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South Korea

Rebuilt from one of the world's poorest countries after the Korean War into a top-15 global economy within two generations, a transformation often called the "Miracle on the Han River." Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, first built in 1395, remains the largest of the city's five grand palaces.

Hyangwonjeong Pavilion and its bridge at Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul, South Korea

Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul

Photo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0

The taegeuk at the center represents balance: red for the positive cosmic force, blue for the negative. The four black trigrams stand for heaven, earth, fire and water. Adopted in its current form in 1949.

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