallel of north
latitude into two zones, with troops of the
Soviet Union in the north and troops of the United States in the south. By 1948, two separate governments had emerged, the
communist Democratic People's
Republic of Korea in the north and the noncommunist Republic of Korea in the south. American and Soviet troops were withdrawn by 1949. The
Korean War (1950–1953) began when North Korean forces invaded South Korea. Forces of the
United Nations under General Douglas
MacArthur aided South Korea, whereas Chinese forces aided North Korea.