A Little History Lesson

‘There remains only one divided country.’ This is how tourism Korea advertises its trips to the peninsula’s Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). A good friend of mine pointed out to me that this was actually not the case. Western Sahara remains a divided country with an oppressive Moroccan regime holding 2/3′s of it, while the other is declared a ’liberated zone.’ Perhaps a more accurate description of Korea would be ‘the last divided country that anyone cares about.’ Indeed the continent of Africa and the countries within it are deserving of much more media attention than they are afforded. But allow me to invest my efforts in this post to giving some insights into how and why Korea is a divided country, then, in a future post, I will explain how this divided country is maintained.

Here is how the country is divided, note how close South Korea’s capital, Seoul is to the DMZ

Quickly I will scratch the surface of Korea’s past. First, Korea was not always divided. Compared to their long history, the concept of North and South Korea represents a minor fraction of its past. There is evidence to suggest that Koreans have been inhabiting their land since 8000 BC. Through out its history, Korea, as mentioned in an earlier post was forced to endure several Japanese invasions as well as a vicious  rule that lasted between 1910 and 1945.  With Japanese surrender at the end of WWII, Korea was once again an independent country, well kind of. You see after the war, as is the case in many post war negotiations, the big players, those who won the war that is, negotiated what should become of Korea. However, the UN along with the Soviet Union and the Untied States would find no resolve and the country became split along the 38th parallel (referring to the line of latitude). From this, two dominate and very different governments emerged. The North would be led by Kim Il-sung, a staunch communist who received the blessing and backing of then leader of USSR, Joseph Stalin. The South, on the other hand, would be led by a democratic, US backed individual named Syngman Rhee. It does not take a rocket scientist to predict what happened next.

Emerging leader of North Korea Kim Il-sung (The Great Leader) who, after WWII, effectively began ridding North Koreans of basic human rights.

Animosities would come to a head on June 25h 1950, when the North invaded the South. Fighting would continue until an armistice was signed three years later on July 27th 1953. Casualty statistics prove to be quite severe. Estimates indicate that South Korea loss 137,800 soldiers, while the North loss 215,000 in combat. In addition, more than 2.5 million civilians either loss their lives or were severely wounded during the conflict. While an over used expression suggests that there are no winners in war, the Korean War proved just that. After three years of brutal combat, the North and Southern borders remained unchanged. 

 

Shallow grave used to bury the dead during the Korean War

And here we are today, more than 56 years removed from the date in which an armistice was signed, North and South Korea are still technically at war. With the fall of the Iron Curtain in the early 90′s and with it the collapse of Communism over Eastern Europe, how can this be so? How is it that such a small peninsula as Korea can have within its land mass two completely, incomparable countries? A starting point would be to consider North Korea. With Kim Il-sung’s rise to power after WWII, immediately he went to work at putting blinders over an entire country of people. The dictator threw money exponentially at two things, military and the propaganda machine. As a result, those living within this dictatorship felt powerful, well defended and ready for any attack that may ensue. In addition, the propaganda insured that its citizens would would be subservient to the ‘Great Leader.’ In a twist of irony, it almost seems likely that Kim Il-sung used George Orwell’s 1984 as his manifesto on how to control a nation of people.

Kim Jong-il, current leader of North Korea who assumed leadership role after his father’s passing in 1994. He, like his father has helped maintain a nation of people in starvation and hardship.

South Korea’s post war years have not been met without criticism either. Syngman Rhee, the post war president of the South has left a legacy that, depending on who you ask, is either criticised or praised. While he did help bring Korea into the twentieth century, his tenure of seven years (1953-60) was met with strong opposition and a military coup. Suceeding presidents would also be criticised for forcefully rigging elections and challenging the fabric of democracy. However, in 1988, Seoul, the capital city of South Korea successfully staged the Summer Olympics Games, not an easy feat. As well, the rapid economic expansion following the war and continuing until the present time would suggest that while leadership has perhaps been suspect, it has in effect brought Korea into the 21st century as a highly developed, fully democratic country with a high standard of living.  

First South Korean president, Sygnem Rhee

And this is where I am going to end this discussion for now. Knowing all to well that many of you may have given up on this post for its heavily ladened historical content, and appreciating that all of you have much better things to consume your time with, I will pick up on this issue in my next post. It will offer a discussion as to why Korea can remain split, as well as why the South sits idle and allows a nation of people with a shared past to suffer under an oppressive regime. I hope that I have not bored you, and if I have, you can always check what Perez Hilton is up to. I have heard that his discussions are exceptionally thought provoking.

Until next time

 

 

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