Korea (officially the “Korean Peninsula”) is a region in East Asia. Since 1945 it has been divided into the two sovereign states: North Korea (“Democratic People’s Republic of Korea”) and South Korea (“Republic of Korea”). Korea consists of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and several minor islands near the peninsula. It is bordered by China to the northwest and Russia to the northeast. It is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait and the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

Korean music includes court music, folk music, poetic songs, and religious music used in shamanistic and Buddhist traditions.