Korea (/kəˈriːə/ kə-REE-ə; Korean: 한국 Hanguk [hanɡuːk] or 조선 Joseon [tɕosʌn] – (see etymology) is an East Asian region that is divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait and the Sea of Japan (East Sea), and separated from Taiwan to the south by the East China Sea.

Archaeological and linguistic evidence suggest the origins of the Korean people might have been Altaic language-speaking people from south-central Siberia,^{[dubious – discuss]} who populated ancient Korea in successive waves from the Neolithic age to the Bronze Age. The adoption of the Chinese writing system ("Hanja" in Korean) in the 2nd century BC, and Buddhism in the 4th century AD, had profound effects on the Three Kingdoms of Korea.

The Three Kingdoms of Korea was first united during the Silla dynasty under the king Munmu of Silla. The united Silla dynasty fell to Goryeo Dynasty in 935 at the end of Later Three Kingdoms of Korea era. Goryeo was a highly cultural state and created the Jikji in the 14th century, using the world's first movable metal type printing press. The Mongol invasions in the 13th century, however, greatly weakened the nation which was forced to become a tributary state. After the Mongol Empire's collapse, severe political strife followed and Goryeo was replaced by the Joseon Dynasty in 1388.

Lee Ingleby (born 28 January 1976) is a British film, television, and stage actor.

He is perhaps best known for his roles as Detective Sergeant John Bacchus in the BBC Drama George Gently and as Stan Shunpike in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. He has also appeared as Sean O'Neill in Jimmy McGovern's The Street, and a recurring role in the second series of Early Doors as Mel's boyfriend, Dean. Another prominent role was his part in the 2003 film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, where he played a nervous Midshipman Hollom. In addition, he played a part in the final episode of Series One of Life on Mars, playing Sam Tyler's father Vic, and made an appearance in Spaced in 2001.

Ingleby was born in Burnley and lived in Brierfield, Lancashire, England during his early life, attending Edge End High School, as did fellow actor John Simm. Both were taught by the same drama teacher who encouraged them into the professional theatre. He then studied at Accrington and Rossendale College before progressing to the drama school LAMDA in London.

Kim Jong-il (born Yuri Irsenovich Kim; 16 February 1941; official biography claims 1942 – 17 December 2011) was the supreme leader of North Korea (DPRK) from 1994 to 2011. He succeeded his father and founder of the DPRK Kim Il-sung following the elder Kim's death in 1994. Kim Jong-il was the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea, and the supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, the fourth-largest standing army in the world.

In April 2009, North Korea's constitution was amended to refer to him as the "supreme leader". He was also referred to as the "Dear Leader", "our Father", and "the General", among others. His son Kim Jong-un was promoted to a senior position in the ruling Workers' Party and is his successor. In 2010, he was ranked 31st in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's Most Powerful People. The North Korean government announced his death on 19 December 2011.

Following his demise, he was succeeded by his third son Kim Jong-un. He was proclaimed the Eternal General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission in 2012. His birthday is a public holiday in the country.

The Prostitutes are an indie band formed in 2004 in Prague, Czech Republic. The original members were singer Adrian T. Bell, guitarist Martin Destroyer (Martin Přikryl), keyboard player Stevie LFO (Martin Převrátil), bass-guitarist Mark Jukebox (Marek Dziuba) and drummer Luk Santiago (Lukáš Přikryl). The Prostitutes released their first album "Get Me Out Of Here" in September 2006. In December 2006, Mark Jukebox left the band after long-term mutual disagreements. New bass-guitarist Šmity (Martin Chmátal) was on board immediately. Šmity is also known in the Czech Republic for his own band called Roe-Deer. In late 2009, Šmity left the band due to his time-consuming employment as a sound engineer. Adam Piaf, former frontman of the band Fake Tapes, became the new bass-guitarist.

The pre-history sees Luk Santiago and Martin Destroyer playing in bands like The Night Traffic and Angličáky in 1989-1995. Santiago, LFO and Destroyer played together in another band called The Radios, which disintegrated in 2004. They invited a bass player and a singer and started a new band in November 2004.