Report on Korea: North & South - Essay Example

1Korea, North & South: A Border Away, A World Apart The Korean Peninsula has a history of several hundred yearsas a country that was united by language, ethnicity, and cultural traditions. Korea had long been one of the most homogeneous societies in the world (Gourevitch). This rich tradition of unity benefited Korea as it became an advanced and orderly society that enjoyed self-rule until the Japanese Imperialism annexed the country at the beginning of the 20th century. Korea had a complex economic system and the institutions of land ownership, education, and ascension to power. Their religion that was rooted in Confucianism provided local guidance and well defined rules of authority. The annexation of Korea by Japan in 1910 set the stage for future territorial divisions and acted as a catalyst for rival factions to grow and flourish. After Japan suffered defeat in World War II, Korea was liberated and Soviet-American agreements exploited the divisions that had sprung up during the previous decades. Aggravated by old resentments, nationalistic attitudes, and the politics of the new Cold War, the Soviet-American actions further divided North and South Korea, precipitated the Korean War, and erected a lasting wall dividing a country that 50 years earlier had been united. The story of Korea is the story of a once deeply unified people that have been profoundly distanced in a world apart. The divisions that existed in Korea after Japan's defeat in World War II were the result of Japan's occupational tyranny. Divisions between the left and the political right, between capitalism and Chinese communism, the nationalists and the Japanese sympathizers, only further disappointed those that expected immediate independence after Japan's defeat. Even with these disagreements across the country, Korea may have been able to heal its wounds, find some common ground and engage in a program of unification and independence. However, the Soviets and the Americans had already dashed any hope that the Korean's may have had for unification and they were unwittingly being setup for even greater division (Gourevitch). The initial plans to turn Korea into an American-Soviet trusteeship had fallen through. In the days after the atomic bombs had been dropped, but before Japan surrendered, America already was planning out the future for Korea. While the Russians occupied the Northern Provinces and the US forces occupied the South, they were forming coalitions and governments that would be sympathetic to their respective ideologies. The Northern Provinces were primarily revolutionaries and communists led by Kim Il Sung, an anti-Japanese revolutionary (Gourevitch). By 1946, the communists were able to form a cohesive political party in the North and were able to man a small army. The South, with Seoul, had the ruling seat of government but was staffed by bureaucratic positions that were more often perceived as Japanese collaborators left behind after the occupation. Late in 1945, Dr. Syngman Rhee returned to Korea after residing outside the country during the period of Japanese imperialism. Many U.S. officials favored Rhee, a staunch anti-Communist, to form the new government. Rhee and US Occupation forces made plans to establish a separate government administration in South Korea by organizing the bureaucracy left behind by the Japanese. Rhee's newly established government set out to cripple his political opponents and destroy any possibility of a leftist uprising in anticipation of overpowering the North and gaining complete control of the unified Korea. By 1949, Rhee had imprisoned 30,000 of his political enemies, had another 70,000 imprisoned in "Guidance Camps", and by December 1949 he was arresting as many as 1,000 suspected communists per day (Cumings, 223). These dictatorial tactics were designed to maintain his power while he eliminated any remaining resistance in the South for a planned invasion of the Northern Provinces. Who started the war, and who took the first offensive action is still a matter of historical debate. The world may never know. What is certain is that if the U.S. had not supported the South, the North would have won an easy victory and Korea would have been reunited under a communist regime. Though both Kim and Rhee professed their desire to have a reunified Korea, their own power was more important to them than the fate of the country. The war decimated the North, destroying almost all sense of civilization as aircraft pounded the cities with bombs. When the hostilities ended on July 27, 1953, the division between North and South had been permanently cauterized onto the landscape of Korea. There was no going back, no forgiveness, and no reunification. When the Korean War was ended, the two Koreas were in a similar economic situation. They had similar populations and comparative natural resources. However, they had inherited different economic systems and a different form of government. While North Korea has adhered to the rigid centralized communistic system, the South has formed a democratic republic and has an open market economy. Today, the per capita income of South Korea rivals the United States and is 20 times that of North Korea (Background Note: North Korea, Background Note: South Korea). The last 50 years have seen an expansive economic growth in South Korea as they have participated in the international community and global trade. North Korea has retreated into isolation and has few economic or political allies in the world. South Korea's economic accomplishments have been viewed as the miracle of Asia. Korea began investing in light manufacturing during the economic reforms of the 1960s but has since turned toward greater technology. Today, they spend 2.6% of their gross domestic product on research and development, one of the highest expenditure rates in the world ("Korea Breaks the Mold"). Samsung, a Korean conglomerate, is one of the world's largest corporations and is an example of the type of industry that has driven the per capita income to near $20,000 and fueled the Korean stock market to an 8 fold increase in the last 8 tears ("Korea Breaks the Mold"). While these changes have been positive for South Korea and have substantially elevated the standard of living in the past 50 years, just across the 38th parallel there is a much more dismal economic picture. While material goods are in abundance in the South, there are severe shortages in the North. Food is scarce, the stores are barren, and the population has been driven to turn every available land area into a plot to cultivate maize and vegetables ("Desperate Straits"). The remarkably low per capita income of $900 is further eroded by the fact that North Korea spends as much as 25% of their Gross Domestic Product on defense (Background Note: North Korea, Lyons). Faced with near total dependence on Chinese oil and economic support, the North has entered into a cooperative agreement with the South by establishing free economic cooperation zones (Lyons). These locations near the North-South border provide the South with an inexpensive manufacturing site and stimulate trade between North and South. While this could benefit the North economically, the South needs to be careful that it does not violate any international sanctions against the North Korean government of Kim Il Sung and his looming nuclear capabilities. As much as economics and politics have taken decidedly different paths for the South and North, freedom of expression has also taken different paths. At the beginning of the 20th century Korean religion was dominated by Buddhism, Confucianism, Shamanism, and Catholicism. This remained true throughout the country for the first half of the 20th century, even though the Japanese had placed some restrictions on the practice of religion, Though religion is not specifically outlawed in North Korea, it has been severely limited by the communist regime. It is practiced sporadically and often used to promote the government's political objectives (Savada). In South Korea Christianity has experienced a great popularity. The rise of Christianity has been attributed to the social influences of wars, urban relocation, and an industrialized society that now has 26% of its population claiming Christianity as their primary religion (Young-Gi). Religion is one example of the freedom of expression that South Koreans enjoy that is restricted in the North. While we often view communism as an ideologically equitable system that shuns class and social stratification, it does not seem to hold true when comparing North and South Korea. The South is highly industrialized and suffers from some of the same economic drawbacks that many industrialized countries encounter. South Korea struggles with unemployment, poverty, and a wide disparity in the distribution of wealth. However, the free market economy and individual freedom limits the restrictions placed on workers to make a living wage or capitalize on their talents. In North Korea, there are 47 distinct social classes that people are assigned to based on their background and their parentage ("Inside North Korea"). There is almost no way to escape the social stigma of a low classification in a lifetime and it restricts people's access to education or marrying a spouse from a higher social order. Detailed records on individuals are kept and continually updated in regards to their class and social order ("Inside North Korea"). With the widespread disparities in the social, economic, and political lives between the North and South Koreans, it would appear that they have forever been separated as a people. Yet, many people still see Korea as one country and remain hopeful that it will one day be reunited. There is an increasing interest in tourism going into North Korea. A North Korean resort area, operated by Hyundai, seen 180,000 visitors in the first year of operation ("A Blurred Postcard"). In fact, it was South Korea's Unification Ministry that coordinated and approved the Hyundai arrangement ("Hyundai Gets Red Light"). South Koreans may be ready to embrace the North, but the North, with much more to gain, may be reluctant to go back. A South Korean tour official noted that the tours have only "...highlighted the divide" ("A Blurred Postcard"). The guide said that the South may feel like it is all one country, "But the North Koreans, they're not interested" ("A Blurred Postcard"). The South continues to appease the North by giving aid and economic opportunity in the face of a growing military threat. Yet, they may be alone in their endeavors. The once strong and proud country of Korea has been ripped in two by the forces of history. Today, the two nations are as different as if they had been born on different continents in a different time. They are opposite in almost every social, political, and economic measurement that can be conceived. Yet, the glorious unity that Korea once enjoyed is still longed for in the minds of many Koreans as well as people all around the world. There is also a great resistance and indifference to the concept. After 60 years of hoping for a reunified Korea and a better life for the North Koreans, it may be that history has torn so hard that Humpty Dumpty can never be put back together again. Works Cited "A Blurred Postcard From North Korea." Economist 354.8162 (2000). EBSCO. 3 May 2007. "Background Note: North Korea." Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Apr. 2007. US Department of State. 3 May 2007 . "Background Note: South Korea." Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Jan. 2007. US Department of State. 3 May 2007 . Cumings, Bruce. Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1997. 1-525. "Desperate Straits; North Korea's Economy. (North Korea's Desperate Reliance on China)." The Economist (US) (2003). Thomson Gale. 3 May 2007. Gourevitch, Philip. "Alone in the Dark. (North Korean History, Relations with South Korea, United States)." The New Yorker 8 Sep. 2003. Thomson Gale. 3 May 2007. "Hyundai Gets Red Light to go North." International Construction Sep. 1998: 9-37. EBSCO. 3 May 2007. "Inside North Korea." Wilson Quarterly 23.3 (1999). EBSCO. 3 May 2007. "Korea Breaks the Mold; For a Country Nearing a Per Capita Income of $20,000, the Sclerotic Service Sector is a Major Anomaly. And it may Explain the Slowdown." Newsweek International 6 Nov. 2006. Thomson Gale. 3 May 2007. Lyons, Gerard. "Bracken: Change Is Possible For North Korea - North Korea Could Turn Around Its Economy But First It Must Tackle The Nuclear Issue, Says Gerard Lyons." The Banker (2006). Thomson Gale. 3 May 2007. Savada, Andrea M., ed. North Korea: A Country Study. Washington, DC: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1993. 3 May 2007 Young-Gi, Hong. "Encounter With Modernity: The 'McDonaldization' of Korean Mega-Churches." International Review of Mission 92.365 (2003). EBSCO. 3 May 2007. Read More