Issue and Geographical Context
Japan invaded Korea in 1910. After WWII Korea became independent from Japan and was divided into North- and South Korea. The United States supported Lee SeungMan in the South and the Soviet Union supported Kim IlSong in the North. The US and the Soviet Union split the Korean Peninsula approximately in half. Together, North and South Korea make up the Korean Peninsula, located in Asia. China lies to the North with only the East Sea separating North and South Korea from Japan. North Korea also shares a border with Russia. The Korean Peninsula is valuable as it provides access to the East Sea, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea. It provides a land route to China and is an ideal base for a military force. North Korea has valuable resources including iron ore, coal and gold.
Methodology
Primary data was collected through a visit to South Korea, a tour of the third tunnel which was built by North Korean forces for a potential invasion of South Korea , and a visit to Imjingak where South Koreans hang ribbons to show their support for the reunification. In addition to this, South Korean citizens were interviewed on the advantages and disadvantages of a reunified Korea. Secondary data was gathered and analysed from websites.
Imjingak, where South Koreans hang ribbons for reunification
This steam locomotive is a symbol of the division of North and South Korea.
Analysis and Evaluation
¬¬Since the Korean War finished, North Korea has tried to develop its military and nuclear weapons. UN Sanctions were imposed on North Korea which limited trade. In 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed and would no longer support North Korea. China supplied food and oil but reduced exports to North Kor...
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During his rule there was decrease in trading because their main trading partner, the Soviet Union, had just collapsed. Not only that, but there were also numerous floods and droughts that occurred too. This left North Korea in famine, since there was only a certain amount of farming land, this left Kim Jong-Il to worry about his power. With the remaining amount of farming land, he instead decided to use those resources for the military instead of the citizens experiencing famine at the time. After this incident, in 2003, it was found out that North Korea was producing nuclear weapons, but Kim Jong-Il said it was only for security reasons.
The Korean War , although successful in preventing the spread of communism, was one of the first tests of communism in Asia. North Korea was strictly communist while South Korea was democratic. As usual, the United States supported democratic South Korea and the Truman Doctrine was applied to the Korean situation. The North Korean forces crossed the dividing line (38th parallel) and invaded South Korea. Thus, they provoked a war over communism. With the possibility of democratic South Korea falling to the communistic North, the U.S. stepped in and supplied aid mostly through troops. The U.S. then urged the United Nations to support South Korea and fight against the communist North. Once the North Korean forces were defeated at Inchon, they eventually got pushed back to the 38th parallel. However, against President Truman’s word, American General MacArthur decided to keep pushing back the North Korean forces by crossing the dividing line. This caused more trouble because the People’s Republic of China (Communist China) now sent troops to aid the communists against the pro...
Pearson, Lester B. "Documents on the Korean Crisis." University of Manitoba. January 24, 1951. http://www.umanitoba.ca/libraries/units/archives/canada_war/tribune/website/clippings/korea/Documents_on_the_Korean_Crisis1.shtml (accessed December 18, 2011).
Naden, Corinne J., and Rose Blue. "United Nations." Americans at War. Ed. John P. Resch. Vol. 3: 1901-1945. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 187-188. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
Throughout the early 1950’s the Korean Peninsula was a location with much civil unrest and violence. For this reason, it is a miracle that the Korean Armistice Agreement was actually mutually agreed upon by North and South Korea. Even with the constant complications, and early opposition surrounding the Korean Armistice Agreement, the aid of Dwight D Eisenhower made this unrealistic attempt of peace a reality.
Korea had been united as one country for many years. Japan took control of Korea and made it part of its empire. After World War II, Japan was defeated and its empire fell. Korea was left without a leader or a system of government. This provoked the United States troops to occupy the southern half and Soviet troops to occupy the northern half. The United States and its allies favored democratic government, while the Soviet Union and China favored a communist system of government.
Japan was imperializing late nineteenth century to early twentieth century. Korea was a Japanese colony. After World War II, the Japanese had to get rid of the colony. North Korea became Communist. South Korea wanted to be democratic. Later North Korea crossed the 38th parallel and entered South Korea. The United States answered by telling the United Nations to help South Korea. The United Nations did and they pushed North Korea so far back they hit the northern tip of china. China went into the war to protect their borders. At the end of the war they went back to where they were in the beginning. Neither side won. Between 1992 -1995 North Korea did many good things. It says on BBC News Asia that North Korea became involved in the United Nations and they agree to freaze nuclear weapon program those where the good they did but then there was a huge flood that created a food shortage this was also on BBC Asia. In 2002 it say in BBC Asia that nuclear tension increased in North Korea and United States. The North Korean communist nation controls the citizen’s religious beliefs so they have to belief in jushe which is a belief that they have to look up to North Korean leaders. The North Korean leaders make sure the citizens of North Korea belief in it if they don...
"Zoologist Salary - How Much Does Zoologists Make?" The Richest We Follow Money The Extraordinary Zoologist Salary How Much Does Zoologists Make Comments. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
This response will focus on the key issue of fragmentation. In his book Korea’s Twentieth-Century Odyssey, Michael E. Robinson wrote “Multiple interest groups resided within the bureaucracy and even divided the royal house” (p. 16). Arguably, Korea’s sovereignty was lost in large part, due to the lack of unity among different groups and faction. It was clear from the readings that some Korean individuals and groups prioritized their self-interests above their own country’s benefit. Nowhere was this most evident then the issue of national security.
Earlier, the Japanese annexed Korea as a protectorate but they invaded the land more than they protected it. Japanese rule was so harsh which made the Koreans wish that the Japanese would be defeated in World War 2 so that their nation could be back to normal. Also during this time, the 38th parallel was a temporary dividing line in Korea that would later become permanent. Then, the soviet soldiers accepted the surrender of the Japanese troops north of the 38th parallel and the Americans did the same for the south of th...
Steinberg, David I., and Donald N. Clark. "Review of The Kwangju Uprising: Shadows over the Regime in South Korea." The Journal of Asian Studies 47.3 (1988): 662-63. Print.
This conflict began developing in 1994 when North Korea announced its intentions to withdraw from the NPT. This led to the US and North Korea signing the Agreed Framework. Under this agreement, North Korea agreed to stop its illicit plutonium production in exchange for increased aid from the United States. While this agreement broke down in 2002, the Six-Party Talks restarted the efforts to stop North Korea from gaining nuclear weapons, involving the aforementioned North Korean, South Korea, Japan, China, Russia, and the United States. This le...
.... The two countries are reconnecting rail lines and sent a combined team to the Olympics. Even the United States is providing $500 million dollars a year in food to the starving North Koreans. The new South Korean President, Roh-Moo-hyun was elected on a peace platform and suggested US troops may be gone within ten years. Works Cited North Korean military and nuclear proliferation threat: evaluation of the U.S.-DPRK agreed framework: joint hearing before the Subcommittee on International Economic Policy and Trade and Asia and the Pacific of the Committee on International Relations, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourth Congress, first session, February 23, 1995, Publisher: U.S. G.P.O.: For sale by the U.S. G.P.O., Supt. of Docs, Congressional Sales Office; http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2340405.stm http://www.iht.com/articles/95391.html
The Korean War explicitly portrayed the atrocious battle between both the North and South side which gave the United Nations its military role for the first time, thus expanding the war from a domestic to an international scale. Sometimes called “The Forgotten War”, the Korean War was mainly overshadowed in historical terms by the conflicts that occurred before and after it, World War II and the Vietnam War. The Korean War had raged for years without a true resolution and after years of battles, even the compromise that was made was not a complete one. The current situation in North and South Korea is quite volatile. In order to apprehend the Korean War, one has to look at events that took place before the war, how the war was conducted and the aftermath of the War.
...hey agreed to make a demilitarized zone on the 38th parallel line or between north and South Korea. The United States promised to restore south Korea and help build up a larger military force. The United States and china try working together to solve the Korea issue, leaders from china, North Korea and the United States meet at Panmunjom, it is known as the peace village and is located on the 38th parallel, no decisions are made because of anger and accusations from both sides. A new conference is made, this time it is meant to be kept peaceful. The Geneva conference began between just the United States and china to unify Korea, however no agreement was made so Korea remains divided today. Truman’s goal of making Korea entirely communist free was never reached. The Korean War was significant in the cold war, because it led to an even larger communist war in Vietnam.