Korea

From Gothpoodle

• Population: 72 million
• Aspects: Very Stable, Powerful, Fourth Wave

The peace treaty ending the Korean War of 1950-1953 was finally signed in 2016. Final reunification of Korea took place on 15 August 2025, on the anniversary of independence from Japan. For decades afterward, Korea struggled to integrate a northern half, with a history of brutal Communist dictatorship and grinding poverty, and a southern half, with a history of capitalist prosperity. In 2100, heroic effort and superb statesmanship have attained considerable success.

For many years, Korea was the only major Pacific Rim Alliance state with a potentially hostile land border (in this case with China). As a result, the Korean army is larger in proportion than that of any other PRA member. Koreans are acutely conscious and very proud of their role as bulwark of the Alliance. Korean national consciousness is very strong; many Koreans feel that they are the natural future leaders of the Pacific Rim, destined over the next few generations to eclipse the “decadent” Japanese and “barbarian” Chinese.

Korea lags in technology behind Fifth Wave nations such as Japan, but it has fully assimilated into the Fourth Wave economy and is catching up rapidly. Some sectors are already at the Fifth Wave level, notably the local cybershell industry (which exports much of its product to Japan). Bioroids are not particularly common in Korea, but Korean genetic research is quite advanced, and the country produces many cutting-edge species designs. Korean scientists have also become known for delving into the more exotic realms of physics, experimenting with areas like gravity manipulation and the properties of degenerate matter. Most analysts expect Korea to reach the “leading edge” of technological and industrial development within another 20 years.