Even though the Korean War of the early 1950s never officially ended, its effects have left people living on each side of the north-south divide in radically different worlds.
A conflicted and bloody past.
The Korean Peninsula, which had been held by the Empire of Japan since 1910, was split into two distinct zones along the 38th parallel after the Second World War. Soviet forces occupied the north, while American forces occupied the south. The division was supposed to be temporary, but when talks to reunite the country failed, two separate governments were established: the Republic of Korea (ROK) in the south, governed by democratically elected Rhee Syng-man, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), in the north, led by the enigmatic communist Kim Il-sung. Both administrations asserted their rightful dominance over the peninsula. (History.com Editors, 2022)
As tensions between the north and south grew, thousands of North Korean soldiers ultimately crossed the 38th parallel in June 1950. Unprepared South Korean defenders fled quickly south after being outnumbered and outgunned. The UN denounced the invasion and soon sent out a peacekeeping force that was mostly made up of American soldiers. (Fifteen additional UN countries sent fewer troops to Korea as well.) Nevertheless, they were unable to mount a successful defense, and by September they had been confined to a tiny region on the peninsula's southeast corner, close to the port city of Busan.
U.S. Marines attempted a daring amphibious attack on the city of Incheon, located some 150 miles behind the front line, to end the siege. It was an unqualified success. In late September 1950, allied forces crossed the partition line and continued their steady northward push, buoyed by their first significant success of the war. By the end of October, they had reached the Yalu River on the Chinese border. (Matray, 2012)
The UN forces' intrusion on China's border, however, was viewed as a security concern by the country's nascent communist leadership. China moved over 300,000 well-equipped and armed troops across the Yalu River at the end of October 1950 to push the UN (and American) forces back. Just like the UN's involvement had done months earlier, China's engagement drastically changed the conflict's trajectory, and by December, Chinese forces had recaptured all of the area taken during the allied operation.
The war, which in its early stages had seen significant territorial gains and losses, turned into one of attrition over the course of the following two years as the front lines slowly hardened around the 38th parallel.
In July 1953, officials of the UN, North Korea, and China signed an armistice agreement to halt hostilities until a long-term peace agreement could be negotiated. By this time, all sides had grown weary of fighting. As a de facto border, the armistice agreement established a Military Demarcation Line (MDL) along the front line. A demilitarized zone (DMZ) with a width of 4 km was also formed as a buffer between the two nations. Both sides have now strengthened their fortifications with guard towers, monitoring stations, bombproof bunkers, gun emplacements, electric fences, minefields, and tank traps, all of which are designed to thwart an incursion. The DMZ is the boundary that is best protected in the entire world. However, South Korea did not sign the armistice, so the war never officially ended. Half a century later, the political situation on the Korean Peninsula remains as tenuous as ever. (McCurry, 2022)
Political dynamism.
In 1948, the Soviet Union installed Kim Il-sung as the nation's leader in North Korea. Kim, a former guerrilla warrior who resisted Japanese occupation, became somewhat of a folk hero. The Soviet-appointed premier was revered by North Koreans, at least publicly, for endorsing communism and his brand of independence ideology known as juche. Kim Il-sung afterward assumed the office of president and created what is now known as a dynasty, with his son and grandson inheriting the presidency. Beginning in 1948, the UN supported democratic elections in the South. Before settling into a consistent pattern of free elections and standard five-year terms of office, South Korea underwent two coup attempts. (Young Yee Shin, 2001)
The fact that North Korea has had only three leaders in over 70 years while the South has had a dozen heads of state is emblematic of the strikingly different political and economic forces that reverberate through the two nations.
People and society
Despite having a mostly similar heritage, the two Koreas societies are a study of differences. The population of South Korea is almost two times that of its northern neighbor. Both countries' growth rates have slowed down, with North Korea's growth marginally above that of South Korea (0.5 percent vs. 0.4 percent) (Young & Im, Relations with the North, 2020). Even though both countries populations are primarily urban, South Korea's economic expansion has contributed to a faster rate of urbanization. North and South Korea's family sizes are relatively identical, while South Korea's life expectancy is higher. Family sizes are roughly similar in the North and South, but life expectancy in South Korea is nearly a dozen years longer.
The two nations are located at opposing ends of a cultural spectrum; thus these distinctions go beyond simple statistics. Citizens of South Korea are free to participate actively in civil society, travel without restriction, and express their opinions without worrying about repercussions. They embrace new technology, take advantage of social media, and speak more and more "Konglish," or English loanwords, in their speech. On the other hand, North Korean citizens are cruelly denied their civil and human rights. Nearly every element of daily life is under state control, including the media, which is then used to foment discord between South Korea and its allies in the West.
The regime uses fear and collective punishment to impose its policies. Politically guilty citizens and their families are frequently sent to labor camps, where up to 40% of inmates die from malnutrition. (Yeo, 2021). Other suspected criminals or regime opponents are executed. Even the royal family was put to death in 2013 on fabricated treason charges by Kim Jong-un, proving that even the ruling family is not immune. Four years later, in Malaysia, Jong-estranged un's half-brother was murdered; evidence points to the North Korean leader personally ordering the killing.
Economy and industry
South Korea has developed into a developed, rich nation under democratic rule, and as of today, it has the 14th-largest economy in the world and one of the strongest economies in Asia. (OECD, 2022). On the other side, North Korea continues to be one of the most economically isolated nations in the world, trading virtually solely with China. Since 1948, the country's per-capita GDP has scarcely increased. (Cullinane, 2013)
In the early years of the two countries, the peninsula's economy grew. But during "The March of Suffering" in the 1990s, the North's economy crashed after stagnating in the 1980s. Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans died from malnutrition as a result of drought, flooding, and poor government policy. (Young & Im, Relations with the North, 2020)
Only 30% of North Korea's population has access to electricity, compared to South Korea, one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world. In images of the Korean Peninsula taken at night, this discrepancy is noticeable.
The missile development of North Korea.
The already precarious security situation on the Korean Peninsula has grown into an international concern as North Korea moved closer to developing nuclear weapons. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un’s ferocious warnings only fueled the flames.
North Korea's regime's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons and the missile technology that allows for the precise delivery of nukes are perhaps some of the topics that get the most attention. Under Kim Il-sung, the North started developing missiles in 1984. While there were six tests run that first year, there were very few testing runs in the 1990s. Throughout these years, numerous diplomatic initiatives to enhance ties between the two Koreas were made. However, once Kim Jong-un assumed control in 2011, the course of North Korea's missile testing program underwent a significant turn. To the dismay of South Korea and its allies, missile testing increased in frequency and was more frequently successful under his administration. (Young & Im, 2020)
The two Koreas receive varying degrees of international backing along well-known geopolitical fault points. North Korea's closest friend is China, a nation that has historically aligned itself against the capitalist west system, whereas South Korea is a party to several free-trade and defense accords with NATO nations, including the United States. North Korea is essentially a client state of the PRC given that it conducts more than 80% of its trade with China.
The relationship has been strained, however, by North Korea's nuclear aspirations and Kim Jong-un’s outspoken contempt for the Chinese leadership. Beijing has started to reduce its funding even though North Korea receives roughly half of its foreign aid. China agreed to execute UN sanctions against North Korea in September 2017, removing North Korean firms from its borders and halting new imports of coal from the country.
What about today?
On November 2, 2022, North Korea launched at least 23 missiles into the ocean, one of which came down fewer than 60 kilometers (40 miles) off the coast of South Korea (Smith & Choi, 2022). South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol referred to this as a "territorial incursion," and Washington blasted it as "reckless." It was also the most missiles fired by the North in a single day, and it was the first time a ballistic missile had landed near South Korean waters since the peninsula was divided in 1945. Rare air raid warnings were supplied by South Korea, who then responded by launching its missiles. The rockets came only hours after Pyongyang urged an end to extensive military drills between South Korea and the United States, claiming that such "military rashness and provocation can be no longer tolerated" (Korea Herald, 2022).
John Kirby, the White House's national security spokesman, described the North Korean launches as "reckless" and promised that the US would take steps to ensure that it has the military resources necessary to defend its treaty allies Japan and South Korea (Ji, 2022).
The missile touched down south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL), a contentious maritime border between North and South Korea, but outside of South Korea's territorial seas.
Yasukazu Hamada, Japan's defense minister, claimed that the missile fell in the East Sea, often known as the Sea of Japan, after traveling roughly 250 kilometers (155 miles), "at a very low altitude of about 50 kilometers (31 miles) or less." (Yonhap, 2022) Authorities are currently looking into more information, such as the missile's orbit, he continued, and he denounced the launch as endangering "the peace and security of our country, the region, and the world community." (AFP, 2022). According to a CNN count, this is the 32nd day this year that North Korea has conducted a missile launch. Both ballistic and cruise missiles are counted in the total. In comparison, only four tests were undertaken in 2020 and eight in 2021. (Yeung & Seo, 2022)
This year, tensions on the Korean Peninsula have progressively increased as a result of increased military drills and joint drills between South Korea and the US as well as their missile testing in response to Pyongyang's missile tests. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, South Korea is now conducting its independent drills as part of an annual exercise that places a focus on defensive operations. Through Thursday, the exercises are anticipated to go on.
The US and its allies' "reckless military hysteria" is pushing the peninsula toward "unstable confrontation," according to North Korean state media, which posted pictures of what it claimed to be last week's missile launches on Monday.
The report stated that Pyongyang's missile tests and air force exercises demonstrate its " will to counter the combined air drill of the enemy”. (Korea Herald, 2022). Since activity at the nuclear test site can be seen in satellite imagery, the US and other foreign observers have been warning for months that North Korea might be getting ready to conduct an underground nuclear test. This would be the hermit country's first test in almost five years.
Bibliografia
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