Located on the eastern part of the Asian continent adjacent to the People's Republic of China, the Korean peninsula is home to two nations, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, more commonly known as North Korea, and the Republic of Korea, more commonly known as South Korea. Prior to the foreign intervention of the United States and the then Soviet Union in 1945, Korea was an undivided nation. Korea, both North and South, is an ethnically homogeneous country with anthropological roots in the Ural-Altai regions of Siberia. Koreans speak one language, "Hangul".

Korea is a country rich in tradition. With a history of thousands of years, Korea is a unique blend of many different philosophical and religious traditions which have enriched its culture. Shamanism, Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity have exerted a strong influence. In addition, there are a small number of Muslims and Jews. Regarded as the indigenous religion of Korea, Shamanism, while not institutionalized as a religion in the way that Christianity and Buddhism are, has permeated the collective consciousness of the people. Confucianism arrived around the start of the first millenium and had some influence on society. Buddhism arrived around the 4th century and soon became the state religion of the then existing royal kingdoms. Buddhism influenced the development of cultural arts, traditional pottery, architecture, and literature. It continued its dominance in the religious lives of the royal families and the people until 1392 when the Chosun Dynasty started. King Yi Sung-Gye, the first king of the Chosun Dynasty, declared Confucianism the ruling state ideology and banished Buddhist monks and nuns to the countryside. Confucianism became the ideological foundation for the changes in the legal and social system. The Chosun Dynasty and Confucianism as its ideology lasted until 1910 when Korea was officially annexed by Japan. To this day, Confucianism continues to be a predominant and pervasive social code of conduct in Korean life.

After a series of invasions by Japan and China during the late Chosun Dynasty, the Shil-hak ("Practical Learning") faction arose around the late 18th century. This was a civil society movement that rejected the traditional Chinese-oriented ruling system and sought to create a new, modern system of learning, while advocating people's interests. Some scholars of the Shil-hak faction were very much interested in and willing to accept Western thought and learning, including Roman Catholicism. Due to the harsh exploitation and oppression of the people by the ruling class, there was a great deal of social unrest which eventually led to the Dong-hak ("Oriental Learning") Movement. Dong-hak was a syncretistic ideology that combined the strong points of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Shamanism, while declaring egalitarian and reformist ideals. It was greatly supported and welcomed by impoverished farmers. It was around the time that the Dong-hak movement was brutally crushed by the government that Protestant Christianity was introduced in the late 1800s.

South Korea has a population of around 46 million. Since the 1960s, South Korea has been rapidly changing from an agricultural to an industrialized nation. About 75% of South Koreans live in urban areas. South Korea has several major industries including the shipbuilding, automotive, and garment industries, and computer chip technology. With an almost 99% literacy rate, South Koreans place a high value on education and diligent work. As a result of the democratization movement led by religious leaders, students, intellectuals, rural and urban workers, and various grassroots groups, South Korea made a significant step toward democracy after decades of military dictatorial rule. With the election of long-time political dissident Kim Dae-Jung as President in 1997, South Korea entered a new era of politics.