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.

Seth Rogen (pronounced /ˈroʊɡɪn/; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, producer, screenwriter, and voice artist. Rogen began his career doing stand-up comedy during his teen years, winning the Vancouver Amateur Comedy Contest in 1998. While still living in his native Vancouver, he landed a small part in Freaks and Geeks. Shortly after Rogen moved to Los Angeles for his role, Freaks and Geeks was canceled after one season due to poor ratings. He then got a part on the equally short-lived Undeclared, which also hired him as a staff writer.

After landing a job as a staff writer on the final season of Da Ali G Show, for which Rogen and the other writers received an Emmy nomination, he was guided by film producer Judd Apatow toward a film career. Rogen was cast in a major supporting role and credited as a co-producer in Apatow's directorial debut, The 40-Year-Old Virgin. After Rogen received critical praise for that performance, Universal Pictures agreed to cast him as the lead in Apatow's directorial feature films Knocked Up and Funny People. Rogen and his comedy partner Evan Goldberg co-wrote the films Superbad, Pineapple Express, and The Green Hornet. Rogen has done voice work for the films Horton Hears a Who!, Kung Fu Panda, Monsters vs. Aliens, and Paul. He married fellow screenwriter Lauren Miller in October 2011.

Jan Vertonghen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈjɑn vərˈtɔŋə(n)]) (born 24 April 1987) is a Belgian footballer who plays as a defender and occasionally as a defensive midfielder for Dutch club Ajax and the Belgian national team. A left-footed player who usually plays as a centre back, he is equally adept at playing anywhere on the left side or in defensive midfield and frequently joins in the attack from his centre back position. Although playing as a defender, Vertonghen is well known for his offensive prowess and powerful shooting ability.

Following the departure of Luis Suárez for Liverpool in January 2011, Vertonghen was appointed vice-captain of Ajax under Maarten Stekelenburg; following Stekelenburg's transfer to Roma, Vertonghen was made captain. In 2012, Vertonghen was named Dutch Footballer of the Year.

After spending time at VK Tielrode and Germinal Beerschot, Vertonghen moved to the Netherlands and signed a contract with the youth academy of Eredivisie side Ajax. He began as a midfielder but now he mostly plays at centre back for Ajax. During his time in the reserves, he became known for an incident in the 2006 KNVB Cup game against Cambuur Leeuwarden, his first ever home game at the Amsterdam ArenA, where he "scored" a bizarre goal to put Ajax 3–0 up. He had attempted a back pass to the Cambuur goalkeeper while a teammate was receiving treatment but instead the ball sailed past the shocked goalkeeper, much to the amusement of the spectators and the bewilderment of the players. Since the goal was obviously unintentional, in a remarkable display of sportsmanship Ajax allowed Cambuur to score a goal in return.

James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor. His first prominent role was a lead part on the short-lived cult hit television program Freaks and Geeks; he later achieved recognition for playing the titular character in the TV biographical film James Dean (2001), for which he was awarded a Golden Globe Award. He achieved international fame with his portrayals of Harry Osborn in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.

Franco has won or been nominated for a number of awards. He has done both dramatic and comedic work in projects and has appeared in an eclectic range of films since the 2000s, ranging from period to contemporary pieces, and from major Hollywood productions to less publicized indie films, as well as fantasy films to biopics and soap operas. Other notable films include Pineapple Express, a 2008 stoner comedy that earned him his second Golden Globes nomination; the 2008 Harvey Milk-biopic Milk; and Danny Boyle's 2010 drama film 127 Hours, about real-life mountain climber Aron Ralston's struggle to free his hand from a boulder. His performance in 127 Hours earned him nominations for many high-profile awards, including the Academy Awards, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2011, he starred opposite Andy Serkis in Rupert Wyatt's successful science fiction film Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise. Since 2009, he has played a recurring role in the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital.

Steven Arnold Defour (born 15 April 1988) is a Belgian footballer who plays as a midfielder for FC Porto.

Defour had been with KV Mechelen since 2002. But when that team went bankrupt he was part of a mass exodus of young talent from the club. Steven Defour went to Racing Genk (together with future Genk players Marvin Ogunjimi, David Hubert & Anthony Limbombe). His Genk was as a substitute in the 2004–05 season but his big breakthrough was to be in the next season, when the 17 year old showed himself to be a playmaker in midfield with his passing ability. Defour wanted to leave for Ajax soon after, but Genk refused the transfer. After a drawn-out period of negotiations he eventually signed a contract for Standard.

Defour signed a 5-year deal with Standard, and played alongside Portuguese star Sérgio Conceição and Croatian international Milan Rapaić in the 2006–07 season. At the start of the 2007-08 season Standard chose Defour as their captain despite only being 19 years old.

During the 2007–08 season Defour received the Golden Shoe, the official award for most valuable player in the league. He won this personal award at the same time as leading his team to their first Jupiler League title in 25 years. The next season was equally successful as Standard won the league for the second time in a row but only after a two-game play-off with Belgian heavyweights Anderlecht.