evidence: South Korea,[c] officially the Republic of Korea (ROK),[d] is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone; though it also claims the land border with China and Russia.[e] The country's western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eastern border is defined by the Sea of Japan. South Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands. It has a population of 51.96 million, of which half live in the Seoul Capital Area, the ninth most populous metropolitan area in the world. Other major cities include Busan, Daegu, and Incheon. [...] The major administrative divisions in South Korea are eleven provinces,[f] three special self-governing provinces, six metropolitan cities (self-governing cities that are not part of any province), one special city and one special self-governing city.