Korea

This article focuses on in-universe information regarding the character. For information about the controversy surrounding the character, see Korea controversy.

Korea 韓国
Character Information
Name	Republic Of Korea (Daehan-minguk) (대한민국)
Human Name	Im Yong Soo (임용수/任勇洙, Imu Yon Su)
Age	15-16
Gender	Male
Birthday	August 15
Hair Color	Black (early manga), Brown (current, unused anime design)
Eye Color	Brown
Height	175 cm (5' 9")
Debut Appearances
Volume	Hetalia: Axis Powers Volume 1
Strip	Korea Joke Series
Anime	Episode 14 (non-speaking animation error - other scenes cut from series)
Voice Actors

Korea (韓国, Kankoku) is a supporting character in the series Hetalia: Axis Powers, representing the country of South Korea. Between 2007 and 2008, Himaruya gave out human names to some of the characters and he received the name Im Yong Soo (任勇洙, Imu Yon Su; Korean: 임용수). He was originally slated to make an appearance in the anime, but was cut from the series due to controversy.

Attributes

A 'chibi' version of Korea.

Appearance

Korea has short, black-brown hair, with a flyaway curl on the right side of his head. The curl is often drawn with a face in the middle, to represent his "Korean spirit" though it appears that it was originally drawn as part of the yin yang symbol. He generally has on a high-spirited facial expression. He dresses in a white and navy blue hanbok with long, oversized sleeves, though it appears to be a mixture of the male and female styles of hanbok as well as hanbok from different eras of Korea, and his jeogori seems to be in two pieces rather than one.

His actual height is not stated, but it is mentioned that he is significantly taller than both of his "brothers," and that he happens to be very muscular due to his experience in the military.

Personality and Interests

South Korea wearing modern day attire.

Korea is a free-spirited type, obsessed with video games, dramas, studying abroad, and the internet. He always claims credit for others' inventions, and feels that his older brothers should call him their older brother.

Though he is fundamentally serious and likes to put the family first, he can't keep his hands off his brothers. He often uses phrases like, "Da-ze!" or "Uri nara mansae!", which means roughly "Hooray for our land!". When speaking to elders, however, he adopts more formal and polite speech.

It is said that he loves kimchi so much that he took it up into outer space, making France pissed off.

Korea has also been shown to be very good at drawing, as can be seen in a comic strip with China, in which he tried to teach his older brother how to draw anime.

It is also shown that Korea is very bright, seeing that he was able to create the Mind-Reading Binoculars perfectly when Japan failed to do so. But the same comic strip also reveals how clueless he is when he tries to use the binoculars to see what China was thinking of him, only to be devastated to see that China is glad that Korea took the stuffed animals because he didn't want them. Korea concluded that "Korea didn't make them" because he believed they didn't work.

Relationships

China

Main Article: China

He is obsessed with China and wants to be acknowledged by him, but his feelings are unrequited. When he "invented" a pair of mind-reading binoculars and saw that China despaired of his very presence, he believed that they were broken and as a result, he denied making them.

In another modern strip, he and China worked together in animation production.

England

Main Page: England

Korea, after telling Japan and China that they should call him "big brother" and he should be the boss of them, was turned into a child by England in order to "help" Japan and China. He said that, because he was so cute that even if he was loud they would forgive him. China and Japan admitted he was cute and that it could work out as England had intended, however they left him with England after finding that he still had a strong interest in their chests (young Korea was seen with a bump on his head, as well.)

Hong Kong

Main Article: Hong Kong

Their relationship has been shown during the 2011 Halloween event, when Hong Kong told Korea that "You really like teacher, don't you?" while Korea said that he didn't like him but that China likes him, instead. During the Christmas 2011 event, Korea is fearful of damaging the "cool and cute and sensitive image" he believes Hong Kong has for him if Hong Kong catches Korea playing an MMO in a jersey, but Hong Kong appears unfazed and barges in when overhearing this sentiment.

Japan

Main Article: Japan

Korea claims to hate Japan, but is constantly copying his style and creations, and believes that he has ownership over his breasts. At one point, he wanted to dig a tunnel to connect both their countries. He tried to justify his complicated relationship with the claim that tsundere originated from him.

In the original World Conference strip, it is shown that he will go out of his way to disagree with any of Japan's opinions, preferring to side with America instead - even when Japan and America have already agreed.

Appearances

The unused South Korea anime design, later removed from the official site.

Anime

See also: Korea controversy

Korea was originally slated to appear in the first season of the anime, and was shown in various promotional images for the series, as well as appearing in the official site's lineup of characters. However, the character was removed before the series premiered due to outcry from Korean netizens and politicians. Despite his removal, the character still appeared as one of several chibis lining the globe in the first ending theme. A brief animation error in Episode 14 shows him from behind as part of the supermarket line, though the part he played in the rest of the episode was completely removed, as was a brief cameo he would have had at the world meeting in Episode 01.

The Cast Commentary track on the third drama CD, Prologue 2, contains an appearance by the seiyū Kaoru Mizuhara, in the roundtable discussion of recording for the characters in both the drama CDs and anime. Mizuhara's section was thought to suggest that she was to voice Korea in the upcoming anime version, though a translation revealed that it was only a "what if" type of idea if she was cast in the anime, with a "Monaco" character being suggested first. As the animation in anime generally comes before the voice recording sessions, it is unknown if the anime production team ever got as far as casting Korea.

In his unused anime design, Korea's dark hair was changed to a chestnut brown shade, and the "Korean spirit" in his haircurl was removed. The navy blue part of his hanbok was also changed to violet and his baji (the pants) became a lavender shade. The design published on the anime's website depicts him with large brown irises, but in his appearance in the ending theme he's shown with normally proportioned brown eyes.

Trivia

The original female South Korea.

• An initial character design by Hidekaz Himaruya reveals that Korea was originally going to be a female character. In the early design, the female South Korea is depicted wearing a hanbok with long, flowing oversized sleeves. Her hair appears to be tied back into braids. Further liner notes in the special edition of Hetalia: Axis Powers volume 2 suggest that the female Korea was to be an aspiring idol who decided to travel to the United States. The design for the female Korea was later reused for the character Sena, the lead of another, short-lived webcomic by Himaruya, entitled MoeKan. Himaruya's initial design of a male South Korea had no haircurl, though some later preliminary designs presented a Korea that looked more melancholy than how he appeared in the series.
• Korea's birthday was originally listed as being May 1st, 1919. The date was later retconned to August 15th (no year given) by the time the published version of the manga was released. The retconned birthdate corresponds with the date for the Korean Liberation Day in 1945, as well as the date for the formation of South Korea in 1948.
• Although referred to as simply Korea most of the time, the nation name being listed as Daehan-minguk (Republic of Korea) on his original profile first indicated that he is meant to represent the southern half, which also tends to be referred to as simply Korea. Though he has only appeared in one modern-day strip, his flag confirms that he represents South Korea (though the original Korean flag was similar before the split). In 2007, Himaruya stated that he had a male North Korea character in mind that would be a musician who was fond of reading and dancing, as well as being more timid in personality than South Korea. However, it is unlikely that he will appear any time soon due to controversy, as well as a friend of Himaruya's (on whom he was based) having moved away. The unused female South Korea design is sometimes substituted by fans as a possible "North."
• While the nation of Korea has been around since 2333 BC, Korea is portrayed as seemingly the youngest of the Asian nations (though he claims they should call him their big brother). It is currently unknown if he represented ancient Korea and the Three Kingdoms in the past as well, or if a character (or characters) for them will exist.
• Korea's habit of claiming things originated from him most likely comes from the taegeuk on his flag. The taegeuk refers to the ultimate reality from which all things and values originate according to oriental philosophy. However, the stereotype of Korea claiming origin for various things is also one present in the Japanese media and a few other series, which only serves to further the national tensions between South Korea and Japan.
• Korea is briefly shown wearing rectangular-rimmed glasses when alone in his house during the Christmas 2011 event.