Seonko

Imperial State of Seonko 성국 (Seonese) 善國
Flag
Motto:  밝은 달은 우리 가슴 일편단심일세 ("The bright moon is like our heart, undivided and true.")
Capital and city	Haewon
Official language and national language	Seonese
Ethnic groups (2018)	97% Seonese 3% other
Religion	36% Traditional Seonese Religions 26% Furozin 16% Christian 12% Asalism 7% Irreligious 3% Other
Demonym(s)	Seonese
Government	Unitary parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
• Emperor	Baekjun
• Prime Minister of Seonko	Kwon Yebin
Legislature	Central Assembly
Establishment
• Establishment of modern state	23rd October 1946
Population
• 2020 estimate	42,108,746 (26)
GDP (PPP)	estimate
• Per capita	$42,646
GDP (nominal)	2019 estimate
• Per capita	$26,679 (tbd)
HDI (2020)	0.910 very high (tbd)
Currency	Seonese On (SKO)
Date format	yyyy/mm/dd (CE)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+tbd
ISO 3166 code	SK
Internet TLD	.sk

Seonko (Seonese: 성국 romanised as Seongguk), officially known as the 'Imperial State of Seonko is a large country in Eastern Ochran. With a population of just over forty one million, Seonko is bordered to the north by (-) (-) to the south and by (-) to the west as well as sharing sea borders with Tsurushima. The greater metropolitan area of the capital, Haewon is home to over eleven million of the population of Seonko. The majority of Seonko’s people live in the east where the the country touches the sea. Geographically Seonko is diverse, while most of its territory covered by forest covered hills, the northeast is largely flat plains dominated by agriculture and industry. Contrastingly the northwest and much of Seonko’s western border is made up of mountains and valleys, much of this landscape has been untouched for centuries leaving an abundance of flora and fauna.

Seonko’s history has been dominated by a series of dynasties. Beginning with Kang in 1306, Gyeon, Seon, Bak, Cho and Do followed after, with the Do dynasty remaining in power to this day. Prior to the Kang unification of 1306, the territories now forming Seonko were a collection of warlord administered states. The Kang warlords of the northeastern state eventually conquered the neighbouring kingdoms under the newly formed Kang Dynasty, ruling from Haewon, the present day capital of Seonko. The Kang emperors ushered in a sophisticated and refined culture as well as a strictly adhered to social class division. While Kang united and brought peace to Seonko, the Seon dynasty is today most highly revered and had a lasting impact on Seonese culture, even giving name to the modern nation. The ousting of militaristic emperor in the beginning of the 20th Century marked the transition to a constitutional monarchy, and implementing Seonko’s first democratically elected body, which would transform by 1953 into a functioning parliament while the monarchy retained a purely symbolic role in governing. Although ultimate power theoretically remains with the royal family, subsequent emperors almost never utilised this to its full extent.

21st Century Seonko is a liberal democracy and economically developed nation of over forty million people with thousands of years of a unique culture and society. Following the transition to a democracy, by the 1960s Seonko had experienced industrialisation and witnessed a large increase to its standard of living as well as greater technological advancements. The nation consistently ranks highly in areas of healthcare and education alongside a respect for civil freedoms. It has become international renowned for its growing popular culture, fashion, cuisine and as a top tourist destination.

Geography

Environment

Forested hills are the dominant geographical feature of Seonko comprising the majority of the nation’s interior and coastal regions, before gradually increasing in height to form two mountain ranges running along the western border. The southern range is known as the Namgangmaek, while the northern range is the Bukgangmaek. Their native Seonese names refer to the fact both ranges are the sources of the nation’s two longest rivers. The hills of the north are rolling but become rugged as one travels south. Karst limestone rock forms have formed in multiple locations between Yeosang and Naemyeon. The valleys and hills of the rest of the nation shield Seonko’s north east, which is comprised of largely flat expansive grassland, a majority of which has become cultivated for agricultural purposes. Rice paddies constitute the largest percentage of this farmland. Outside the capital, a stretch of flooded coastal plains and mudflats have immense ecological and cultural value for this region of the country. Today, over 65% of the country is covered by dense forests, a combination of deciduous and evergreen trees. Furthermore, much of this has become protected natural reservations and parks. Strong conservation efforts have allowed for thriving populations of large wild animals namely tigers and bears. Cheonggok is the largest island in Seonko and lies off the eastern coast of the Po’an prefecture and is inhabited by approximately four thousand people. Many other small uninhabited islands can be found scattered along this stretch of rocky coastline. The most heavily urbanised region is the densely populated eastern coast from the capital Haewon in the far north all the way south to the second largest city. Large swathes of the furthest south Naemyeon prefecture are undeveloped and sparsely inhabited, with subtropical rainforests covering the hillsides all the way to the tip of the Jinnam Peninsula.

Landscapes of Seonko

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  Bukganmaek Mountains in the north west

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  Karst landscape in Yeosang prefecture

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  Beaches and coastline in Suyeong

Seonko’s climate is mostly humid and subtropical in nature. However, the northern mountaineous regions are characterised by drier more temperature seasons. Average summer temperatures in the north range from 22°c to 28°c whereas average winter temperatures in this region are 8°c to 12°c. However further south the climate becomes warmer with winters averaging 14°c with summer temperatures regularly soaring beyond 28°c. Summers receive the heaviest annual rainfall owing to the arrival of monsoons maintaining high levels of humidity while winters in contrast are usually dry and cool. The south being an exceptions where winter may equally be damp.

Climate

Climate data for Seonko
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	7 (45)	11 (52)	16 (60)	21 (70)	25 (77)	29 (84)	33 (91)	34 (93)	28 (82)	25 (77)	20 (68)	18 (65)	22 (72)
Average low °C (°F)	4 (40)	7 (45)	13 (55)	15 (59)	21 (69)	24 (75)	26 (79)	28 (82)	23 (73)	18 (65)	14 (58)	9 (48)	17 (62)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	71 (2.8)	54 (2.14)	96 (3.76)	61 (2.42)	96 (3.79)	184 (7.23)	159 (6.25)	218 (8.60)	104 (4.11)	54 (2.12)	52 (2.03)	36 (1.40)	1,185 (46.65)

Government

Seonko’s first democratically elected body was formed in 1955 as functioning parliament with a new consideration after a period of reform following the end of a dictatorship. The Seonese monarchy retained a purely symbolic role in governing, and although ultimate power theoretically remained with the royal family, subsequent emperors almost never utilised this. Modern Seonko is a liberal democracy with elections held nationally every five years with voters determining the Prime Minister as well as the make up of the Central Assembley. Currently five parties have seats, with the plurality held by the ruling Social Democratic Party of Seonko and led by Prime Minister Kwon Yebin. Each prefecture has it’s own governor, who is elected every four years during regional elections.

Law

Human rights are respected in Seonko with discrimination because of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation being illegal. LGBT rights in Seonko are considered protected to a degree however further progress is still necessary. Homosexuality was never explicitly illegal in Seonko and support for equality has grown considerably in recent decades. However same sex marriage is not yet legal nor is adoption by gay couples. Despite this a handful of marriages performed in other countries of Seonese citizens have been registered. Different cities have different policies regarding cohabitation recognition with the capital Haewon and the southern city of Hyeonsu having recognised the most. It has been legal to undergo gender change surgery since 2002 and self identification allowed since 2017. Support for equality varies in different areas of the country with urban areas being more accepting than more rural areas where conservative familial values prevail, some polls suggesting an 85% support for same sex marriage in the Capital Territory compared to 52% in Mungye.

Regarding women’s rights, vast improvements have been noted since the 1970s prior to which traditional gender roles were almost fully adhered to across the country. Significant reforms to family law, access to education and positions of power and abortion rights have allowed for women to enjoy higher social standing. Today for example although no gender quota has been set, 48% of the parliament is made up of female members. Between the country’s founding as a constitutional monarchy there have been three female prime ministers including current leader Kwon Yebin. A majority of women today are employed. Despite many advancements, certain prejudices remain and more comprehensive sexual harassment laws are in the process of being introduced.

Freedom of religion is guaranteed to all those in Seonko with no state religion. Additionally, government offices and other public buildings such as hospitals, other health facilities and schools are prohibited from having any religious influence and are totally secular

Administrative Divisions

Seonko is composed of fourteen prefectures, including the island of Cheonggok. Yongjae, Samsan, Pyeongwol, Sangje, Mungye, Dokchul, Po’an, Yeosang, Hanbyeon, Naemyeon, Suyeong, Gyoseok and Ulhae make up the remaining prefectures. The Haewon Capital Territory has been granted special status as it is home to the nation’s capital and therefore seat of government.

Demographics

Ethnicity & Languages

Seonko is one of the world’s most ethnically homogeneous nations with over 97% of the population being Seonese. Exceptions to this are in border regions and large cities where since the 1980s immigration has increased from other regions of Ochran and different parts of Ajax usually in search of education or economic opportunities. Currently immigration to the country continues to rise but the majority of which (62%) are originally from Ochranian countries. A growing presence of immigrant communities from other continents is also noted. With a population of 42 million, the country is heavily urbanised with a quarter of the population living in the Haewon Capital Territory alone. Urbanisation has increased rapidly since the 1970s when many left traditional agricultural lives in the interior to settle in towns and cities along the eastern coast. While the total population has almost doubled since the 1930s, it has also began ageing and a declining birth rate has been recorded since 2002. Families have a three person average, and typically only one child. Owing to a high standard of living, the average life expectancy is 81 years.

Seonese is the sole official language with standard Seonese being the primary language of business and education even in regions where local dialects are more commonly spoken on a day to day basis. There are four main dialects all of which are mutually intelligible with differences only in accent, and certain vocabulary. The four are Northern, Southern, Interior and Western. Standard Seonese is based on what was formerly referred to as the Haewon accent, which itself is a variant of Northern. Insular Seonese spoken in the islands between Seonko and Tsurushima is increasingly being considered a distinct language rather than a dialect owing to large differences in vocabulary and mutual unintelligibility with standard Seonese. Many in the country are bilingual being able to converse at least at basic level in other Ochranian or Belisarian languages.

Religion

Romanesque style church in Kamsan.

While Seonko may be a largely homogeneous country, the same does not hold true to religion. Just under half of the Seonese population (43%) profess to be non religious or non practicing while the remaining percentage is dominated by followers of Cheongyoism, and a wide variety of Christianities, Fuzarin and X. Interestingly there is no great urban/rural divide in terms of religion with all faiths commonly found across the country both in major cities and quiet villages. However some prefectures do have majorities. The central and southern prefectures for example are more heavily Cheongyoist, while the north and east leans more to imported religions. Additionally many other smaller religious communities exist in cities with higher immigrant populations, as a result there are now mosques, and temples to be found in Haewon, Yeonju and Hanyeong. Seonko has since the end of the 17th century had a reputation of being open to many religions and proselytism within the nation, leading to the diverse religious make up of the modern country.

Military

Seonko’s military comprises nearly 200,000 personnel both active and reserve. Prior to 2010 enlisting was mandatory for all male citizens for a period of 18 months. The ruling Social Democratic Party of Seonko has since first coming to government in 2012 made reducing military funding and the number of active military personnel a key aspect of their governance. While this move was met with some opposition from other parties in the early years, it has more recently allowed for their growth in popularity amongst the general public. Today the most active branch of Seonko’s military is the navy, followed by the air force, ground troops remain lower in number and their role is largely restricted to managing border controls and port activity.

Education

Education in Seonko is compulsory from the ages of six until seventeen. Kindergarten exists but is generally not popular amongst Seonese parents. Primary School is the next level of schooling and usually is attended by children from the age of 5/6-12. This is compulsory for all Seonese children, classes are generally taught in Seonese except for international schools in cities where the language is normally English or another language depending on the school and the most spoken languages of students. Next is secondary school from 12/13-15 again depending on the school, classes are taught in one of the official langauges. This is followed by high school for ages 15-17/18. Both second level schools are compulsory for Seonese to go to and are often combined into single campuses, particularly in cities. School uniforms are required in all schools both public and private institutes. Most students are expected to attend university after graduating high school as getting a suitable job without a degree is increasingly rare.

Seonko’s most prestigious university is the Imperial Seon University in the capital Haewon. It has a consistently high national and international reputation. It is one of three Imperial Universities in the country, along with the Imperial Cho University in Yeonju and the Imperial Gyeon University in Gwangsu. Each being named after the dynasty they were founded under, making them some of the oldest continuously operating institutions of higher education in the world. Since 1955 the number of major universities has grown from ten to twenty two. Seonko was previously known for intensely competitive and challenging university entrance exams, however gradual modifications were made over a period of six years starting in 2009 and ending in 2015 to reduce stress and improve mental well being of Seonese students.

Culture

Art & Architecture

Traditional Seonese landscape painting. 16th Century.

Palace complex from the Cho Dynasty, Haewon.

Cuisine

Seonko’s cuisine or Seonsik, (선식;善食), is a diverse cuisine originating in Eastern Ochran. It is notable for a series of common ingredients such as rice, tofu, chillis and various meats and vegetables. Kimchi is the most recognisable, serving as the national dish of Seonko, it consists of spicy fermented vegetables with cabbage and radish generally the most popular. Kimchi is one of hundreds of variants of banchan (반찬) usually served at meals. Traditionally, banchan are side dishes accompanying other foods and can consist of anything from seasoned vegetables to fish. Seonese cuisine makes heavy use of seasonings like sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic and ginger and several condiments unique to the country. The most well known of which are doenjang, gochujang and ssamjang. Soups and stews are a notable part of Seonese meals and contain vegetables, fish, meats or noodles, soups can be considered as either guk or tang while stews are typically referred to by jjigae. Food from Seonko has recently grown in popularity internationally with some of the most recognised dishes being kimbap, tteokbokki, kimchi jjigae and Seonese barbecue. Additionally several types of packaged noodles from Seonko (ramyeon) are enjoyed around the world.