According to the search results, the population of South Korea is estimated to be around 51.8 million people as of October 17, 2023. The population has been shaped by international migration, with about four million people from North Korea crossing the border to South Korea after World War II and the division of the Korean Peninsula. The population of South Korea showed robust growth since the republics establishment in 1948, and then dramatically slowed down with the effects of its economic growth. The total fertility rate (TFR) of South Korea has plummeted in recent years, leading some researchers to suggest that if current trends continue, the countrys population will shrink to approximately 28 million people by the end of the 21st century.