At a glance:
Officially known as the Republic of Korea, the country is part of the Korean Peninsula, sharing its only land border with North Korea. While South Korea is a developed country, since the 1950s, 80-90% of children born to single women are abandoned. The majority of children growing up in orphanages age out at 18 years old. With no family support and few options, many of them fall into depression, debt, and different traps of society. Orphans who age out are easy prey for sex traffickers, cults, and gangs. For those who manage to get into college, many of them struggle with debt and drop out due to the high tuition and living expenses.
Capital: Seoul
Religion: No religion (56.1%), Christianity (27.6%), Korean Buddhism (15.5%)
Language: Korean
Number of children aging out of orphanages each year: 6,000